Has anything that big ever been attempted? Some quick googling puts A Song of Ice and Fire at 1,770,000 words and DF at 1,997,201 words as of SG. Not counting PT, BG, or any short stories. And we're still about eight novels from being done. Three of those novels are supposed to be big door stopping tomes. Conservatively, that is going to be over three million words.
Also CGI has gotten a lot better, faster to make, and probably cheaper in the 13 years since the first Dresden show. I think one of the things Jim said about doing animated Dresden is that it would allow for some really epic battles and things that would be too costly for live action. At least some of those epic battles may now be within reach for a live action show.I get you, worth a google on those shows I mentioned if you're interested in the art work. Particularly Beyond the Aquila Rift and Sonnie's Edge in the anthology Love, Death and Robots - very much the CGI, game animation on those. Sonnie's Edge has an almost Cyberpunk 2077 vibe. But they are definitely more expensive than regular anime/cartoon style.
What I'm getting at is if you count CGI as a type of animation, the line between animated and live action has been blurring for a long time. Hell we're having 3D models of dead actors being wrapped around people with similar physical proportions and having other people voice those characters. That's similar to something animated.
I do prefer the non-cartoonish animation. I think the DF would work really well if done like Castelvania, but a bit more realistic with some of the settings, weapons, and such. A lot of that animation, the weapons, clothing, and setting is just ludicrous. Another advantage to an animated series is you can have characters age at the right rates. The immortals don't age, Harry ages slower, and regular mortals age regularly.Agreed. Yeah both Castlevania and Blood of Zeus have their issues. But it fits some of the wackiness of the Dresden Files. And it does solve the issues around actors growing up and supernatural effects. But you are right, some people will never take it seriously. Which is why you have to look to successful cult anime series - One Piece, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Marvel's Avenger's Assemble, Death Note, Avatar (both the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra) etc.
The problem with animation is that a lot of people will never take it seriously.
I don't know if doing it as an animated series would be a problem or a benefit on the business side of doing a series that covers 25 novels. I wouldn't be surprised if we never get a full Dresden Files series adaptation. Has anything that big ever been attempted? Some quick googling puts A Song of Ice and Fire at 1,770,000 words and DF at 1,997,201 words as of SG. Not counting PT, BG, or any short stories. And we're still about eight novels from being done. Three of those novels are supposed to be big door stopping tomes. Conservatively, that is going to be over three million words.
Urban detective fantasy is probably more conducive to quick pacing than epic political / military fantasy. An average Dresden book would probably translate to 2-3 TV episodes, rather than roughly 1 book per season like GOT was doing before it went off the rails. You could probably adapt SF-GP in a season, pretty much regardless of live or animated format.Agreed, SF to GP is about right in either format. 1-2 books an episode would only work in the first series I suspect. After Dead Beat you'd miss too much.
Well, Jim said the pilot of the first show - adapting SF in a two-parter - was the most faithful adaptation the first series did. Realistically, this is only going to stand a chance of happening if they can map multiple books to a season.Indeed, you'd have to do multiple books in a season. But season length can be played around with. Netflix or another big streaming service would be ideal regardless of the format.
A streaming platform were the lengths aren't really fixed has more flexibility than a network show, though. That would be ideal, because they can cover some of the more important shorts too.
I've always liked the idea of a Dresden anime from the artists that did Darker Than Black.Definitely could work and would probably appeal more to the current anime market. Would have to be updated I think a little, but it's got a good tone.
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Definitely could work and would probably appeal more to the current anime market. Would have to be updated I think a little, but it's got a good tone.Yeah, it premiered 13+ years ago, so I'm sure they could update some things for the better but keep the dark tone. I just don't know that something 3d would be necessary for Dresden, like Clone Wars or Rebels, and I don't like the cartoon animation of other shows like Resistance. (I'm not that familiar with modern anime, so my cartoon exposure is pretty limited to star wars these days)
Yeah, it premiered 13+ years ago, so I'm sure they could update some things for the better but keep the dark tone. I just don't know that something 3d would be necessary for Dresden, like Clone Wars or Rebels, and I don't like the cartoon animation of other shows like Resistance. (I'm not that familiar with modern anime, so my cartoon exposure is pretty limited to star wars these days)
Which is why you have to look to successful cult anime series - ... Avatar (both the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra) etc.The Last Airbender is in my top two T.V. series of all time. The other is Babylon 5, and that has a heavy "first time I've ever seen something like that factor to it." I'm not sure which takes number 1.
