Book to Screen: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Every now and then I think I might start discussing how I think a book or series will translate to film or television. For my first Book to Screen post, I'm going to go with Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles.


WARNING: If you have not read up to Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, I do not recommend you continue, as there will be spoilers throughout. Instead, I suggest you come back after you've caught up to Cress. If you haven't even read Cinder, I highly recommend that you do, because this series is absolutely fantastic! If you're on the fence, I wrote a review that will hopefully tip you over to the side that has you devouring this series like many before you. Click here to read my review of Cinder.

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All right, now that the spoiler warning is out of the way, let's begin:

I do not think The Lunar Chronicles should be made into a movie.

Hang on, hang on! I wasn't finished. I do, however, think the series would translate SO MUCH BETTER as a television series.

I mean, think about it. There is so much that happens in this series, especially in the later books. There is so much back story to each and every character. And with the switching povs the further we get into the books, I just feel that a series of movies (on per book) would not do this series the justice it deserves.

Wouldn't it be so much better to see some of Cinder's scenes partly through the eyes of Cress without having to wait until the third movie? In the first season, we could see Cress watching with interest as she follows Cinder's adventure from her sattelite. We could see her life in the sattelite, how she slowly becomes obsessed with Captain Thorne, how Sybil Mira treats her. We could see Cress go from following Sybil's orders to slowly helping Cinder as much as she can instead of turning her in. We could see it all slowly play out until she meets Cinder and the rest of the of group without everything being a huge info dump or just plain confusing because a movie would only really have two hours or so to tell the entire 550 pages!

We could see what Wolf's life was like before Scarlet. Ditto Scarlet before Scarlet. We could learn more about her grandmother and her father. Sure, that might mean some filler episodes where the script writers (hopefully/ideally) work with Marissa Meyer to share some info that wasn't in the books. But wouldn't that, too, be incredibly awesome?

We could watch as Dr Erland discovers the cause of letumosis, watch his flashbacks of how he gave up Cress and went rogue.

We could watch Queen Lenara behind the scenes as she plots against Emporer Rikan and then Kai and all of Earth.

(Winter's cover has yet to be revealed)

And then not to mention everything we're going to learn about Winter in Winter. I have a feeling that book is going to one big ball of crazy (in a good way), and I'd love to see that drawn out as a television series instead of stuffed into one movie.


And of course let's not forget the novellas! They give us a peak into the behind-the-scenes of the books, but they leave you wanting more. They could be added in to a television series whereas they will not likely be included in a movie series.


A television series could show us so much more than what a movie could, and it would be amazing. Especially considering how much happens in the books! I could just see it working so well and I want it so badly.

Of course, this is only my opinion. If The Lunar Chronicles does get optioned as a movie series, that's cool with me, too. I'd love to see it on-screen either way. But I would definitely prefer to see it as a television series. So, uh, I'll just sit here, hoping with all my being that the publisher sells the television and not the film rights to a production company who is ready to tackle this incredibly spaceship-ride of a series (er, assuming an untrained Cinder is flying said spaceship)!

I can just see it all in my head right now. I really hope this is something that will happen!

What do you think? Would you rather see The Lunar Chronicles as a television series or as movies? Or would you rather not see it on-screen at all?

Waiting on Wednesday #5

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

You've read my review on Marissa Meyer's Cinder (and if not, you should check that out here, because the book was fantastic!), so this week's W.o.W should come as no surprise. This week I am waiting on Scarlet, book number two in The Lunar Chronicles.

Blurb:
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I am very curious to see how the story of Little Red Riding Hood will be incorporated, and am anxious to find out what happens next in Cinder's story.
Scarlet is due out in bookstores February 5th, 2013. So there is a bit of a wait, but luckily there are some other great books to occupy ourselves with, right? (I know, I know. That doesn't make it any less painful)