The Night Circus
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Should this book be made into a movie?
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Mary
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rated it 5 stars
Jan 08, 2014 02:27PM
Absolutely! This movie would be so amazing.
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I would watch it for the visual effects. Imagine seeing all the enchantments and performances... absolutely amazing!
I really, really hope that this will be a film (I mean definitely a film, as opposed to the Hollywood 'in development' thing which means it might never happen). With a good writer and director, the plot will not be an issue because they will be able to focus on other aspects, or be able to add to the action. Visually, I think Burton would be a good choice; but his work has gone off the boil recently, and I worry that if his vision in any way conflicted with the writer's/author's, it could be a recipe for disaster, and this is one adaptation I *really* want to work.
Kerri wrote: "The writers, director, and editors need to make sure that the audience follows the timeline, because there were times when I got lost, & had to go back & check and see where I was & to get what was..."Totally. They could make it work with a sub/super-title, but I don't think it would work well if they tried to be subtle about it, given that the whole point of the circus is that the people don't age, so there would be no point of reference. Of course, there are the children, who *do* grow, but then they would need to be in most of the scenes to make them a reference point. It could also be done with fashion, since fashion is a theme, but then, how much do most of us know about Victorian fashion, really?
Oooh, they're making a film of it? Brilliant! It would make an epic film, come to think of it. I agree that Tim Burton would be the right guy to do it!
I saw a burlesque show adaptation of parts of Night Circus that was moving and entertaining. It made me wish I had read the book first instead of a couple of weeks later.
Defiantly! I would be wearing my black & white outfit, with my red scarf waiting in line.
I want this to be a movie soooo bad. My grabby hands are reaching for it and begging it to happen.
Chuck wrote: "I saw a burlesque show adaptation of parts of Night Circus that was moving and entertaining. It made me wish I had read the book first instead of a couple of weeks later."Oh wow, this must have been awesome. I love that people are getting creative in their adaptations. It a lot of ways, it's more appropriate than bog-standard film/TV adaptations.
It's a great book but it would need more of a plot. Not much happens for a very long time, which is OK in a book but less so in a movie.
This could be an interesting movie. It definitely would depend on the director. To throw a new hat into the ring, what about Neil Burger, who directed The Illusionist. It has somewhat of a similar mood and feel to how I imagine this movie being. Tim Burton probably could have done it earlier in his career, but lately his work has become almost a caricature of itself, not to mention there's no room for an over-the-top, scenery-chewing performance from Johnny Depp, nor an emaciated goth-queen turn for Helena Bonham Carter. Sure, there are bit parts that they could be shoe-horned into (If they HAD to be cast, I'd say Chandresh for Depp and one or both of the Burgess sisters for Bonham Carter), but in a condensed format like a movie, the focus really needs to be on Celia, Marco, and Isobel, and to a lesser extent on Bailey, Poppet, and Widget. an The book's strengths are its evocative atmosphere and its sense of wonder. The plot is actually pretty thin and many of the characters are flat. I think that a movie could actually distill it into the best version of itself.
You're right. I did find the lack of plot a bit irritating. There's only so many times you can read a description of a wondrous act or piece of magic, no matter how well written.
If it's in the next couple of years, Tim Burton won't be directing. He's doing "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".
Okay, a movie, yes, but... could it be an event? An actual circus? Because that I would spend so much money on.
It is being made into a movie. It's in the preliminary stages now:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1992248/
Yeah, but there's plenty of "movies" that get into development, but never actually end up being made, for instance, the live-action Batman Beyond movie.
I feel like this book would be a visually stunning movie. Tim Burton would be good, but I think he's gotten a little too predictable. I'd like to see it done by Baz Luhrman (Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet). Cast Recommendations:
Celia - Emmy Rossum
Marco - James McAvoy
Her Fredrick Thiessen - Rupert Friend
Poppet - Emily Autumn
Widget - Stephano Masciolini
Isobel - Emily Blunt
Chandresh - Jim Broadbent
Tsukiko - Michelle Yeoh
Anyway thats my thoughts so far...
Swap Emmy Rossum and Emily Blunt. Rupert Friend for MARCO, but Herr Thiessen is older, I'm pretty sure. We need someone with a silver fox kind of vibe. Chandresh needs a multiracial actor, definitely not a vanilla white guy. Not familiar with the Poppet and Widget choices, but the big question for those roles (and for Bailey) is how many actors do you cast? One child actor? One child, one teen? Several children and a teenager?Michelle Yeoh NEEDS to be Tsukiko, though.
This would be cinematically amazing however due to the general lack of dialogue it would fail to capture audiences (unless of course the screenplay was adapted). However I don't think any adaption of this book can quite grasp the power of the imagination that reading allows and the world it creates for the individual reader.
Megan, I thought about Rupert as Marco and Emily as Celia too, and I do love their chemistry together, but I'm not sure it would work after young Victoria has already been done. Plus I think Marco's natural features are too soft to be played by him, and Emily blunt is too British to play Celia. She's a NYC girl after all, and Emily doesn't have the appropriate dark features I envisioned. Of course these are personal visions. I'm sure everyone's is different. What about Gary Oldman for Herr Thiessen, and Don Cheadle as Chandresh? I think it'd be better to have young and teen casts for poppet widget and bailey.
