Neal Stephenson Discusses Why His Novels Haven't Been Made Into Movies

In advance of his new epic thriller, Reamde, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neal Stephenson sat down to talk books, his writing process, and why his award-winning work hasn't been adapted.

[@hybby]

And we're grateful that he went long. Seveneves, Diamond Age, and Reamde are 3 of my favourite books ever. The length allowed me to dive deep into the books, and for them to really develop.

[@AshtonCoolman]

I want to see Anathem as a TV mini-series. It would make my frickin' day...month....year if that was done. The same can be said for any other of his books.

[@hybby]

I could never get deep into Anathem. *shrugs* Maybe i need to take another crack at it since i just finished Seveneves. Loved Seveneves. THAT could be a wonderful series. Especially since it felt as though the book never 'finished'. Did anyone else feel that? Will do it after D.O.D.O.

[@cooperbybee4308]

hbby, I felt like I seveneves was just a pretense to describe the evolution of the races of a world in which an epic novel was about to take place, like it was the origin story of a universe.

[@neirbonitsuj84]

@@hybby It's a rough start for sure, it took me many hours to understand what was happening, but I'm about to be done with it now and I'm glad I kept at it. I'm listening to the audiobook though, its really enjoyable but also very long (33 hours)

[@Forrest-Jackson]

100%

[@MaxArcher755]

Diamond Age would be amazing as an animated mini-series.

[@projectfear22]

whats it about

[@Canonfudder]

@@projectfear22 A future where nanotech has split society into tribal communitys, based around the only source of wealth - creative powers and the ability to wield them. Its also about human nature, and how to develop oneself. Its - a Bildungsroman - a book about becoming a person from nothing. Its a book about imperialism, of centralization vs decentralization, of control vs chaos. Its about history and its strange cycles. Its what a capitalistic society would become, if the material production went away, and only the knowlege economy remained. Its fantastic. One of my most beloved possesions. I read it in times of confusion and crisis. Its what robin hood is to a bankrupt men. A way to discipline your mind, start over, day by day, project by project. I wish it would be made into a movie, not a action flick, as all the philosophical parts would be lost. More of a david lynch movie. A strange duck, in a strange pond, that boldly goes where no men has gone before. Have a pleasant evening, sir.

[@Bradley_Lute]

Or a live action one! Maybe HBO Max will do it after Snow Crash!

[@Bradley_Lute]

It's also about the nano age, a post cyber age that hasn't quite taken off yet. So it would be perfect for adaptation.

[@Bmoyn715]

My Idea For Snow Crash would be a HBO or Netflix series where the first season or 2 is the book and then continue from there with new stories in that world with those characters along with new ones (w/Stephenson's input).

[@lot0749]

Thought you'd like to know that's actually happening now. HBO

[@Bradley_Lute]

I always thought of it as a movie but an HBO show will do it way more justice! I'm quite excited for this. Diamond Age would be really good too. Hopefully this puts him on the adaptation map.

[@deathrays]

This is indeed happening now!

[@lanceluthor6660]

I think the Baroque cycle is really the perfect choice for a big HBO style series. The reason GoT was so good is it had very well written characters. Could you imagine how popular half cocked jack shaftoe would be on the screen? Plus he's actually finished writing it so they don't have to completely shit the bed at the end.

[@empusa23bis]

Having a complete book never stopped screenwriters from shitting the bed though...

[@shawn6669]

I was talking with a friend the other day about this. The scene where Hooke gives Daniel his "Pearl of great price" at the end of "Quicksilver" would be an absolutely horrifying and PERFECT season ending for a long form mini-series. It would be easy for it to be amazing. My 2c.

[@shawn6669]

@@empusa23bis You're not wrong.

[@SamIAm-kz4hg]

Speaking of Jack Shaftoe, I want Cryptonomicon.

[@stevegoodson9022]

I look forward to the extended two hour episode about the processing of vast quantities of urine into weaponised phosphorus

[@mulllhausen]

seveneves would make an awesome tv series, and i also hope he writes a sequel book

[@hybby]

Agreed. Seveneves seems built for a series. Especially with the time jump in it, and how it inserts an 'Epic' from the past at various points. And how the future was left open at the end..

[@Kwak444]

The time jump caught me by surprise

[@phronze1]

@@Kwak444 yeah , when I read “5000 years later” I just let out a long breath, like “man that’s heavy”

[@rmeddy]

Anathem and Diamond Age can work as mini series. Reamde and Snow Crash are movie. Cryptonomicon too awesome to adapt

[@KokkiePiet]

The Baroque Cycle would be a very nice costume series, something like Barry Lyndon, awesome, expensive to make however. The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon are my Favourite books by Neal Stephenson. I keep rereading them

[@davidvennel720]

I would love to see Anathem on screen. Perhaps it could be done like they did the Hobbit films, or the Avatar sequels now being made, 3 at a time. Anathem would require 4 I believe.

