A Dozen Movies In 11/22/63

[PrisonerNumber6]

The thread takes it's title from a blog entry I ran across at the site Talk Stephen King, a link to which can be found below.

http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2012/06/dozen-movies-in-112263.html

It concerns a recent interview Jon Demme gave about 11/22/63 in which he said there were, quote, "A dozen movies in 11/22/63", by which he means a dozen alternate adaptations spun off from this one book.

The story could be adapted to the screen in such a way that we wind up in a sense with an entirely different story, or just the same story with additions that could change around certain aspects of the plot.

As for Mr. K's take on all this, Demme says, "Stephen is wide open".

The implications of the article are so interesting that I thought it deserved a thread all it's own. The question is how would anyone feel about certain changes in the story? Some interesting thoughts were:

What if Jake gets extended scenes in which he meets JFK face to face in Washington?

What if the outcome of the ending is changed completely so that, say, Jake makes things even better than when he left?

What if Jake gains Oswald's confidence?

There are a lot of what ifs to work with here, each one of which could find it's way to the screen, Demme's right about much. This thread then is about all those potential alternate what ifs of 11/22/63. What ways can you see the movie adapt going? Feel free to share them along with your thoughts about the original article itself.

Before going any further, I think I have to acknowledge David "The Rev" Squyers, proprietor of Talk Stephen King. This thread wouldn't be possible without him.

So what do you make of this turn of events? Any ideas of your own?

Be seeing you.

[GNTLGNT]

....I would prefer it be "true" to the book...

[Doc Wilson]

I read that interview the other day. My immediate thought was that if I were looking for a part to cut out, it would be the long "stalking oswald and his associates" part.

[Doc Wilson]

http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20111130.gif

[PrisonerNumber6]

I'll admit I'd like to keep to the story as well. My thinking on stories is that if they're fossils as Mr. K says, then like any good skeleton they have an inheirant structure and pattern that must be adhered to. Break the structure and you break the pattern; break the pattern and you have no story.

I'm sort of on the fence as to how Demme will go about it. I can kind of see how you could go all over the map with just the story concept itself, however, not all story ideas are created equal I'm convinced.

[fushingfeef]

I'm wondering if Demme really just meant that there are so many possible realities that can exist in parallel, side-by-side in the story line, that it's really going to be like making a dozen movies, and it's up to him and SK to decide which storyline makes the most sense from a cinematic perspective.

Still hoping for Jim Parsons to be cast as Oswald...someone suggested that here and I think it's brilliant.

[PrisonerNumber6]

I just had an interesting idea. Maybe Mr. K can let Demme see his unedit manuscript and see what happens from that. If anything it'd be a treat to see excised scenes reinserted into the story.

[champ1966]

....I would prefer it be "true" to the book...

If it aint broke,don't fix it

They could get Arnold Schwarzenegger to play Jake and get him to fly a plane into the book depository.I once saw a film that ended like that,best adaption of a book i've ever seen.NOT

[PrisonerNumber6]

I'll be fair, I'd have no problem with a revision say where they had to for the sake of time throw out the Harry Dunning subplot by having Al tell Jake how he's the one who accomplished it before the cancer got to him. In this rewrite scenario it's a successful trial run on Al's part and just before he's about try for Oswald he gets cancer.

The advantage of this rewrite is that it preserves the essential story while adding a kind of cosmic bite to Al's character arch in that it accents the idea of the universe, or Ka if you like, punishing him for altering history.

Just a thought.

[bryantburnette]

Anyone who has read the excellent novel MUST realize that it would be literally impossible to cram the entire story into even a three-hour-long movie.

Face it, folks: a great deal of the story will be cut out. The only way to avoid it would be to turn the thing into a trilogy, and no studio on Earth is going to pay for that to happen.

[tenngolfer]

....I would prefer it be "true" to the book...

I agree, being true to the book is the best ending. Although if I had to choose another ending it would be the one I put (in 3 parts) under the alternate ending thread a few weeks ago just to say "goodbye" to Sadie.

