Suggestions for adapting the Howard Stories - Post your own

[lordyam]

I've been thinking and I realized that before I plan out a whole schedule that there may be a few ground suggestions that could be used to adapt stories to tv. Some changes are necessary if only due to the nature of the medium (there are also social standards as well.)

1.) A Witch Shall be Born: The main change I'd do is to give Salome the Reileen Kawahara treatment. In the BOOK Altered Carbon Reileen's an unmitigated monster who traffics in misery and death. The SHOW Reileen is still evil but she's also given a freudian excuse that at least explains her actions even if it doesn't justify them. Long story short it's made very clear that the world broke her and turned her into a monster. 

With Salome this is actually fairly easy. Demon backstory aside her life is beyond tragic. She was abandoned and left to die because she embodied the dirty family secret, the man who saved and raised her saw her as a tool and threw her aside because she didn't live up to his impossible standards, she's painfully aware that she was both thrown aside AND that she could have had a life of luxury.....one could easily have it that Salome might have turned out differently were it not for her parents abandoning her like trash. This could manifest in a few ways; during the scene in the dungeon Salome gives a protracted motive rant or a speech saying "I'm merely claiming what is mine. What I am owed." and Taramis, rather than just being weepy, calls her out on her bullshit and makes clear that her crappy childhood doesn't excuse her wickedness.

2.) Queen of the Black Coast: Jeffrey Shanks suggested making an entire season out of this and I'm inclined to agree. There are A LOT of stories that could easily be fitted in, each one an adventure unto itself. The beginning and ending are there but the middle isn't. More importantly the Marvel run of Conan did a good job of fleshing out the characters. Even Brian Wood's run, for all it's legion of sins, did take the time to flesh out the crewmen and make them into real living breathing people. They also had Conan show more reaction to the death of N'Gora and to Belit using trickery to kill the crewmen in the trap.

3.) Hour of the Dragon: This one would also work best as a season unto itself. It's got a lot of epic qualities that work best in that context. Timothy Truman also had Conan present at Xaltotun's fall if only because it was more dramatic (I'm reminded a bit of Lucien's defeat in Fable 2 when you literally press a button and Lucien is defeated. Xal's defeat in the book is kinda like that.)

4.) Tower of the Elephant: This is honestly mostly good. The only issue is working in the flashbacks of Yara being an asshole.

5.) Rogues in the House: Again, mostly good. I'd just have a scene where Conan is considering killing her but than says something along the lines of "fuck it you're not worth it." after dumping her in the mud.

6.) Black Colossus: This COULD work but I'd also add more details. You'd have to show WHY the various groups are willing to work with Thugra Khotan, and discussing it with Von Kamblach I came up with the idea of having Conan use the Shumiri to breed dissent amongst Thugra's forces. As such when Amalric launches his charge the dissenters turn on their fellows causing the horde to fell apart. I'd keep Thugra's anti climactic death. That's kinda the point; he's a decaying old fossil who should have died years ago.

7.) Scarlet Citadel: This honestly works best as a season finale. In the first story Conan is clearly chafing at being King. And yet here when given the option to walk away he chooses not to. We also get the impression that some time has passed. Therefore an entire season beforehand gives Conan's decision to tell Strabonus to fuck off more weight.

8.) Phoenix on the Sword: Conversely this works as a season premiere. We see Conan chafing to set the stage for his season wide development.

So any other ideas?

[Von K]

One of the biggest challenges for a TV adaptation might be how to capture REH’s prose magic and the Lovecraftian elements in a visual medium, The comics are kind of half way between prose and film/TV. No doubt the work of Frazetta would be a big influence. And the adaptations by Thomas/Buscema, Thomas/Smith, Busiek/Nord and Truman/Giorello et al could act as high-class storyboards

[headlessvulture]

You seem to be thinking along the lines of a TV series, while I was thinking more in terms of feature-length movies. A couple of stories on your list could be spun into movies I'd see, specifically "A Witch Shall Be Born," and "Hour of the Dragon." "Queen of the Black Coast," was never my favorite Conan story, but there would be plenty of material there for the feature film. Two that weren't on your list:

1) People of the Black Circle
2) Friends of the Flame Knife (even if it was adapted from an El Borak story)

I'd want the folks who put the movies together to do some actual research on Conan and the Hyborian Age, unlike the lazy buggers who made the first "Conan the Barbarian," and "Conan the Destroyer." And while Ah-nold was physically right for the part, his accent would have been Nemedian rather than Cimmerian. The role basically needed Arnold's muscles and Liam Neeson's brogue. Surely they can find an Irish rugby player or something this time.

[johnnypt]

The great thing about the approach they announced they're taking with Netflix is it won't have to be bound by any kind of limitation, be it time wise or whether it fits into a series. There will be some stories that'll make great episodes, or string of episodes. But if they feel the need to do People of the Black Circle or Beyond the Black River as a separate film, they can do that. They should keep an eye on how Marvel is doing with the movies and Disney+ shows to expand and carry forward the narrative.

[lordyam]

Jan 5, 2021 17:49:54 GMT -5 headlessvulture said:

You seem to be thinking along the lines of a TV series, while I was thinking more in terms of feature-length movies. A couple of stories on your list could be spun into movies I'd see, specifically "A Witch Shall Be Born," and "Hour of the Dragon." "Queen of the Black Coast," was never my favorite Conan story, but there would be plenty of material there for the feature film. Two that weren't on your list:

1) People of the Black Circle
2) Friends of the Flame Knife (even if it was adapted from an El Borak story)

I'd want the folks who put the movies together to do some actual research on Conan and the Hyborian Age, unlike the lazy buggers who made the first "Conan the Barbarian," and "Conan the Destroyer." And while Ah-nold was physically right for the part, his accent would have been Nemedian rather than Cimmerian. The role basically needed Arnold's muscles and Liam Neeson's brogue. Surely they can find an Irish rugby player or something this time.

I was thinking have the Sorcerers of the circle be an overarching threat in that they're sorta in the background but take center stage at long last.


I prefer an approach similar to Altered Carbon; the WORLD largely felt like the books by all accounts, and yet they were not afraid to change things when necessary (Takeshi becomes more sympathetic, a gratuitous torture scene is made less gratuitous, the main antagonist is given reasons to explain why she's a depraved monster, the ending is a little bit less bleak in that the asshole aristocrats are actually punished for their crimes, and the show takes a different tactic and explains why the some of the ideas in the original book were kinda stupid.)

I.E. The world feels like a corrupt and brutal place where the strong survive, but a lot of the really racist stuff is removed, more nuance is added (the Turanians and other civilized peoples can have their fair share of good people while barbarian tribes can have their share of scoundrels and monsters) and there might even be a somewhat more hopeful element even if change is ultimately ephemeral.

[johnnypt]

I think I mentioned in another thread that a ‘thieving guild’ or something like that could be an overarching thread that could link Taurus, Shevatas, the priests of Anu and Nabonidus. The Black Circle sorcerers could be something like that. You drop hints where appropriate, maybe even a post credit scene :-)