If You Were to Helm a Cinematic Universe, Reboot, or Adaptation, How Would You Direct It?

[Digger of Bricks]

If there a Cinematic Universe based upon a particular franchise you'd like to see adapted, or aren't pleased with the direction it is currently going? Is there a book, graphic novel, or series of novels you'd love to see come to the big screen? Is there a movie you think deserves a new remake or reimagining? Is there a cinematic adaptation of a certain source material you think would perhaps instead be better suited for the small screen, as a TV show or Mini-Series?

If you have any better ideas on how Hollywood can handle adapting some of your favorite books, movies, graphic novels, videogames, and more, these are only a few questions to help express your opinions on what you would do instead! 

[RetroInferno]

The obvious shot to take here is at the new Star Wars trilogy. 

I would have personally dropped the idea of making a new star wars trilogy right of the bat and make a TV series of it instead with a strong team of writers. New characters, set way after the OT or before. Then I would have considered making movies, maybe about the Skywalker line or something else. 

As it stands the sequel trilogy is not interesting to me. 

[Digger of Bricks]

If I were to helm a revamp of the DC Cinematic Universe, first and foremost, I'd wish to see it set in the late 1930's/early 1940's, around the same time many of DC Comics' most central characters were first introduced. I mean, wouldn't a noir, period set Batman movie be awesome to see?! 

Likewise, I wouldn't mind seeing that approach taken for DC characters/properties on the small screen too.

1 hour ago, RetroInferno said:

I would have personally dropped the idea of making a new star wars trilogy right of the bat and make a TV series of it instead with a strong team of writers. New characters, set way after the OT or before.

What would be the character focus of this TV series? Would it be focused upon Jedi and Sith, or simply the Rebellion/Resistance/Republic struggle against Imperial forces?

[RetroInferno]

16 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

What would be the character focus of this TV series? Would it be focused upon Jedi and Sith, or simply the Rebellion/Resistance/Republic struggle against Imperial forces?

Ideally something to flesh out the universe more like Star Trek. Star Wars is pretty bare bones as to what entity does what, what's in the unknown regions, how the world works.

I would have liked the story setting of a family of space traders maybe 50 years after the collapse of the empire; it's downfall led to some major power struggles within the rebellion that now have a very limited reach of ruling and some un-established powers from elsewhere within the galaxy is getting fleshed out. The parents eventually get killed at the end of the first season by ''X'' leaving their son and daughter as sole survivors; their uncle manages to find them both and takes care of them now. 

I would concentrate on world building and the characters mostly; none of the daughter or son would have the force for example because that's growing terribly old for me or the smug ''I can do everything'' character with no back story. Let them have some interesting adventures with diverse scenarios, keep the political things of the galaxy seeping into episodes from time to times to keep track of what's going on. That would be for the first season at least.

Basically spin Star wars Rebels on it's butt 180 degrees and that would be the direction I would like to see. 

Edited April 3, 2018 by RetroInferno

[LEGODalekbuster523]

I would direct an adaptation of the excellent Time Riders book series by Alex Scarrow. All nine books are ripe for cinematic adaptation, and I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet. Personally I'd make the tone quite dark like the later Harry Potter movies, but I wouldn't want it so dark that you lose all heart and warmth as with the DCEU. I'd still want the individual characters to be able to shine and have their own fun moments - Liam with his bumbling Irish charm, Bob and his literal robot meat machine self, Maddy as the mother-like figure in a dysfunctional family trying to keep control, Sal with her sweetness and sort of like the kid of the 'family'. 

I'd have the guts to keep the time cycle where the characters live the day before and the day of 9/11 over and over again too. I'd ignore the potential insensitivity of whether it is too soon to show 9/11 on-screen and go straight ahead. I'd stick pretty close to the books as I don't think there's anything that would really need to be changed. They'd work as they are as films. 

[Digger of Bricks]

I'd love to see a proper cinematic take on Thomas the Tank Engine, but only under two conditions. Don't set the story in modern times, and don't bother trying to explain the engines' sentience through any means at all.

