The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Adaptation Do's and Don'ts

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seanham:
Jim has talked several times that a new adaptation may be happening (in fact in a 2021 interview he said it may be here if not for COVID). Watching Wheel of Time, Shadow and Bone, and other book to TV adaptations got me thinking; what are some things that can change in an adaptation, and what are some things that should not be changed. Keeping in mind that some things will have to be changed, it is easy to print words on a page, but it is much harder (and more expensive) to do a lot of animation or CGI. With that in mind if there is another adaptation we as fans (especially us mega-fans) need to be willing and acknowledge the need for compromise or recognize that not everything will be just like the books.  Here are some of my thoughts, but looking forward to hearing what everyone's thoughts are!

Can Change:
Harry being super tall, keep him tall but does not need to be NBA tall
Details of books - setting of minor fights/conversations (can't change anything major but not everything needs to go down just as in the books)
Give some more screen time to other characters have parts of some episodes from Murphy or Eb's perspective (similar to some of the short stories, we could see how other people view Dresden)


Don't Change:
Character's backstory, first interactions, motivations
How magic looks/works
Sue coming alive in DB

g33k:
Don't Change - The general progression of the stories, the ramping-up of stakes & power-levels.

e.g. don't introduce a heavy-hitter (like a naagloshii) in episode frigging #1, where it should rip Harry apart.

Conspiracy Theorist:
Harry’s height, you could get away with an actor 6 foot four or five and the rest is camera work to add the extra inches, that worked very well on Reacher, where they had the identical problem made worse by previous casting. My current pick would be the Succession actor Nicholas Joseph Braun, 34 and 2.01 meters tall, and clearly a good enough actor to carry a lead after working with Brian Cox.

I would have Harry doing a narration, but yes showing other characters more. Perhaps occasionally have another character doing a bit of narration to contradict Harry, like Thomas or Murphy. That worked in Young Sheldon and is a device viewer are familiar with. The early books in particular underserved characters like Murphy and Susan. Television is not first person narrative, they can be expanded without diminishing Harry.

You can’t mess around with the universe too much, it’s quite clear as the books progress that everything is connected and things have been unfolding steadily since Grave Peril.

I would bring in elements from the short stories, RPG and comics more clearly, perhaps as flashbacks.

CGI is good enough and cheap enough for effects to be books consistent, and frankly people are expecting it these days from a premium show.

It is going to have to run to the current time-line, no setting it ‘now’ it’s 2000 phones and computers and cars for the adaption of Storm Front.

People are familiar with the Multiverse, so you immediately run a la Star Wars a crawl of what leads up to Storm Front something along the lines of :

“In a universe not so very far away, mankind’s gods and monsters such as vampires and faeries co-exist in secret with humanity. A lone Wizard, and Private Investigator/Police Consultant  Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, acts when supernatural forces impinge upon the the mortal world in the City of Chicago. Together with his friends and allies, mortal and supernatural, such as Leuitenant Murphy of the CYPD and Spirit of Intellect Bob the Skull, Harry Dresden acts as mankind’s champion, even though his own people, the White Council of Wizards treats him with suspicion and have him placed under a suspended death sentence for killing his former master, Justin du Morne in a life or death magical duel when Harry was a teenager after he tried to magically enthrall Harry and his tragic first love Elaine to his will.”

Cut to the Yellow pages advert

No hat.

Definitely no hat.

Did I say no hat.

Mira:

--- Quote ---Harry’s height, you could get away with an actor 6 foot four or five and the rest is camera work to add the extra inches, that worked very well on Reacher, where they had the identical problem made worse by previous casting. My current pick would be the Succession actor Nicholas Joseph Braun, 34 and 2.01 meters tall, and clearly a good enough actor to carry a lead after working with Brian Cox.

--- End quote ---

Yeah, I don't think Harry's height is a really big issue as long as he is at least six-four or five, since he'd be seen as above average in height.  My main reason for that is though Jim keeps saying Harry is six foot nine, he writes him like he is a much shorter guy of maybe six foot three or even a little shorter. 

Mr. Mouse:

--- Quote from: Mira on May 16, 2022, 10:55:59 PM ---Yeah, I don't think Harry's height is a really big issue as long as he is at least six-four or five, since he'd be seen as above average in height.  My main reason for that is though Jim keeps saying Harry is six foot nine, he writes him like he is a much shorter guy of maybe six foot three or even a little shorter.

--- End quote ---

Harry's height is sort of like the inverse of Nero Wolfe's weight. Rex Stout wrote Wolfe as though his weight is this major issue. But Wolf is 270 lbs on a 5'11" frame, which isn't healthy but isn't as life constraining as depicted.

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