It's a hard balance - most books don't adapt easily to the screen.I know I've mentioned Magnum P.I. before, but the way that series was done would probably work really well for the Dresden Files. It's largely from Magnum's perspective and Tom Selleck narrates a lot of the show as Magnum. It's also kind of funny how many similarities Magnum and Dresden have. P.I.'s, always having money trouble, tall, live underground, boy scouts, troubled past, underestimated by enemies.
Yeah, it premiered 13+ years ago, so I'm sure they could update some things for the better but keep the dark tone. I just don't know that something 3d would be necessary for Dresden, like Clone Wars or Rebels, and I don't like the cartoon animation of other shows like Resistance. (I'm not that familiar with modern anime, so my cartoon exposure is pretty limited to star wars these days)No of course it wouldn't be necessary to have 3D. It might even be easier in 2D. You'd have to think more about what would work better for the show versus where the market is and how successful it would be. The animation for Clone Wars or Rebels doesn't gel for me, but that's my personal preference too.
Yeah, they could do something along the lines of the Madalorian. I don't like the idea of doing the Dresden Files as a cartoon, it is more suited to live action in my opinion.With a big enough budget, it might be amazing. The problems start when the budget isn't there and it gets worse the more they change just so it suits the whims of producers. I was a bit concerned when a reboot was discussed and I am just hoping it will work. Hard to even get multiple seasons now as well no matter how good you are.
The Last Airbender is in my top two T.V. series of all time. The other is Babylon 5, and that has a heavy "first time I've ever seen something like that factor to it." I'm not sure which takes number 1.
I know I've mentioned Magnum P.I. before, but the way that series was done would probably work really well for the Dresden Files. It's largely from Magnum's perspective and Tom Selleck narrates a lot of the show as Magnum. It's also kind of funny how many similarities Magnum and Dresden have. P.I.'s, always having money trouble, tall, live underground, boy scouts, troubled past, underestimated by enemies.
The Last Airbender is in my top two T.V. series of all time. The other is Babylon 5, and that has a heavy "first time I've ever seen something like that factor to it." I'm not sure which takes number 1.Oh yeah, the Last Airbender is great. Jim has even said in his dreams he would like that team to do Dresden as an animated series. And he's also quite the fan of Babylon 5, so I can see that working. Two quite different yet fantastic shows. Magnum P.I. would definitely work for the earlier books but I think into the middle of the series it wouldn't quite work. But I agree, some elements like the narration would really suit and there are definitely some similarities between the two works.
I know I've mentioned Magnum P.I. before, but the way that series was done would probably work really well for the Dresden Files. It's largely from Magnum's perspective and Tom Selleck narrates a lot of the show as Magnum. It's also kind of funny how many similarities Magnum and Dresden have. P.I.'s, always having money trouble, tall, live underground, boy scouts, troubled past, underestimated by enemies.
The animation for Clone Wars or Rebels doesn't gel for me, but that's my personal preference too.I can't stand the Clone Wars animation. I'd be so disappointed if they made a DF cartoon that looked like Clone Wars. The animation in Rebels seemed to be a little more refined to me.
Magnum P.I. would definitely work for the earlier books but I think into the middle of the series it wouldn't quite work. But I agree, some elements like the narration would really suit and there are definitely some similarities between the two works.I bring up Magnum, P.I. for a Dresden Files show more to show that a first person perspective can work in a T.V. show just as well as in a book. Quantum Leap, another one of my favorites, was pretty similar for those elements of largely done just from the main character's perspective with the main character doing a lot of narration. Both shows were produced by and either created or co-created by Donald P. Bellisario.
And he's also quite the fan of Babylon 5, so I can see that working.I wasn't really thinking of how B5 could be applied to making the Dresden Files T.V. show, but I can see a similarity in it's story structure to the books. The case files are both episodic and serial in nature like the episodes of B5. What I mean by that, for those who haven't seen B5, almost is every episode of B5 was a self contained story, like each case file. You didn't need see all the other episodes for any particular episode to make sense as a story. But you did need to see almost every episode to know what was going on in the overarching story. Pretty much every episode advanced either the overall narrative or a major plot thread.
@Kindler: The FMA style of animation is my favorite except for when they go cartoony in some scenes. E.g., https://www.reddit.com/r/FullmetalAlchemist/comments/f2p6yk/alphonse_is_the_best_character_in_fullmetal/Heh, yeah. There's a name for that art gag, but I can't remember it. They do it at least once an episode in Brotherhood, and once every chapter or two in the manga. Not exactly my kind of humor either, but I still love the visual elements of the combat, particularly as seen in the final arc between