If it were up to me, I'd have the main narrative presented as a bedtime story told by Rev. Wilbert Audry (the author of the original stories) to his son Christopher, thereby avoiding the need to explain both the geographical existence of the Island of Sodor and its talking engines. The tale told would be a seamless weave of some of the author's original stories, with a climax centered around a heavy storm which hammers the Island's western coast, thereby giving the main engine characters the task of evacuating coastal residents inland away from the flooding.

I know both @ScotNick and @Steamdemon also take an interest in Thomas the Tank Engine, and I'd be interested to hear their opinions on how those characters should be portrayed cinematically too. 

[LEGODalekbuster523]

On 06/04/2018 at 6:53 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

I'd love to see a proper cinematic take on Thomas the Tank Engine, but only under two conditions. Don't set the story in modern times, and don't bother trying to explain the engines' sentience through any means at all.

If it were up to me, I'd have the main narrative presented as a bedtime story told by Rev. Wilbert Audry (the author of the original stories) to his son Christopher, thereby avoiding the need to explain both the geographical existence of the Island of Sodor and its talking engines. The tale told would be a seamless weave of some of the author's original stories, with a climax centered around a heavy storm which hammers the Island's western coast, thereby giving the main engine characters the task of evacuating coastal residents inland away from the flooding.

 

I'd make Thomas The Tank Engine a 'Train-aggedon' movie. Less people using trains due to rising public transport costs results in trains never being used, and therefore not being maintained properly. Many trains die in this train-pocalypse, and only Thomas (Simon Pegg) and the Fat Controller (Michael Gambon) can save their remaining friends. To do that they must take on the villainous Merida June, the evil prime minister hell-bent on polluting the world with more cars on the road than ever before.

Can Thomas and the Fat Controller bring back the popularity of trains, and thereby save the world from pollution? Or will Merida and her corrupted goons win the day? 

[x105Black]

If I were in charge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would have waited to do the Infinity Gauntlet storyline until after I had established the Silver Surfer.  But that's just me, a huge Silver Surfer fan.

[KotZ]

This is basically what I want to do with my life, and there's a few ideas I've wanted to do. The biggest one is to redo the Sword of Truth series that was adapted as Legend of the Seeker by ABC. Let's just say that the adaptation is a very, very, very loose adaptation that doesn't do the books justice, Like or hate the book series, the tv show was awful.

I'd pitch this to HBO, Cinemax, etc. There's 11 books in total of the original series. The first two books would each be their own 10-13 episode season, probably 10 for budgetary. Books 3,4, and 5 would be two seasons overall, with around 10 episodes each or so. Books 6 and 7 can do 10 episodes for a single season. Books 8-11 would take two seasons to finish up the story. So 7 seasons overall to cover 11 books. Of course, some things would be cut, and Season 5 (Books 6 and 7) could begin to squeeze in book 8, depending on how much we want to cut and streamline.

[Digger of Bricks]

Though I'm not heavily versed in the mythologies of either franchise, if I were to reboot Hasbro's Transformers and GIJoe franchises for the big screen, I'd have both of them set during the 1980's. The GIJoe movies would play out as a fun homage to action movies of the 1980's, while Transformers would have a more lighthearted, nostalgic Back to the Future vibe about them.

23 hours ago, LEGODalekbuster523 said:

I'd make Thomas The Tank Engine a 'Train-aggedon' movie.

Well, many of the original stories did have a steam vs. petrol/diesel focus to them. Amusing idea. 

19 hours ago, x105Black said:

If I were in charge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would have waited to do the Infinity Gauntlet storyline until after I had established the Silver Surfer.  But that's just me, a huge Silver Surfer fan.

From here on after Infinity War, how would you wish/expect to see both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men introduced to the MCU, and how could they be portrayed? 

[rodiziorobs]

I would redo James Bond but with a major twist: cast a different actor as Bond in each movie but keep the continuity, and don't ever make a point within the show about the change of actors; let the other characters and the story continuity carry on as if nothing happened.

In modern cinema James Bond has grown a little stale and irrelevant--other franchises have copied or riffed on Bond enough that the character and universe no longer feel unique, and the Bond franchise itself has become more like every other action blockbuster.

The point of this new direction would not be to tell new stories, not really. It's James Bond: you know what the stakes are, how he operates, its a story you've seen before. Heck, you could flat-out remake several titles from the last 60ish years--the story would not need to be strictly original.

