Anita Blake: The TV Series

[alucard66.livejournal.com]

Remember last month when LKH spoke about Anita Blake becoming a movie and possibly TV show? Turns out she wasn't making it up.

http://tbivision.com/article.php?category=9&article=623

I didn't expect Independent Film Channel to air a show like this, but whatever. With Glen Morgan at the helm, this should be good. His original projects leave a lot to be desired, but his X-Files and Millennium episodes are some of the best hours of television ever produced. I just wonder how faithful he's going to remain to the source material. In this instance, making changes would be for the best but given LKH's control freak tendencies . . .

Comments

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

I'm just going to sit here and quietly squee over your icon. Carry on.

[lilacwire.livejournal.com]

*joins you*

[a-proclivity.livejournal.com]

Fucking Lionsgate. First screwing the pooch on repo and now this.

[alondra-del-sol.livejournal.com]

Craig Cegielski, EVP, programming and sales, Lionsgate International Television, told TBIvision that the Rainbow Media-owned broadcaster will air the two hour pilot next year, before deciding whether to order a full season. "It's a sexier Buffy The Vampire Slayer," he says.

I disagree. Jean-Claude will never come close to Angel or Spike (though maybe Asher could).

Just when you think it can't get any worse...it does.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

If by "sexier" they mean "has more sex', than yes.

Ugh. ....and yet, I can't say I wouldn't check it out out of pure can't-look-away-from-a-bad-accident curiosity.

[drygo.livejournal.com]

I'm very curious how this will turn out. I honestly can't imagine them being completely true to the books. I mean, if they are, then once they get past the first 6 or so, the episodes will turn into porn. I just don't see that being possible.

That said, I'm going to watch because without the non-stop porn, this might actually be good.

[starcrossedlady.livejournal.com]

what, all five minutes of plot?

ok, more like ten with commercial breaks....

[tenaya-owlcat.livejournal.com]

I'm very, very frightened. Anita Blake must not spread any farther than she already has!

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

Too late! Anita has already spread as much as she can!

(rimshot)

[ladymuttly1.livejournal.com]

I predict that the quality of the AB books will go down even further as LKH tries to control every aspect of the tv show.

[easol.livejournal.com]

And gets all angsty because they'll almost certainly ignore her.

"Wait, you're making Anita GET ALONG WITH PEOPLE! Don't you know she's an eternal outsider, with a dark and angsty nature who is discriminated against for being biracial/a woman/short? And don't you know that she's supposed to be bitchy to everyone showing that she's so strong? And she's not wearing enough guns! Hey, why is JC talking like a normal person? He's supposed to have a voice like velvet rubbing against my skin, and spend the whole scene slithering around making sexy faces. And why isn't he wearing leather and lace from head to toe? What do you MEAN, all that would look ridiculous? He's a vampire! Everything they do is sexy! And that actor can't be Micah -- he hasn't got a wang the size of a soda pop bottle. And how dare you write Richard as reasonable and smart and kind!"

[putana.livejournal.com]

We could hope LKH gets screwed over with the contracts to the company and they take over the series and make it...good. :D

[yaoihuntresse.livejournal.com]

Just look how bad the comics are and they're based off her earlier books.

[dan-lian.livejournal.com]

Damn. Blood Ties was cancelled after two Canadian seasons (1 American), Moonlight was cancelled after one, I can only HOPE that this never makes it past pilot.

[plum-arden.livejournal.com]

Blood Ties was made of awesome. I just can't even begin to imagine Anita Blake as a TV show. There will be no TiVo season pass for this (not that I get that channel...at least, I don't think so).

[gothgoddessrhia.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if the TV series somehow lived up to the potential of the premise.

I can only hope...or live in complete fear.

[quizzicalsphinx.livejournal.com]

It could happen! Did you ever see the original B:tVS movie? That was rotten, but the series was great! All they did was get new actors and writers and directors and change the direction entirely from the original campy premise and oh GOD, this is going to suck, isn't it?

Pardon my language, but...

[sfph.livejournal.com]

...somebody... who worked on Millennium... touching Anita fucking Blake?

fdaiozn,sadrljareltmcvnx1,mnbvxc9lhgzjjkl;;'sadgfoiera*combusts*

Re: Pardon my language, but...

[putana.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they laughing going, "This crap is so bad, lets show the fans how it can be good". ...maybe? ...hopefully?

[easol.livejournal.com]

I suspect that -- whether the show is good or horrendous -- they might use the first couple books as loose material, and take off into their own direction after that. Perhaps introducing characters like Asher, but not sticking strictly to what introduced them. For one thing, there isn't enough plot for more than a handful of episodes, and LKH's flimsy grasp of continuity (and even flimsier idea of how to write a bloody ending) means that even these would be of limited quality.

