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Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV role?

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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by rmsgrey   » Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:33 am

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BrightSoul wrote:The key would be not boring the audience with the tech geek stuff so many of us like and not padding the stories to flesh out a season. If the book lends itself to 26 episodes do it, if you can only get 13 good episodes, do that.


The problem here is that TV networks like to have nice, predictable lengths for their series - extra episodes or missing episodes mean having to reshuffle the schedule at odd times. It's not an insoluble problem for them, but, given the choice, they'll go with a series that fits neatly into a block in their schedule rather than one that needs special consideration...
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by BrightSoul   » Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:45 pm

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rmsgrey wrote:
BrightSoul wrote:The key would be not boring the audience with the tech geek stuff so many of us like and not padding the stories to flesh out a season. If the book lends itself to 26 episodes do it, if you can only get 13 good episodes, do that.


The problem here is that TV networks like to have nice, predictable lengths for their series - extra episodes or missing episodes mean having to reshuffle the schedule at odd times. It's not an insoluble problem for them, but, given the choice, they'll go with a series that fits neatly into a block in their schedule rather than one that needs special consideration...


In the US that is true but judging by some British series they don't seem as married to this "rule". Not only that but if there was enough commitment a series could be planned far enough in advance to ensure that they had something to carry the timeslot. The nice thing about the Honorverse is that the story framework is so well built as to make some planning easier, this isn't like they would be writing from nothing. If that model didn't work perhaps some of the short stories from the anthologies could be used to flesh out a season.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by MaxxQ   » Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:50 pm

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Why not do something similar to what AMC has done with The Walking Dead?

Season 1: 6 episodes

Season 2: 12 episodes split into 2, 6-episode halves with the first half ending in November and the second half starting in February.

Season 3: Same as above, except that Season 3.1 had 8 episodes. I'm not sure if Season 3.2 will also have 8 episodes, as it doesn't start until February.

The advantage is of course that you can commit without going all out for a full season, and if it proves popular, then you can extend each season. If it tanks, you're not out as much as you might have been had you committed to 26 episodes.

If done right, 6 episodes would be enough to cover OBS and HotQ (provided that at least one episode, probably the pilot, was a two-hour affair - 1:45 with commercials), or one could opt to use 6 episodes per book.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by rdt   » Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:48 pm

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So what you are really saying is that the books make for good TV, but not over the broadcast networks, but rather the cable content folks, like HBO or SyFy(?). That would work, providing the production values were good.

BrightSoul wrote:I've been reading long book series for 30ish years now and came up with a slightly different strategy than one or the other. The Honor Harrington series is perfect for this kind of strategy. On Basilisk station as a theatrical release would be well suited to a film or TV mini-series as an introduction to the universe. I could be trimmed down to a 2.5 - 3 hour movie or done as a two part mini-series. The mini series would allow for more side character development such as Reynaud and Venezuelos (sp?) at Astro control, Scotty and Harkness ransacking mercies and Governor Matstuko, the Peeps and Summervale planet side.

If that was successful Honor of the Queen would follow in the same or similar format and launch the series with Short Victorious War. That, Field of Dishonor and Flag in Exile are a single story when strung together and perfect setup for what follows. If that Arc is a success as serial television you then have the setup for the later Shadow of Saganami spinoff with Honor Among Enemies introducing Wonderboy and Lewis. This could also be done as a mini-series ala Torchwood: Miracle Day before going back to serial TV with In Enemy Hands and Echoes of Honor. The key would be not boring the audience with the tech geek stuff so many of us like and not padding the stories to flesh out a season. If the book lends itself to 26 episodes do it, if you can only get 13 good episodes, do that.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by MaxxQ   » Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:15 am

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rdt wrote:So what you are really saying is that the books make for good TV, but not over the broadcast networks, but rather the cable content folks, like HBO or SyFy(?). That would work, providing the production values were good.