The originality would be what the actors bring to their performances to make them different. Think of Hamlet, for example. The basic plot is well known, the script is the same, yet it has been and will continue to be played out countless times. No one wonders if Polonius will survive this time, etc--the rewatch value lies in seeing different actors inhabit the well-known roles, and which parts of the story are being amplified this time around.

In the case of Bond, it would have that same appeal. No one wonders if Bond will complete his mission--the telling is in how. The production would drive that somewhat, but the weight of the how would fall to the lead actor. You could have Moonraker starring Tom Hiddleston, From Russia with Love starring Richard Madden, Thunderball starring Mark Strong, or License to Kill starring Emily Blunt. Not that you would have to copy old entries verbatim, but they could provide some familiar ground on which to watch a new actor work.

The rest of the series would need to feel like James Bond so that the franchise still can have an identity--probably by setting the series in a specific decade (60's or 80's for example) or have the movie look like that's when it was made, which would also help combat Bond's growing irrelevance.

The supporting cast could stay the same (or even partly the same) from movie to movie--it might depend on the specific story. It might lend more continuity if the villain were the same actor each time, but that wouldn't be strictly necessary; having the same character would probably suffice.

There are probably other franchises this could be done with, but I think Bond would be the best fit. "But why," you ask, "why not just create other 00-agents for those actors to play, why mess with an iconic character?" It is precisely because of the character's iconic status that you can mess with it. It would feel cheap to just tell other background stories or have Bond pop up for a cameo. Plus, other great actors deserve the chance to play the icon himself, not some made-up side character. Finally, the whole "other people in a shared universe" thing is already being done well by Marvel, and poorly by everyone else. The odds of ending up atop that stack are low, and would feel derivative of pop culture at large. A franchise having the guts--not just the guts, but the objective--of recasting its main character for every movie would be fresh and new, and curiosity alone would put some butts in seats. Make it a quality production, and audiences will want to come back and see what the new faces can do with an old role, for a couple films at least. I think a solid five, but maybe more.

[Alpinemaps]

Robotech

So many good story arcs.  Opportunities for multiple films.  Definitely a dream.

[Digger of Bricks]

How would you guys feel if an eventual reboot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were set during Marvel Comics' Golden Age, from the 1950's through the 1960's? 

3 hours ago, rodiziorobs said:

The rest of the series would need to feel like James Bond so that the franchise still can have an identity--probably by setting the series in a specific decade (60's or 80's for example) or have the movie look like that's when it was made, which would also help combat Bond's growing irrelevance.

I could buy into this. A Bond movie with a non-modern period setting would probably be a lot more fun and different for a change. But hey, that's the way I feel about a lot of franchises now.  

On 4/3/2018 at 2:42 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

I mean, wouldn't a noir, period set Batman movie be awesome to see?! 

Illustratory case in point:

 

[allanp]

I would also do a reboot of the DC universe. Not set in the 1940's as such, but the cities of Gotham and Metropolis would have those stylistic elements, kinda like today but more stylised. And ide bring back the fun! Superman in particular needs to be put back on top, above Marvel, above even starwars! He's supposed to be seen as how you saw your dad when you were 3 years old (if you had a good dad). He's that guy that cares for you and would do anything he can for you, and he's infinately strong but that doesn't scare you because all his infinite strength is to protect you, and nobody questions that, and he knows everything and can do anything, he never cusses and always tells the truth and does the right thing. He's my dad when I was 3, he's Superman! He's actually also far more relatable than people think. I think most of us can relate, or remember the feeling of being alien, like you don't belong. Most of us can relate to wanting to put someone to the floor in anger but for many good reasons you hide your physical strength behind a disguise of mildness. Most men can relate to Clark Kent wanting the girl while she ignores him because she's too busy swooning over Superman, if only she knew the real you inside. Most of us can relate to trying to be the good guy while all around are being a dick. It's weird how someone who could take out the empire, batman, the first order, batman, the Klingons, batman, the Borg, the federation, all of the world's armies and batman single handedly without much effort can be so relatable, and yet a well written and directed Superman is just that. There's nothing about batman I can relate to. Being a playboy billionaire who dresses like a bat and is immortal via his impenetrable writers armour, sorry, can't relate to any of that. Still a cool character with overall consistently good movies, but Superman has the potential to be so much bigger and better than any other movie property, which is why his S symbol is the second most recognised symbol around the globe, second only to the cross of course. So yeah, ide reboot Superman and attempt to undo all the damage done by all the movies since superman the quest for peace (superman 3 should be seen as a 2 hour episode, not a proper continuation of his story). 

