A Dozen Movies In 11/22/63

**PrisonerNumber6** · June 26th, 2012

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/...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** · June 26th, 2012

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

**Doc Wilson** · June 26th, 2012

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

Show Spoiler

.

**Doc Wilson** · June 26th, 2012

**PrisonerNumber6** · June 26th, 2012

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** · June 26th, 2012

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** · June 26th, 2012

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** · June 26th, 2012

Originally Posted by GNTLGNT

....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** · June 27th, 2012

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** · June 27th, 2012

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.