BrightSoul wrote:I've been reading long book series for 30ish years now and came up with a slightly different strategy than one or the other. The Honor Harrington series is perfect for this kind of strategy. On Basilisk station as a theatrical release would be well suited to a film or TV mini-series as an introduction to the universe. I could be trimmed down to a 2.5 - 3 hour movie or done as a two part mini-series. The mini series would allow for more side character development such as Reynaud and Venezuelos (sp?) at Astro control, Scotty and Harkness ransacking mercies and Governor Matstuko, the Peeps and Summervale planet side.

If that was successful Honor of the Queen would follow in the same or similar format and launch the series with Short Victorious War. That, Field of Dishonor and Flag in Exile are a single story when strung together and perfect setup for what follows. If that Arc is a success as serial television you then have the setup for the later Shadow of Saganami spinoff with Honor Among Enemies introducing Wonderboy and Lewis. This could also be done as a mini-series ala Torchwood: Miracle Day before going back to serial TV with In Enemy Hands and Echoes of Honor. The key would be not boring the audience with the tech geek stuff so many of us like and not padding the stories to flesh out a season. If the book lends itself to 26 episodes do it, if you can only get 13 good episodes, do that.


Oh, god, no! *NOT* SyFy! I don't even know why they keep the name as nearly *nothing* on that channel is anywhere close to science fiction. I'd almost rather FOX did it than SyFy.

Okay... maybe SyFy has gotten better in the past few years. I don't really know because the only TV I've watched in the past ten years is The Walking Dead. Nothing else. At all.

I don't even own a TV (I watch TWD at my sister's), or even a TV tuner for my computer. If I want to watch something, I go to the movies or watch it on Netflix. Even then, the only "TV" I've watched in the past 3 years (that's how long I've worked at Netflix and had my free account) is Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by Aleyoops   » Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:18 am

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Have to agree ScyFy channel generally sucks anymore. Most of its programming is not Science Fiction. Totally lame.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by Spacekiwi   » Sat Jan 26, 2013 3:13 am

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Aleyoops wrote:Have to agree ScyFy channel generally sucks anymore. Most of its programming is not Science Fiction. Totally lame.



Nz is lucky enough to have 'Prime' which only plays hit shows from other networks, and used to have a sci fi and fantasy night on thurs and fri respectively.

Star trek (multiple seasons), Stargate, Babylon 5, the original battlestar galactica,and others i have forgotten all in a row?......




Drool.............. I had no life on thursdays......

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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by glowell   » Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:03 am

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Just noticed today, that yahoo movies shows a 'Victoria Burrows' as casting director. She had a hand in the casting of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Resident Evil: Extinction, Castaway, etc, so that's pretty promising.
I've been looking with search criteria like 'under-rated B-list character actors', and she might pull in an A-list or two, which would be great (thinking James Franco for Venizelos here).

Thought a 'Stephanie Kukuruza' would be a good Sally McBride; http://www.talentpages.com/Skukuruza/ .

Was thinking (if a 2nd movie ever considered) who would play James MacGuiness, now that Pete Postlethwaite has passed on, as I can't begin to imagine anyone else in the role.
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by rmsgrey   » Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:03 am

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Aleyoops wrote:Have to agree ScyFy channel generally sucks anymore. Most of its programming is not Science Fiction. Totally lame.

I still remember when Bonnie Hammer announced that the SciFi Channel should stop focusing on shows set in space...
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Re: Who would make a good Honor Harrington in a Movie/TV rol
Post by Aleyoops   » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:13 am

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rmsgrey wrote:
Aleyoops wrote:Have to agree ScyFy channel generally sucks anymore. Most of its programming is not Science Fiction. Totally lame.

I still remember when Bonnie Hammer announced that the SciFi Channel should stop focusing on shows set in space...


Um, Bonnie who?

I do not mind if they show stuff that is not set in space but they have gotten so stuck on this reality show crap its ridiculous.
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