Also ide remake the 1966 classic Fantastic Voyage. I know they are planning to and it's in the script phase, but Ive heard rumours what they are going for and I don't have a lot of faith that it'll turn out any good so I wrote my own script. Anyone have James Cameron's phone number?!

The universal monster universe could also be done great, but they are off to a rough start. They need to go a tad lower budget and higher age rating. But not gory, more disturbing than anything. If you really believed you saw a man stitched together from the bits of corpses walking around, like if you saw an online video of that really happening, I think it might leave you feeling a bit disturbed. For a hint (and please, only if you have a high tolerance for this sort of thing) watch the video of the monkey whose head has been transplanted into the body of another monkey, then imagine this is happening to a person, then realise that these body parts were previously dead and nobody really knows if this thing is dead but twitching, alive, has a soul, has a mind or is only acting out if instinct, and on top of that know that my version would be set 180 years ago in Germany before they knew much about anaesthetics or nerve endings and such, then hear his screams when he wakes. There would also be more shown of the person whose brain ends up in the monster, a good man falsely accused and found guilty of murdering his wife and raping his daughter and is therefore falsely beheaded as a murderer. A good man turned into a monster by society, killed and made into a bigger monster, played by multiple actors digitally "stitched" together. Anyone have Guillermo del Toros number?!

Edited May 5, 2018 by allanp

[Digger of Bricks]

Dang, thanks a lot @allanp for offering your detailed two cents on how you feel those three properties should be handled cinematically! 

12 hours ago, allanp said:

I would also do a reboot of the DC universe. Not set in the 1940's as such, but the cities of Gotham and Metropolis would have those stylistic elements, kinda like today but more stylised.

Like the Art Deco architectural styles portrayed in both the Batman and Superman Animated Series? Sure, I wouldn't mind that, as I too would wish to see more stylistic takes on those two cities more than anything in a reboot! 

But, having said that, I still think a rebooted cinematic universe set during the early/mid twentieth century would be not only amazing, but different for a change. I feel it would certainly be fun also, with characters such as Batman and Superman pitted against Cagney-esque gangsters and racketeers, giving the films the feel of Warner Bros movies of that era. Plus, the potential for Superman pitted against Nazis? How cool would that be! 

[Corporate Rat]

Out of anything, I'd wanna tackle an 80's version of Batman. For a while, I've had this idea brewing in my head about something I call, "Joker City". The basic idea is that a disguised version of Joker becomes mayor, after Harvey's out of commission, and wreaks havoc on Gotham. It'd be a miniseries, spanning about 10 episodes.

[Digger of Bricks]

Something I think that could be really cool to see attempted would be a cinematic universe lightly based upon Jules Verne's novels, a "Jules-Verse", if you will.

In the same way Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean stitch together various elements of pirate lore for each of the films' plots, this series of movies would take the same approach, focused upon a titular hero/heroine and their adventures in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries exploring the depths and edges of land, sea, air, space, and so forth, encountering many of the original novels' characters during their journeys.

P.S. If not as a cinematic universe, I think such a concept would make for an extraordinarily original in-house action/adventure playtheme of Lego sets! 

57 minutes ago, Corporate Rat said:

Out of anything, I'd wanna tackle an 80's version of Batman. For a while, I've had this idea brewing in my head about something I call, "Joker City". The basic idea is that a disguised version of Joker becomes mayor, after Harvey's out of commission, and wreaks havoc on Gotham. It'd be a miniseries, spanning about 10 episodes.

After watching the animated adaptations of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns a little while ago, I too have been mulling over the concept of series of Batman films set during the 1980's. There just may be something there.

Oh, welcome to Eurobricks by the way! 

