3 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

Links to our threads on 'A flood of fantasy films on the way' (Jan 2004) and 'Not a remake, just make it' (Jul 2005), where this has come up before.

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Exclusive: The Weitz Brothers Still Want to Do an Elric Movie
Roughly five years ago, Paul and Chris Weitz picked up the movie rights to Moorcock's "The Elric Chronicles" with plans to adapt them into a series of movies, but we hadn't heard anything about it directly since our interview with Chris Weitz later in 2007.
At the junket for Paul Weitz's upcoming movie Being Flynn (out March 2), we asked the writer/director what was happening with that project, and this is what he told us:
"We wrote a very edgy script that was true to the anarchic spirit of the book, and then we had a heck of a time getting it made. We'll probably take another run at it if we're able to. It was certainly a dream come true to hang out with Michael Moorcock, who is one of our heroes. It's an utter anti-hero, and I believe that part of the book was a response to Tolkien, because Moorcock looked at that as sort of a hymn to the squireocracy and the class system in England, and this is a complete rock and roll nihilist anti-hero. I hope the movie gets made in proper fashion." . . .
ComingSoon.net, February 18

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 24 February 2012 - 02:58 PM.

[Tyler]

Not to be confused with the Elric brothers from the Fullmetal Alchemist anime series.

[Justin Hanvey]

I really think an Elric of Melnibone' movie series should happen, and this is why.

1. We're already ripe for fantasy stories, what with the popularity of Jackson's Lord of the Rings, as well as the Harry Potter movies.

2. Recently there's been a couple sword and sorcery type movies that have done pretty well, John Carter and Conan, but the reason they didn't so well is because neither of them are engaging in deeper meaning and discussion, which brings me to my third point.

3. Moorcock wrote Elric of Melnibone' and many of his other novels as an antithesis to the sort of "merry England" escapism he saw in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and other novels of the time. He created the anarchic, antihero of Elric to show the tragedy of corrupting power, and gods who use power wrongly. There's a timeliness to this in our current political climate and historical moment that I think would really stand out today. A story about how we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and how those in power need to be subservient to the people and not the other way around...the Norselike gray tragedy of Elric fits strongly into that vein. And that's where it is engaging in a deeper story than just magic and epic battles and stuff. In the right hands this story could be lifechanging. Moorcock is an avowed anarchist and against religion of any kind, but his stories underline deep reasons on why we who do believe need to be careful in How we believe. Good stuff. I'd love to see this happen.

[Rushmore]

Well, maybe. But it's not like we've been suffering from a shortage of nihilist anti-heroes lately.