And they won't be satisfied with troos alone watching, meaning that LKH's "whoops the bad guy got away" ending won't fly. TV viewers won't accept, "Oh, it's an ongoing series, so the crap ending doesn't matter!"

But I predict LKH will go batshit when she realizes that they aren't doing the TV show just like in the books, complete with ardont.

Wouldn't it be HILARIOUS if they cast a blonde as Anita?

[pastygothchick.livejournal.com]

It would be hilarious if they managed to make the tv series better than the books.

Take the good ideas (I'm being generous) maybe 5 pages a book and throw out the rest. Then get solid writers and make a really good series. Introduce plot, character arcs, story arcs, and good dialogue.

Oh, and make sure LKH has zero creative control.

[quizzicalsphinx.livejournal.com]

Look at it this way: if it happens, we'll have something new to snark once a week.

[kessie.livejournal.com]

Well, the Gossip Girl tv series is a lot better than the books (my guilty pleasure tv show), so it could happen. If they just change 90% of it and go in an entirely new direction.

[othellia.livejournal.com]

IAWTC. My roommates got me to watch one episode about a month ago and now I think it owns a part of my soul.

Then again, with such a weak murder mystery in the first book, the show could end up like True Blood by adding over 9000 new viewpoints so the end result is like, "Oh... that's nice. Not quite sure where the plot went, but it's nice."

[no-ron.livejournal.com]

actually, they can pretty much stick to the novels, since the pornfest starts quite late in the series and i doubt the tv-version would keep on air that long.
having seen most episodes of 'True Blood', i think AB could make quite a good show. many people here did actually like the early AB books (5 to 9, pick your number) and most of those were very much plot centered.. let's not deny that. though i can't completely prevent the later AB disasters casting their shadow, i do remember being entertained and having a good time reading the first 9 novels.

reading 'Dead Until Dark', i would never have thought it could work on a tv screen. yet 'True Blood' is pretty much faithful to the book, and with the right twist here and there, some spice thrown in, etc.. it's actually watchable. quite so that HBO is considering a 2nd season. (btw, as far as the sexual content goes, the tv version is like 10x as explicit, compared to the rather tame novel. so there you go.)

i'd say it all depends on the creative team behind the project. the shortcoming i see is that 'Guilty Pleasures' is by far not the strongest of the early novels.

[booster-blue.livejournal.com]

I'm still iffy on True Blood..if only because I'm rather annoyed at Tara, and the show ruined Sam for me. But Eric, he can stay. Oh yes....*drool* But the overall plot, has been pretty much kept, and the series has done the impossble of making me like Anna Paquin - who had me nerd!raging after the X-Men movies.


For AB to really make it outside of troos and those who love trashy shows, they'd need a strong writing team, and an even stronger cast to pull it off properly. And they'd better be willing to beat LKH off with a stick any time she even glances their way.

[morriganscrow.livejournal.com]

Success or disaster - I can already hear LKH's head going asplodey either way....

[shadwing.livejournal.com]

Can this work? I can say yes it can, our TV Series Pitch Challange showed that.

Will this work? Doubtful unless LKH gives up control...and I can't see that happening.

[okami-no-yume.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...oddly enough, I'll admit to being cautiously optmistic. I enjoy True Blood, and think it's a pretty good show. I've only read the first Southern Vampire book, so I can't really make a book versus show comparison.

I saw this post and my first thought was "OH GOD NO, It's really gonna happen." However, I think it will be taken out of LKH's control entirely (One can only hope!) and of course, I can easily picture the ensuing hissy fit she will surely throw.

That being said, I'm going to give this show a chance before I dismiss it. I agree with others that have said it could actually surprise, and turn out to be a pretty cool show.

[no-ron.livejournal.com]

>>>I've only read the first Southern Vampire book, so I can't really make a book versus show comparison.

i'm not sure i understand, since the show is the adapted first SV book.

[leda0000.livejournal.com]

I believe that the goodness or lack thereof of the show will be totally dependent on the writing team, and to a lesser extant the acting team. Authors rarely have much control when their books are optioned (even really famous ones like Stephen King), I can't imagine that any producer would be insane enough to give LKH much control, especially if they or one of their peons has read much of her blog. And I am really liking Blood Ties. The think the actors playing Bill, Sookie, Eric & Pam are perfect. Not sure where they are going with the Sam character, but I do like the actor.

[othellia.livejournal.com]

The think the actors playing Bill, Sookie, Eric & Pam are perfect.

Me too. I was a little apprehensive about Pam the first time we saw her because she was blonde and I remembered her having dark hair, but in her most recent appearance it's gone back to being dark, so I guess she had just dyed it or something? (Pam and Eric were the two reasons I continued to read the series for awhile. That's why I notice these things.)

As for Sam... from the back I can't tell him apart from Jason. And that's a bad thing. D: