[movie] Snow Crash

[CeeKay]

yep, they're going to try and make a movie version.  Joe Cornish is set to write and direct, but it seems to be a pretty ambitious project for someone with such a short resume.  I've only seen part of Attack the Block and wasn't overly wowed with it, but I loved this book so I hope he at least pulls off a competent version.

[EngineNo9]

I quite liked Attack the Block, so I'm at least willing to give him a shot.  I haven't read Snow Crash in years, but I'm not sure a movie could live up to my impression when I first read it.

[theohall]

Given the advancements in CGI and the story basically being told entirely from one person's POV, this should be doable.  Whether or not it leaves the same impression?  Who knows?  (kind of doubt it, though, unless they do some voice-over type thing).

[Rumpy]

I still wonder what happened to the Diamond Age miniseries Syfy was working on. I like Stephenson and Snow Crash was the first of his novels that I read, but it wasn't my favourite by far.  I have to wonder if this would hold up as a movie.

[Eco-Logic]

I've been considering reading Snowcrash. I haven't read Stephenson before, would it be a good place to start?

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[Crusis]

I've been considering reading Snowcrash. I haven't read Stephenson before, would it be a good place to start?

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YES! Snowcrash is one of my all time favorite books so I am a bit biased. By all means check it out. It's smart, sarcastic, satyrical, and funny as hell.

[Malificent]

I've been considering reading Snowcrash. I haven't read Stephenson before, would it be a good place to start?

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Snow Crash is probably the most accessible of his books. It's got some fantastic, interesting characters and writing.

[EngineNo9]

Has anyone read it recently?  Has it actually held up well?  I have a feeling that the 1992 virtual reality/cyber nonsense may feel a bit outdated 20 years later.  Wow, 20 years ago?  

[Rumpy]

That's part of my worry. The book has some cool stuff going on, like the VR world as a vision of a 3D internet,  but I'm just not sure how well it would be received now, or how the humour would come through.

Actually, I'd argue that Zodiac would be his most accessable book, although it was written before he really got his style down and it's the most mainstream in style. Still really good though if you like that kind of stuff.

I'd actually really like to see Cryptonomicon made into a miniseries. That's my favourite book of his.

[Hrothgar]

Has anyone read it recently?  Has it actually held up well?  I have a feeling that the 1992 virtual reality/cyber nonsense may feel a bit outdated 20 years later.  Wow, 20 years ago?  

I read it in 2010.  Really the political stuff (corporations taking over the world) seemed more dated than the cyberspace stuff.  I didn't find the virtual world any more absurd than the one in Metagame which was published in 2010.  Of course, Snow Crash is a much better book.

[kratz]

I don't know if Cryptonomicon would be a good miniseries, just because I think weaving the timelines together would be very challenging, and hard to follow...

Anathem, on the other hand... it's a fairly focused narrative, but epic scope... that is the one I've always thought would be good HBO miniseries fodder.

[Rumpy]

I don't know if Cryptonomicon would be a good miniseries, just because I think weaving the timelines together would be very challenging, and hard to follow...

Anathem, on the other hand... it's a fairly focused narrative, but epic scope... that is the one I've always thought would be good HBO miniseries fodder.

Perhaps you're right, but I think the interweaving timelines would be the most fascinating part. It's not as if they're simple flashbacks like Lost, but fully realized timelines with their own progression, and I think they'd be suited well for a cinematic adaptation. Maybe not miniseries, as that would be a bit too condensed after thinking on it a bit, but a series where they would have time to tell the story and set their own pace. Part of the fun I had while reading it was finding out the roles of these characters from both timelines and how they fit into the grander scope of things, and they were interesting characters. And then there's Enoch who appears in both. That'd be a bombshell for the viewers. I think there's a lot of content there for making a good TV show at the very least.

And you're right about Anathem too. That to me came across feeling like a sci-fi LOTR, with this epic journey across the land. The thing that would be hard to convey though is the language. Before reading it, I had heard complaints that it was a difficult read due to the new language that was created, but maybe it was just me due to all of the sci-fi novels I've read and coming into contact with a lot of jargon, but I didn't find it hard to read at all. The problem though is how to convey the language to the viewer since that's how they'd mostly be communicating.

[kronovan]

Wow, Kathleen Kennedy as producer! Thank you, thank you Paramount for being serious about taking this to the screen! Not that she hasn't been behind a few stinkers, but man-o-man is her resume ever impressive. With her behind this expect to hear some other big names become associated with it. My only hesitation about this is Joe Cornish as director, as he hasn't directed a lot. That he's also writing the screenplay adaptation though is a plus IMO - really liked his adaptation for The Adventures of Tintin.

As to whether the novel has become a bit too dated - for sure it's been dated, considering it was written a few years before the Internet was commercialized. That said, I think it had enough quirky characters and creative concepts that it'll translate into a very interesting and entertaining film. As well, to me the book had a sort of cinematic-action vibe to it, so in a way it was always meant for the screen. I see a lot of upside for this and I'm betting this turns out to be decent, if not very good.

[Eco-Logic]

I started reading the book last night.  Like it so far!

[JayDee]

It's been a while since I read the book but I remember it being amazing until the ending at which point it became weird and much less amazing.