Amazon Developing Consider Phlebas

[Vince W]

Exciting news, but I'm going to take a wait and see approach.

Amazon Developing ‘Consider Phlebas’ as Fantasy Drama Series

 

[Pyan]

Nooooooo....

They can't even get the promotion blurb correct - "the series about a world known as “the Culture.”", indeed. I really don't think that the Culture novels can be done on screen, with the possible exception of "The Player of Games"...

 

[Vince W]

I'm not expecting much myself.

 

[Cli-Fi]

Amazon is ramping up their scifi/fantasy options. They said they were making a big push for popular projects that will have franchise opportunity and based on the praise this series gets from members here and from all walks of life in the fandoms, I believe that with LOTR and Culture Amazon could turn themselves around.

Amazon - Press Room - Press Release

Amazon is developing a series based on Iain M. Banks’ sci-fi novel Consider Phlebas

 

[Rodders]

I'll watch it with interest and i hope it's done well, as this could introduce new readers to the delights of IMB's Culture.

 

[ctg]

They are claiming that this series is now Amazon's answer to Netflix Altered Carbon. What???? How did this happen and when Kovacs series became comparable to the Culture saga? If anything I would have thought that Banks' masterpiece is competing against the Expanse.

 

[S Blake-Smy]

I'll certainly be looking forward to this, but I'll not let myself get carried away because of two things. Firstly, it really could go so horribly wrong in translation to the screen because of the sheer scale and level of detail in the world-building, and secondly I've been waiting for this for so long that my expectations could naturally be unfairly high.

On a side note though, @ctg Is the Expanse really on the same level as The Culture? I gave up after the first few episodes as I just couldn't get into it, but if you think it develop's to that degree, then I might give it another go and just push on through.

 

[ctg]

Is the Expanse really on the same level as The Culture? I gave up after the first few episodes as I just couldn't get into it, but if you think it develop's to that degree, then I might give it another go and just push on through.

To be honest, yes. The Expanse is like Game of Thrones in space with real physics. I recommend you to read the beginning of The Expanse thread and you'll see my thoughts and reactions as it progress. If you want to see the cultures clash in futuristic settings, the Expanse is the series you should watch.

 

[S Blake-Smy]

To be honest, yes. The Expanse is like Game of Thrones in space with real physics. I recommend you to read the beginning of The Expanse thread and you'll see my thoughts and reactions as it progress. If you want to see the cultures clash in futuristic settings, the Expanse is the series you should watch.

Okay, great. I'll make that my binge watch for this weekend then.

 

[Onyx]

The motivations and moral framework of the characters in Phelbas are going to be more difficult to present than the colonialism of the Expanse, as well as the wild range of technology levels depicted.

 

[picklematrix]

The fact that the main character is a changer could present problems for an adaptation. As in, they will have to get multiple actors to embody the same character believably.
I will manage my expectations if it ends up being made, though i believe that the culture novels are masterpieces of fiction and its good that the attempt will at least be made to film them.