What about Alexander and Prospero?
Having just finished this splendid book, my heart tells me that seeing this on the big screen would be a dream come true. My brain says that while it would be visually striking, even the best director would have a hard time making the characters as fully developed as Morgenstern so wonderfully did. I'm torn, but I think it will eventually be made into a movie, nonetheless.
T wrote: "Keith wrote: "I am sure that it will make it to the screen one day but by all things bright and good I hope that Tim Burton is NOT chosen to direct it."Do you not like T. B. in general or just n..."
While it is true that I have not been impressed with much of his more recent works, the failure of those projects can not rest entirely on Burton's shoulders. Poor scripts, misguided interpretations, and Hollywood's insistence on A-List actors (however miscast) to "insure" success, have yielded some horrible productions. Unfortunately, in the end, it is generally the director that is the scapegoat for failure. That being said, I believe Burton is the wrong choice for this film, not based on past failures BUT based on past successes.
In my opinion, Burton excels as a director when he is able to create a world from his OWN mind and not trying to recreate a world that is already preconceived by an author and, even more importantly, the vision of the author's audience. Morgenstern has created a very vivid world from her own imagination, so vivid that her audience can envision much of what she had in mind. The true "Star" of the movie will not necessarily be Celia & Marco but the circus, itself. On the surface, Burton's vision would seem the perfect fit...the Circus is Black & White after all. Images of Beetlejuice (One of his successes) pops into mind but therein is the reason that I believe Burton is wrong for this project. One of the reason that Beetlejuice succeeded is because the world that was created came from the mind of Burton and his collaborators...the audience had no preconceived notions.
Furthermore, there is a darkness in Burton's work. Despite the subject or even genre of the film, there is always that pervasive darkness in the feel of the scenes and in the humor (however unnecessary). It works in movies like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Corpse Bride but fails miserably in films such as Charlie & The Chocolate Factory & Alice In Wonderland (again, failure may be attributed to screenplay and miscasting). While Burton's dark vision in the feel of a location may work outside of the circus, I fear it can not and must not invade the circus, itself. In this movie, the circus, itself, is every bit as much of a star as the cast selected to appear in it. The contrast between the bleak real world outside of the circus and the circus itself simply must be dramatic.
Casting & Storytelling is going to be crucial in this film. Two actors, whether by choice or by chance, seem to appear in many of Burton's movies. However, no matter how talented both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Cater are, neither are the right fit for the leads in this one. My hope is that Hollywood steps away from casting solely PRETTY actors and chooses ABLE actors istead. While both Depp and Bonham Cater are more than ABLE (and, yes, both PRETTY), realistically both may be too old to play the leads. The trick will be to find two A-list, 30-something actors to convincingly fill the lead roles. Oh, and before I get comments about the actors chosen to play Celia and Marco remember the teen leads were all born shortly before or just after the Circus was produced. With that in mind, Celia and Marco must be somewhere in their mid 30's (or can portray the ages)at least. So we have to think of actors like Kate Winslet & Christian Bale... PRETTY enough to draw an audience but talented enough to really pull it off. A character such as Tsukiko is going to be interesting to cast. My hope is that she will be pulled from a Chinese acrobatic or Cirque du Soleil troupe where her contortion skills and exotic mystery will be more important than her A-list acting credentials. The casting of the three teens should be an open door to three new stars in the making...the twins being young Scottish (or British at the very least..and NO, not Emma Watson as Poppet!) actors. Apart from the circus itself, the three teens were my personal favorite characters in the book.
I am already prepared for the changes in the screen adaptation. The theme of "TIME" that was prevalent throughout the novel (suspension of aging, Thiessen's clock, the pendulum motion jumps between past and future, etc.) will have to be sacrificed for the movie continuity and time constraints. My guess is the story will be told from one particular point of view and not necessarily the most obvious characters. My choice would be Widget's. He is, after all, a story-teller. Furthermore, with his characters abilities, he would be able to weave out the story despite not even being alive at the earlier times.
Sorry, got sidetracked...back to Burton. Based on where Burton excels, I think this project would be the wrong choice for him. Burton's name, however, has been tossed about by fans in connection with another popular book. Initially I was opposed but upon further reflection, I think Burton may be a better choice for the screen adaptation (sans all attempts at humor) of MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN. His ability to create a dark world would work so much better with this project. Furthermore, if his casting has been by choice and not chance, wouldn't Helena Bonham Cater make an outstanding Miss Peregrine? Sorry, Johnny, there is just no way you can pull off the teen lead in this one.
All things considered, the director selected for THE NIGHT CIRCUS has his/her work cut out for them. Apart from having to create a movie to entice an audience that have not read the book, the director will have to appease fans of the novel and even more, an audience of Rêveurs. We will be there...with our hint of scarlet.