[@stevegoodson9022]

Would love it, but not sure how ready the normie audience is for lengthy debates of platonism vs nominalism. Would take a hell of a film-maker to make the ending comprehensible to a general audience, suppose Nolan might be able to give it a try

[@Serpentis666]

Any of his stories would make some of the best movies ever…

[@AgentGross]

The diamond age would make a great HBO or Netflix limited series, like altered carbon, which was also a great book before being adapted.

[@ZarHakkar]

Cryptonomicon would be a great TV series.

[@carlosbaja678]

Cryptonomicon miniseries would be awesome

[@ericmintz8305]

Would a TV producer permit the philosophy to remain in Anathem? I strongly doubt it.

[@JoeSaintSeven]

I feel like Anathem would be a really tough book to adapt well to a movie or series.

[@dukejivetalker7541]

Snow crash is amazing and I would so love to see it get a series.

[@MTG9745]

Seeing Snow Crash as a movie would be amazing. *But 480 pages into a movie would take a while*

[@Oz1111]

I bet Netflix could pick up couple of his novels. I'd love a Netflix show on seveneves that runs 3-4 seasons.

[@Johnny_Savage]

HBO. He's too good for Netflix.

[@vegemite7706]

Yep the baroque cycle .I took heaps from that. Kitt Kat club. Trial of the pyx . I felt for Jack when "the sun king" did his girl from behind. Damn I loved those books.!

[@erichathaway8104]

That wasn't King Louis it was the Duke who's hand Jack had cut off years earlier after Jack crashed through the ornate ceilling and had to make a fast escape from the party ( where the sun King was in attendance) The Duke was holding the reins of the horse Jack needed, and wouldn't let go, so Jack slashed it off with hi sword and as his revenge for that he raped his wife in front of Jack because Jack loved her, and the one-handed Duke knew it.

[@erichathaway8104]

Duc de Lavarac?

[@Hemigoblin]

Snow Crash was reportedly meant to be a video game before it became a novel. Whether this is true or not, I’m thankful that Neal decided to write the novel. I uh…still wanna play the game too though.

[@Tasarran]

I wanna be The Deliverator!

[@catherineearnshawheathclif866]

Looking forward to it.

[@alwaysyouramanda]

10 years later and I’m certain you’re in talks!!!

[@davidtphung]

Can't wait for Snow Crash's release on HBO Max. Hopefully this year!

[@Narruin]

Reamde can be uses as is to do a movie. It already looks like made scenario.

[@hybby]

Reamde would be perfect for a movie. Either a single movie, or multipart. Agreed.

[@faizal911gt]

Make a mini series of snow crash..it would be 🔥

[@FractalBolt]

I agree with what he says about mini series as the only form of visual media that can possibly compete with novels. As of right now the only TV series I'm hooked into is AMC's "Breaking Bad", and the complexity of the plot plus the character developmnet of, at least, the two main characters, is amazing. I have always liked good mini series over movies. I haven't read the Game of Thrones books, but I am told wonders about the TV series.

[@joefish6091]

Read the GoT books first, then enjoy the TV series as a soap until it gets too boring. the TV story is way different from the books.

[@ricardomarin487]

@@joefish6091lol 9 years later

[@Hrothmeir]

History Channel has Vikings; Discovery Channel (maybe National Geographic) can have Anathem. I would watch live, pirate the next day, and purchase the Blu-Ray at the end of the season.

[@gavtriggs664]

Yeah snow crash would make a serious movie

[@wking8]

God, the baroque cycle as a series. Think about it!

[@richardarcilla]

Anathem would be great!

[@elliotsmith9812]

Reamde totally would work as a film IMO.

[@jamesp4521]

If its done correctly, with the right director! Snow Crash would be great!

[@DamielBE]

Production I.G., Madhouse or Gonzo would be the best candidate

[@Maverz290]

Star Wars as far as story telling goes, is up there. It was rather groundbreaking at the time, very important to know what came before so you know what still needs to be attempted.

[@joefish6091]

Watch the Marcia Lucas saves Starwars video on KZbin...

[@Himanshu-mb8nl]

Seveneves could be made a 2 part movie for sure.

[@fnordfnordswich3667]

Shogun, Pillars of the Earth: some stories fit the miniseries format quite well. But I try to imagine someone adapting, say, Diamond Age, and worry we'd get another Johnny Mnemonic... details mostly intact, point mostly missed. Ender's Game is coming soon, and people are watching to see how well the supposedly 'unfilmable' book is filmed. If it does well I suspect more of such books will become films.

[@theobolt250]

Too long to be made into a movie? Hm... what about.... The Lord of the Rings? 😁 But then again, that was a HUGE financial gamble which for the better part of the time of it's production was suffused with uncertainty. I think that such a gamble with The Baroque Cycle will be even trickier. But... it will be so MUCH MORE WORTH TO TAKE IT! Themes, characters and story developement are so much more interesting! And there's the off chance that someone WILL build Minerva! For real! Com'on Neal! Go a-peddeling! 😜

[@jacobtennyson9213]

I want to direct your movie. Doesn't matter what the adaptation looks like.

