h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Last Starfighter came out in 1984 (I was still in high school).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/

A film of Ender's Game came out in 2013, but I haven't seen it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/
I read the book (published 1985) in the early 90s. Only You Can Save Mankind came out around that time in 1992.


Ender's Game was a Nebula Award winner. The basic plot is that gifted children are trained to fight in simulators, but it turns out the simulations they're more like modern drone pilots unaware they are actually doing battle with an alien race.

The Last Starfighter's basic plot has a young man recruited by playing an arcade game. He's then transported to an interstellar battle to lead one alien race to victory over another. It was notable for being the first film to use exclusively CGI (no models) for all of it's space battle scenes. The "shininess" of CGI of that time added to the film.

Some more traditional fantasy, by the sound of it:

Pilgrim - Sebastian Baczkiewicz

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xmbyz

In four 45-minute episodes broadcast back-to-back on Saturday 20th February.

And Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, in six 60-minute episodes, probably weekly, starting Sunday 21st February:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r527b

That Neil Gaiman sounds pretty unmissable:

"A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel adapted by Dirk Maggs, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbins, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis."


Johnny Vegas!

Let me guess, he's the new Angel Islington…?

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Not being familiar with the story, I can't guess.

Neverwhere is actually on daily, not weekly. Also, the "Pilgrim - Sebastian Baczkiewicz" second series is being broadcast a day or two after the first - click on the Episodes tab for the links.

I was given a hardback copy of the Shepherd's Crown for my birthday. As I am now a Kindle addict, I had been putting off reading it, but started it last night and took it to the hairdresser's this morning. No one warned me that there's a sad bit at the beginning. I was snivelling and wiping my nose in front of people. How to explain?

O waily waily.

I was shocked as well. I so wanted to talk about it, but it was too soon; I didn't want to spoil it for anyone.


It was like Pratchett was saying goodbye.

I've now read the whole book. There are some really brilliant lines in it.

Small Gods to be published as a graphic novel.

http://twitter.com/Discworld_com/status/719555579447009280

Even more good news.

_Good Omens_ tentatively slated to become a TV miniseries.

http://www.denofgeek.com/39968/neil-gaiman-will-adapt-good-omens-as-a-television-miniseries


Odd that this article forgets to mention that Terry Gilliam was once on board to direct a film version.

I'll believe it when I see it, but it is good news.

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It's an interesting demographic for this Good Omens - with the teenage boy as the central character. I wonder if a movie might be a better vehicle than a TV mini-series.

It might be an interesting one to cast. Who would you choose?

For information, the radio cast was:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3brT71dLzL7GsqnzyKgWzgf/good-omens-whos-who.

Arthur Dent (aka Simon Jones) was the boy's father.

Some strong witches in there - Sheila Hancock would make a good Agnes Nutter, but we'd neeed a young witch (Anathema Device) and witchfynder general (Newton Pulsifier) too.

Plenty of scope for cameos in the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Johnny Depp, maybe for one?

Surely they should have nice, resonant voices (Morgan Freeman-like).

All my Pratchett reading was in the form of books that my son was given, and which I read when he'd finished, so they're all on an Ikea Billy shelf in Silicon Valley at the moment. I'll have to download them to my Kindle. I read them all, but in my memory, they're starting to get muddled up.

Brian Blessed?

Brian Blessed could do an Alec Guinness and play all four horsemen

Now that's an apocalypse!

Not sure he could be Famine...

Mind you, War in 'Good Omens' is female, but that never stopped Alec Guinness..

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When I read the book, one thing that stood out was the rethinking of Famine. The idea that by eating processed foods, people could be both overweight and malnourished really struck a chord with me.

I downloaded it and have just read that bit. Raven Sable is very much a Christopher Lee type. Who these days looks like Christopher Lee? Johnny Depp could do the sinister, but doesn't look as though he was painted by El Greco.

War could be played by most actresses around these days, probably. Scarlett Johansson in a red wig? Oh wait, it would be a British production, so I'm sure they could find someone.

Crowley and Aziraphale are surely the main characters.

Anyway, I'll look out for it.

I clearly remember the radio version, mentioned above. I thought my attention had been drawn to it in this thread, but apparently not.

This will be good. The Jim Henson company will be part of the production of "The Wee Free Men" feature film.

http://narrativia.com/wee-free-men-announcement.html