Yes, for the special effects. But movies are never as good as the book itself. I know for myself, I am always disappointed in the outcome of the movie.
I am so torn by this question - I would love to see this made into a film if it truly did the characters, plotting and magical elements justice, but I can't quite imagine any film being able to do so. It was so cinematic while reading it that I've got amazing images already in my mind, even months after finishing it. Personally, because of the scale of it, I find it easier to imagine it as something like an anime mini-series, or a graphic novel, than as a movie...
I don't think it should be a movie because it would ruin the images of Le Cirque de Reves that I have in my mind. Also, no amount of special effects could match what I envision it as.
I think that this book would make for an absolutely fantastic movie, I think that there is enough plot for a great film and obviously the setting is beautiful and would definitely make for a stunning piece of film. Plus I think that the characters would be really interesting, and the various talents held by the characters would be something that was either portrayed really well, or ruined. But I hope to see this book as a film relatively soon.
Yes, as long as someone promises I never have to see a trailer, hear a review, suffer through a clip, watch an interview with an actor or the director or be exposed to it in anyway whatsoever. If there is even a remote possibility that I would be forced into any awareness of its existence at all, then no.
I think this could be a Corpse Bride type of film.
I don't think animation would work for this movie. First of all, because in America, we persist under the misconception that all animation is for children. I would hate to see them "kidify" the story in order to market it to children. Secondly, the book's primary strength is its stunning visuals, the subtle impossibility of the circus. But animation is already not tethered to reality. Things like the ice garden or Tsukiko's contortionist acts just wouldn't be very impressive in animation because we've seen plenty of things like that before. It would lose the sense of wonder.
Chad wrote: "Idk....one of my friends said that it should be a Tim Burton film..."Oh my goodness YES!!!! He would get it right!!!
Would realllyyy love this as a movie, but I feel like the visual effects wouldn't be able to capture the magic in the book. A movie would be super awesome though it would also be a little slow cause of how the plot is set up, I think it'll be one of those movies that are better on paper than it is on the big screen :(
Would love to see this book on screen, as long as they could pull it off and not make it half-done.
Of all the books I've read so far this year, I think this would be the best one to pick for a film adaptation. I think either Tarsem Singh or Alfonso Cuaron would be great for this project!
Sue wrote: "I think either Tarsem Singh or Alfonso Cuaron would be great for this project!"Oh, Tarsem Singh, haven't thought about him - he's visually different from what the book did look in my mind, but his take would sure be fascinating to see.
Yes, it's very visual. but it would take a gifted director who can weave and dream and keep the mystery without utterly bewildering the audience.
I really do think it should be made into a movie. While some aspects of it may be difficult to portray, most of the book could have the most beautiful special effects. But if they are to make a movie, I'd hate to see it miss anything. All the characters... all the exhibits... everything... needs to be included.
I think Tim Burton would be an excellent choice for the movie adaptation.
This book would make a great movie but it would be really hard for the movie makers to get in all the little details. They would probably cut so much out to make one movie that I would cry.
I nominate Guillermo del Toro to make this amazing book into a mesmerizing movie!'Pan's Labyrinth' was an awesome movie with stunning visuals and story line.
What do you think?
As long as 'they' do it right, fit everything in and instead of worrying about budgets and simply focus on the magic of the story it would be amazing!!!!!
I personally don't think there's enough plot for it to work as a film.However I found it really interesting that, in her author's note, Erin Morgenstern mentioned Punchdrunk theatre company (who do promenade productions) as I had spent the whole time reading it thinking what a great Punchdrunk production it would make.
So personally i'd rather see that than a film.
Yes, I think that it would make a great movie, but I think that the director of the new show Penny Dreadful should direct it because its a romance, but it also dark and suspenseful which is perfect for the director.
The whole time I was reading the book, I kept thinking that this book would make a wonderful film. If it was made into a movie, I think it could turn out spectacular or it could turn out horrible. And to be honest I don't really care if it turns out horrible as long as there was a chance of it being fantastic which can only happen if the movie is made at all. I do think Tim Burton would do a great job on this.
I loved this book! But I personally think it would be hard to make this a movie because this book is mostly about the visual aspects and effects the night circus has on people. Also its going to be hard to bring together all the different people in this book. If they can make this into a movie I would love to see it!
Yes please. I think it would be beautiful on screen, but the art director and special effects team have their work cut out for them.
I would love to see this book as a movie! Walking in the circus and seeing all the different tents and the magic. It would be so amazing! And the little love story, the feelings, the expressions... I can picture these moments being so fragile and breathtaking.Please someone make this happen!
Silent_count wrote: "No, no, no... HELL NO!Well, I'd like to see an adaptation if it were done right, but I'd rather that they didn't make a movie at all than make one which is anything short of perfect.
'Magical' i..."
Omg, I agree with you so much!
No, they'd better make it into a mini tv-series!There's way too many plot in this book to be made into a movie in my opinion, and even though the special effects might not be as good in a series, I think it would be worth it.
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