[@bricemaieralt]

Good movies are the gateway to great books.

[@baxtermason6909]

...can you imagine what Baroque Cycle would be like...epic...what can one say...;-)

[@salovamrani2084]

Snowcrash would've been a great movie, in 90s or 00s

[@GonzoTehGreat]

Erm...what about "Lord of the Rings" as adapted by Peter Jackson? However, today a TV show for a streaming service is probably a better idea, as long as they don't alert the plot so much that they ruin it (as was the case with Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon)

[@lebarosky]

Snow Crash would make a great thriller the essential McGuffin plot of the Sumerian metalanguage would be great. You have a good villain (The Ainu Giant) and a good heroine. You have a good protagonist: the hacker guy. The essential story is no longer than, say, the English Patient, which was made into a fine movie.

[@kedabro1957]

Wasn't he Aleut?

[@Tasarran]

I'd say even Snowcrash would be a stretch; a lot happens in that book! I'm also not sure the concept of the Enki meme-virus would translate well into a movie.

[@Uneldo7]

I can envision how cool a Seveneves mini series could be but I know it would be so expensive to do Zero G filming. And hell nah, I would hate to see Seveneves effed up by CGI 0G

[@Bradley_Lute]

A shame because his books feel quite cinematic. Diamond age and Snowcrash would both be good movies. Anime maybe.

[@mysha4381]

i’d love to see Anathem as a tv series tho

[@d909nkey]

please have demna gvasalia of balenciaga costume the snowcrash series

[@bolivardigriz8847]

Since when has Hollywood made movies that are true to the original story? Once in a great while they'll come out with something like "Blade Runner" that rivals the story it was based on, but far more often the big studios will totally botcher the story, like with "Starshit Troopers".

[@bluishgreen5733]

Bolivar DiGriz And what would they do if they made a Stainless steel rat story?

[@cooperbybee4308]

for to long we have been told stories that are to short. three hour podcasts and eight season mega-series have shown that the attention span of the average viewer has been vastly underestimate. the 90 minute film limit and the 30 second news bite have been industry standards not because it suits the those who watch, but because it suits those who produce.

[@joefish6091]

GoT is books 1 2 3 sequential and books 4+5 concurrent. I got got bored with the TV series at season three. the books are way better but a different story... ,but the GoT book story never ends and theres not any likelihood of books 6+ appearing after all this time.

[@lincolnsixecho51]

If someone was able to create a good movie basing on Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", it should be also possible to do so with "Amalthea" or "Sbow Crash" in two or more sequel movies. I think, the greater problem is the intellectual task....and to safe it in the movie.... However, better to make no movie out of Neal Stephenson fantastic books then to spoil the stuff by making a second or third class hollywood film interpretation... Lincoln Six Echo

[@mutecommercials]

I think zodiac could be made into a movie easily.

[@HotaruZoku]

And thank god

[@MarkWladika]

Seveneves has been green lighted and has Ron Howard scheduled to direct. So I guess the drought is over.

[@JoeSaintSeven]

And three years later we still don't have anything. I hope they'll do it as a trilogy; it's the only way to do it justice.

[@VAISHALISHARMA]

Why his novels not made into movies ? Bcz one day Zuckerberg would wake up to originate Metaverse Inc.

[@torres870rem]

Not really, King does it all the time. I think it is about money.

[@jarahkaren8074]

They made LOTR. Book Too Big theory...splat.

[@DiscGolfHunter]

Netflix mini series please. SNOWCRASH!!!!

[@brianpingle4175]

diamond age

[@oeautobody3586]

Hack the Spew

[@murrdy]

icu ucme?

[@parkarboy73]

@videotropia You compare Star War to Neal Stephenson and Tolken. That's very insulting.

[@EsotericEssays]

Well this is simple... because about 90% of the human population (maybe slightly more) would not comprehend what he is actually saying in most of his books and the translation to film would only dumb them down and they would loose much of their brilliance. No need for TV and if your I terested in what he's saying educate yourself and READ the books.

[@lollynone1108]

Some of us enjoy acting, costume, set and music, great editing, writing....

[@jennifersun2638]

Of all the redundant remakes they are making smh........

[@illustriouschin]

When this was made, mini series on streaming was not a huge deal like it is now. I imagine the reception for his books as series would not be extremely positive because the book fans would hate any adaptation and most studios are too stupid and greedy to make it good. Expanse is brilliant but Childhood's End was abysmal. Cowboy Bebop looks brilliant but was a colossal failure.

[@michaelg.294]

OK, so Snow Crash is too long to be made into a movie. Hmmmmm, how could we possibly get around that??? What to do, what to do.... Oh, I have an idea- break it up into 2 or maybe 3 movies!!! Your excuse is like me saying "I can't do my laundry because I couldn't possibly fit ALL of my dirty clothes into the washer!"