With the third and final Hobbit movie closing the book on the Peter Jackson-era of Tolkien movies this month, io9 recently postulated (rightly) that this opens up opportunity for studios to begin anew with big fantasy films.
True, there have been films in the genre, but nothing comes close to the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter films that kept viewers coming back. Those two franchises brought fantasy films out of the "it's just a genre film" and fully into the mainstream spectrum. Soon we had Narnia, and a host of gritty fairytale films.
So what's your favorite fantasy book or comic that you'd like to see onscreen? I can think of a few I've been hoping to see:
Chronicles of Prydain
I've long wanted to see a solid effort at bringing Lloyd Alexander's series to film. For me, it hits the sweet spot of youth-oriented tales that build up to a more epic ending (call it the Harry Potter path for lack of a better term).
From the Dell series (I had the boxed set in the 80s)
The earlier Disney effort of The Black Cauldron was visually well executed, but seemed to be ahead of it's time. Many critics said it was "too dark" for children when it was released. I doubt that argument would hold as much weight today. A more grown-up live action version would be ideal.
Animated N.C. Wyeth
This would be a monumental project, but I'd love to see a way for a more painterly-style of animated films to bring classic stories to life. I've long loved N.C. Wyeth's dreamy illustrations of fantasy, pirate, and even western myths. I'm not an art expert, but I do enjoy the high-degree of technical skill he employed to bring his fantastical subjects to life. Here's what I posted to the io9 article:
His work on The Boy's King Arthur, Treasure Island and various other tales are among my very favorite illustrations. I could see those each becoming a film or using them as inspiration for a totally unique and original story.
Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld
I've spoken about my fondness for this series before---and that hasn't waned. Amethyst is sort of a mixture of Wonder-Woman-meets-Shazam. She's a warrior princes with some magic abilities, with a well-conceived world built on gemstone houses (like Game of Thrones).
The 80s comic series was really great, and the revival a year or two past now under the Sword of Sorcery title was likewise well executed. I really enjoyed the art by Aaron Lopresti.
I'd love to see this become a reality by the time my daughter is old enough to appreciate it. I'm guessing this isn't on DC or Warner Bros. "hot property" lists to develop. Look how long it took them to get Wonder Woman into a live action film! They did do a plucky little series of shorts in an anime style that were quite charming:
But I'm still hoping for something more substantial. Amethyst seems to strike a chord with parents in general. I met a guy at comic convention a few years ago that named his own daughter in honor of the eponymous princess!
Wizards of the Coast has been posting these for a few months, but if you haven't seen them, they're astounding. Artist Jason Thompson has rendered in fantastic detail, each encounter as it might play out along multiple adventure paths (so...spoilers!). Below are the maps posted to date.
Links will take you to more resources for each location. Click the images embiggen and enjoy!
Feast your eyes on the Guardians of the Galaxy cast as their characters (click image to embiggen). And we finally get a look at Rocket Raccoon as he'll be realized on screen!
The fellas at Man At Arms are at it again! First they made He-Man's power sword, now they're crafting Mjolnir, the magic warhammer of our favorite avenging thunder god as it's depicted in the movies!
