-franchise, "the magical gravy train is coming to an end," leaving Warner Bros. to look for a new source of income.But can the WB seriously be considering making Tales into a film? It would take an extremely lucky combination of talent to turn the book into a successful feature length film. This is not simply because of the short story aspect of the material; some critically acclaimed films are based on short stories: Rear Window and Fort Apache are the first movies that pop into my mind. But these are a combination of five eclectic short stories. It is highly unlikely that even an fervent audience of Potter fans would sit through a film that is based on the premise of a wizard reading aloud the Tales to children, with each subsequently appearing on screen. These stories would have to be taken individually and expanded upon. Would the films be connected to the wizarding world established by Rowling or made to stand on their own two feet, with a quick credit to Tales for inspiring the material? Not all the short stories seem ideal for film adaptation (small spoilers ahead): while the exploits of a wizard who uses dark magic to prevent himself from falling in love seems like potential material, will the saga of a boy and his pot with a foot really garner any critical acclaim?
Obviously the rumors of a film based on The Tales of Beetle the Bard are still just rumors. But what do you think? Is there a future franchise in the making?
2 comments:
There have been reasonably successful films that comprise several single short stories, bound together by a linking theme. Most of these 'portmanteau' films have been in the horror genre. Perhaps one of the best, and earliest examples, is "Dead of Night", co-directed by Charles Crichton in 1945. It's in black & white of course, but has some cracking stories tied together with a genuinely unsettling central central tale. It's well worth a look.
We've also had the 'storyteller' idea before as well; 'The Princess Bride' for example.
So I guess it may be possible to produce a reasonable film of this book, especially if Ms Rowling is allowed to keep a tight grip on it.
Thanks for your comment Cyberkim! I've never seen "Dead of Night, so I'll have to check it out some time. And you do have a fair point about "The Princess Bride." One could probably get away with using a similar storytelling tact to "Bride." There would need to be some serious creative work on both the end of the scriptwriter and director to make it successful, however. We'll have to wait and see what Warner Bros. has in store!
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