[Corporate Rat]

Continuing on Joker City, I'd definitely have the Joker be a serious threat. By that I mean when he destroys Gotham, he destroys Gotham! He even kills Tim Drake, a.k.a the current Robin in this universe, and he tears down Wayne Manor, and remaking it into a carnival ride.

[zoth33]

I would love to do either Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms.  The characters are all really well developed.  Especially a character like Drizzt from Forgotten Realms so many stories to choose from.  Or a redo of the Dragonlance Chronicles the movie was ok but was rushed and not given the proper attention it deserves.    The battle scenes alone would be incredible to do.  Either TV or movies would be fine but would need a large budget to do correctly.  That would be a dream job for me.  

[x105Black]

2 hours ago, zoth33 said:

I would love to do either Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms.  The characters are all really well developed.  Especially a character like Drizzt from Forgotten Realms so many stories to choose from.  Or a redo of the Dragonlance Chronicles the movie was ok but was rushed and not given the proper attention it deserves.    The battle scenes alone would be incredible to do.  Either TV or movies would be fine but would need a large budget to do correctly.  That would be a dream job for me.  

Yes.  I would LOVE Dragonlance.

[Digger of Bricks]

Here are a few thoughts I'd like to share regarding the timeline and release slate of the period set DCEU reboot I proposed earlier on this topic:

• To kick off this cinematic universe, I'd start off with a solo Batman origin movie set during the year 1939 (the year the character was first introduced), focused upon a young Bruce Wayne in his early 20's who's parents were murdered a decade earlier in the late 1920's.
• The following year would then bring us Superman's origin tale, predominantly set during 1940, one year after the events portrayed in Batman's origin story.
• Wonder Woman's origin movie would be released either the same year as Superman's, or the following year, set during the late months of 1941 or beginning of 1942 upon America's entrance into the Second World War. As the first entries into this cinematic universe, all three of these initial origin movies would retain their individuality as much as possible, avoiding direct cross-references to each other so they can be treated as standalone films.
• Follow-up sequels to these origin films can be standalone follow-ups, or crossover sequels to two or three of the solo films depending on how quickly a Justice League movie is desired to be seen. A World's Finest movie, for instance, would precede a Trinity movie for a more gradual build-up to the Justice League film, with more of a positive focus upon Batman and Superman's partnership as opposed to the pessimistic conflict highlighted in Snyder's Batman v. Superman.
• Origin stories for other founding members of the Justice League would lead us into the Cold War of the 1950's, accumulating towards a Justice League movie modeled after Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel DC: The New Frontier, with Martian Manhunter acting as the catalyst for the formation of the League.

[InvincibleEagle]

On 5/12/2018 at 7:13 PM, zoth33 said:

I would love to do either Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms.  The characters are all really well developed.  Especially a character like Drizzt from Forgotten Realms so many stories to choose from.  Or a redo of the Dragonlance Chronicles the movie was ok but was rushed and not given the proper attention it deserves.    The battle scenes alone would be incredible to do.  Either TV or movies would be fine but would need a large budget to do correctly.  That would be a dream job for me.  

Dragonlance needs it.

Myself, I'd love a Stephen King cinematic universe centered around The Dark Tower. A real Dark Tower movie with real Dark Tower characters, not whatever we got in 2016. Movies like based and/or series based on Salem's Lot, The Stand, Insomnia, Eyes of the Dragon, It, and more won't be crucial to the Dark Tower movies just like the novels, but they'll be rewarding for those who keep track.

[x105Black]

On 6/22/2018 at 2:57 AM, InvincibleEagle said:

Dragonlance needs it.

Yes!

[Forresto]

I'd love to make a Mars Attacks film in the style of the original cards. 

I adore the Burton film, especially the design work, but nobody has made a serious film using a 60s futurism aesthetic with today's film magic.

I'm imagining a really styalized alien invasion film.

[x105Black]

I'd love to take Star Wars and wipe Rian Johnson from it (as would a sizable number of Star Wars fans).  Maybe even wipe it back and start the new trilogy over, but I enjoyed The Force Awakens.  I think it would be a good idea to start with a unified vision of what the trilogy should be, what it should do, what it should say and mean.  Then I would create something that feels cohesive with the rest of the story so far.