HIGH PLAINS SCRIBBLER: ADAPTATION OF THE USELESS

You asked this, rhetorically or not:

"From a purely business standpoint, why does a studio chose to spend money optioning an incomplete book and churning out a movie (even if it was a relatively cheap one) that had no more name recognition to its title, its characters, or its cast than a number of original and solid sci-fi screenplays that are undoubtedly floating around out there?"

I can imagine that the thinking goes, and flowing from what you already said, an incomplete book that gets finished and published may get a fanbase, or one can be inorganically created for it.  A screenplay that is floating around will not.

I think you kinda answered your own question.  Good article/rant.

Great piece.

You would think that The Dark is Rising, The Golden Compass, Percy Jackson and even (to a degree) Narnia would have rung a few warning bells by now. 

Brilliant piece. The ridiculous irony of Hollywood sinking money into these non-brands before they even have fanbases while brilliant original scripts go unmade just kills me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

 

 

I can imagine that the thinking goes, and flowing from what you already said, an incomplete book that gets finished and published may get a fanbase, or one can be inorganically created for it.  A screenplay that is floating around will not.

 

I think you kinda answered your own question.  Good article/rant.

Exactly. It's commercial entities hoping to create, control, and milk media successes for maximum profit. It's been tried over and over in different industries, from comics to cola to cereal. They want a sure thing for their investment, and they figure the best way to get that is if they're able to manufacture the buzz and fanbase themselves.