It’s not a secret that fantasy adaptations are notoriously hard to get just right, with so many attempts falling flat and leaving fans disappointed—or worse, loudly upset and taking to the internet. Directors either end up missing the messaging of the story altogether, separating the content too much from the original IP in an attempt to put their own spin on the story, telling an entirely different story, or a chaotic mix of all three.
Below we have five fantasy book adaptations that are deserving of a remake—and the sooner the better. Some of the original adaptations don’t deserve any shade; there are just new and interesting things that could be done with them. Others, however, deserve all of the critique they rightfully received, and fans deserve a better showing from their favorite stories.
1) Howl’s Moving Castle
The Studio Ghibli adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle is genuinely one of the best animated films ever made. Everything from its animation style to the voice acting to the score is incredible. However, it’s not an entirely faithful adaptation to the original novel. And that story very much deserves its own film. The novel by Diana Wynne Jones centers around a young woman named Sophie, the eldest of three sisters, who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to appear as an old woman. She takes refuge in the moving castle belonging to the wizard Howl (imagine a Welsh rugby player who is somehow even more campy than the film version—no, we’re not joking, and yes, it’s amazing), and makes a deal with the fire demon, Calcifer, to break her curse. There’s no war element in the book, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. A live-action remake of Howl’s, with all of today’s amazing practical effects, has some seriously incredible potential, and would definitely be a story that book fans deserve.
2) Earthsea
Another Ghibli adaptation of a book series, this one by renowned author Ursula K. LeGuin, that, while amazing in its own right, wasn’t as faithful an adaptation as fans of the novels deserved. There was also a live-action adaptation starring Shawn Ashmore and Kristin Kreuk that left fans bereft over just how terrible it was, with critics claiming that it entirely missed the point of the novels—a task which should be impossible given how thinly veiled it was. LeGuin even went so far as to accuse the SyFy network of “wrecking” her books with its attempt at whitewashing the story, claiming they only wanted the name to bolster their ratings. The original plot of the Earthsea novels follows the story of the young wizard Ged (Sparrowhawk) as he matures, leaving behind his impulsive and proud nature to grow into a wizard of renown and wisdom. It tackles issues of power, race, and balance, all while bringing to life a unique magic system. It’s a series that very much needs a faithful adaptation, one made by minds that respect the source material.
3) Artemis Fowl
An adaptation that had an entire generation of readers shouting, “Disney, when I get my hands on you!” The original series of young-adult novels by author Eoin Colfer centered around a young genius and heir to a criminal legacy named Artemis Fowl. Atermis discovers a hidden, high-tech fairy civilization that has been living underground. In a harebrained attempt at restoring his family’s fortune and standing, he kidnaps fairy officer Holly Short to ransom her for gold. This obviously has big consequences, leading to a clash between human genius and fairy technology. The story spanned 11 books and came with a die-hard fanbase. So, how Disney dropped the ball so badly in its adaptation, which rated only an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, is something we still can’t make sense of. Put this adaptation in the hands of someone who loved the source material, give them a minimum of six seasons with 12 episodes each season, and a decent budget, and fans could finally have the version of Artemis Fowl that they deserve.
4) Eragon
The Eragon novels (or The Inheritance Cycle) are some of the most beloved young-adult fantasy books of all time, telling an epic, sweeping tale of the tried-and-true hero’s journey. The series focuses on a young farm boy named Eragon who discovers a dragon egg; this leads him on a perilous journey to become a dragon rider, and he finds himself directly involved in the conflict to save the empire of Alagaësia from its evil king. The author began writing the series when he himself was only 15, and it’s genuinely enjoyable high fantasy, bringing to life a unique magic system and a story about destiny and the power we come into. The film, which starred Ed Speelers and Jeremy Irons, is certainly not a faithful adaptation, leaving fans upset and questioning why it shared a title with the novels at all. It lacked the novel’s sincerity and creativity, simultaneously taking itself too seriously and not seriously at all. While the novels will always be there to rely on, Eragon fans deserve a film or television series that will faithfully bring their favorite IP to life in a way that honors the incredible story told between the pages.
5) The Princess and the Goblin
The Princess and the Goblin is a movie adaptation that can only be summed up as a fever dream. Done in a typical trippy, early 90s animation style, it adapts the novel originally written by George MacDonald all the way back in 1872. The story centers around a young princess named Irene, who becomes lost in a forest and is chased by terrifying creatures. The monsters are eventually scared off by a boy named Curdie, who informs Irene that the goblins her father believes are just stories are, in fact, real and very dangerous. The story goes on to become a sweeping adventure to save the kingdom from the very threat they chose not to believe in. While the animated version is campy and fun, the story itself is surprisingly dark, and could only be served by a remake that taps into that darkness. Whether live-action or animated in a style like Blue Eye Samurai, The Princess and the Goblin has tons of untapped potential, and could be just the perfect thing for fantasy fans.
What adaptation would you like to see remade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to swing by the ComicBook forum to see what other fantasy fans are saying.