[PrisonerNumber6]

Here's a question. What if Demme decided to rewrite the story so that we get a face to face encounter with JFK?

Any thoughts?

[bryantburnette]

Bad idea.

[PrisonerNumber6]

bryantburnette has mentioned elsewhere the the idea of doing 11/22/63 as a miniseries. To me this has it's plus and minuses. Plus: room for characters and to include the complete story.

Minus: Potential loss of effective camera, lighting and worse, acting, all scaled down to TV level.

I think it can be done, and I'm not saying anything against it. I'd just like to know what others think.

[Chris1974100]

Interesting idea

[abrishere]

I absolutely agree about the miniseries.


When I heard that there was a project to adapt the book for the screen, I immediately thought that it was not the best idea.


How is it possible to reduce a nearly 900-page novel into a 150/180-minute film? And above all, THIS novel. For me that's impossible for two reasons:


The first reason is that there are no pages in excess. I think that everything (from George's first experience in the past to the investigation in Dallas, by way of the killing of Harry Dunning or his journey around Florida) it is essential to understand the story. Let alone removing a page from the story with Sadie or the dialogues with Mr Card...


The second one is that I think the essence of the book would be better preserved in a miniseries of 8/10 episodes. We're talking about a novel with abundant descriptions, some of them very detailed, running at a slow pace. There are also many own reflections of the protagonist (a voiceover would be interesting), so definitely a fast pace would eliminate this essence.


I understand that producing a miniseries like that should not be neither easy or cheap (remember we are talking about recreating an totally different era), but in the end, I think the result would be more satisfying for fans.

[Chris1974100]

I prefer to be made into a movie not a tv series

[muskrat]

If I could say one thing to Stephen King, it would be this: NO MORE TELEVISION!

I'm sorry, folks, but the TV adaptions ALWAYS suck! ALWAYS.

I'm so sick if this happening. "Under The Dome heading for the big screen!" and then, "Oh, uh, s'gonna be a TV show instead." Blechhh. "11-22-63 movie in the works!" and now, "Uh, how about a 11-22-63 TV show?" How about NO! Television is the SCUM of all media, it sucks the very lifeblood out of whatever it touches. Film is a respectable artform. Television is junkfood.

Sorry, but I SHANT be watching.

[Chris1974100]

If I could say one thing to Stephen King, it would be this: NO MORE TELEVISION!

I'm sorry, folks, but the TV adaptions ALWAYS suck! ALWAYS.

I'm so sick if this happening. "Under The Dome heading for the big screen!" and then, "Oh, uh, s'gonna be a TV show instead." Blechhh. "11-22-63 movie in the works!" and now, "Uh, how about a 11-22-63 TV show?" How about NO! Television is the SCUM of all media, it sucks the very lifeblood out of whatever it touches. Film is a respectable artform. Television is junkfood.

Sorry, but I SHANT be watching.

Well maybe a movie will be a better way to adopt this novel

[Haunted]

For those people who don't read I 'spect a movie would entertain them, 'tis a wonderful story. But I'll stick with my mind's pictures that it received from Mr. King's words.

[muskrat]

For those people who don't read I 'spect a movie would entertain them, 'tis a wonderful story. But I'll stick with my mind's pictures that it received from Mr. King's words.

I hear ya there, Haunter. Nothing comes close to the unlimited budget box office blockbusters that happen inside me own mind when I read a King book. Well, a couple came close--but Frank Darabont can't direct ALL of em. *sigh*

[The Camelot]

I completly agree!!! The book is the book. The story is the story. Just as we knew it. I'd like the ending is diferent, but it is impossible, reality is as tragic as the fiction is. If the world would be better after preventing the assasanattion Jack-George couldn't go back and would never saw again Sadie in her sixties.
I think the book as we know is one of the most intelligent and wise view of the world history. It makes you think very much.
I also agree with the difficulty of put the book into a film. Its no possible without spoild the masterpiece. Literature is not cinema.

[The Camelot]

Yes, a tv serie is mor possible than a film. I think all of us thought in the characters and in the actors who can play them. So, the miniseries is the only possibility of playing the story because of its lenght.