Why Isn't This a Movie???

[Hollis]

this is such a funny and engaging story, with plenty of interesting ideas and excitement. i'd love to see it onscreen, perhaps with Paul Giamatti as Martin Padway. the bit about the different religious sects, the arabic numerals, the newspaper, etc., all make for thought-provoking topics. do filmmakers think we're too stupid for this?

[John]

The short answer to that is Yes! You only have to look at the paucity of new material coming out of Hollywood in the SF&F genres, and the constant recycling of comic icons, like Batman, Superman, etc. Of course, what it needs is for someone to come up with a killer script based on the book that makes it irresistible. Any takers?

[Hollis]

maybe someone like David Twohey (Grand Tour, The Last Mimzy) or J.J. Abrams (everything else) could do it justice? Grand Tour is based on Kuttner & Moore's "Vintage Season" and Mimzy on their "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" but both did NOT do the originals any favors. change can be good, but the changes Twohey made were unnecessary and dumbed down the stories. Abrams is more commercial, i think, but he does have an interest in SF. i unfortunately only write nonfiction; i'm hopeless at fiction. where are you, you who can write the excellent SF that we want so much to experience?

btw, i realize now that Giamatti is probably too old these days to play Padway.

[Stephen]

Simple answer: I suspect the right people have never heard of this book, let alone see its potential as a movie. Remember, it's a Science Fiction book written in the 1930s, when most Science Fiction at the time were pulp space operas. Another problem would be how would the PTB get the movie rights to the book: who holds them now that LSdC & his wife are dead? And when was the last time de Sprague's name came up in a casual discussion of Science Fiction?

[Brenda]

No, there is an estate which could sell the movie rights. Remember that studios can option a work. Depending on how the contract is written, the option can extend for years. (And they pay more.) It is possible that DeCamp optioned the work long ago, and a studio is just sitting on the rights.