The Blood Meridian Adaptation Should Be Animated

[@jgrew]

It would also be cool to have Richard Poe be a voice actor. His narration of Blood Meridian is phenomenal.

[@fortytwogallonsofforestgre8085]

I think pixar should so it without warning the kids😂

[@e7m10]

Could you imagine a studio ghibli Blood Meridian? Watch the violent scenes in Princess Mononoke. That’d be amazing.

[@e7m10]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaPRdHl4rcpjsMksi=z1Kc4mRWBDmuKTxm

[@hughes365]

When I saw the title in the thumbnail I immediately thought of waltz with bashir. Another 10/10 video keep it coming!

[@DavidGallagher-r2q]

all i can say is that when I read the book twice this summer, that as I tried to visualize it in my head I kept coming back to the same thought-this is an anime. Thank you for substantiating that idea.

[@RichardRhubarb]

What a great way to represent the sweeping descriptions that McCarthy for the landscapes in BM. I can Imagine the scene with the “dark tentacles”

[@gregorybertrand645]

I'd love to see it animated in the style of Akira. Also, if he were a bit younger Barry Keoghan would make a great Kid. He was the Joker in the newest Batman film and also if you've watched The Killing of a Sacred Deer, you'll know he'd make a perfect Kid.

[@frankie3010]

Why? The kid is stoic and apathetic. How does that scream Joker to you?

[@gregorybertrand645]

I wasn't trying to compare the two roles. I was just giving people an idea of who I was talking about. I think Barry has a lot of range, which is why I like him a lot.@@frankie3010

[@dustydood77]

I would love a Blood Meridian adaptation in the style of Gennedy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter's Lab, Primal etc.). I know it may sound like a strange fit but if you watch the final season of Samurai Jack or any of Primal you'll definitely see how it could work very well with BM

[@AmericanGwyn]

100%

[@gerardluken6544]

The problem with a live-action movie, for me, is that when I re-read this book 10-15 more times for the next 20-30 (hopefully) years, I will have the visual image of the actors portraying these characters. Animation works for me, especially in the style of Waltz with Bashir (which I had never heard of until today--thank you). My hope would be that an animated version would not go overboard on the Judge's physical appearance--make him too demonic or Marvel villain-ish. I have seen many artistic representations that give him a demonic smile almost like the Joker. I picture him more realistic and expressionless. For me, his demonic sense comes from his actions (and McCarthy's prose, of course), and not his appearance.

[@theJDfromCA]

LA native here, in the industry. Happen to be a McCarthy fan as well. I am gleeful at the fact that Franco gave up (or failed). I'm at a crossroads with a Blood Meridian adaptation. Sometimes I feel that the sanctity of the written word would only be bastardized by a visual translation of this novel. I like the idea of the 'unfilmable'. I feel that Alan Moore's Watchmen was in this category as well. The graphic novel was also considered 'unfilmable' before Warner Bro's sunk its teeth in. Most notably, Terry Gilliam (who was slated to film it in the late 80's) had dinner with Moore and conceded that the work was 'unfilmable'. However, I realize that in our modern times, a Blood Meridian adaptation is inevitable. If not some other corporate behemoth, Netflix would eventually buy the rights and shoot the damn thing. Long tangent made longer, I agree with the idea of it being an episodic series no holds barred. I'd love to see it made live action with a large budget and a director who knows the text well. But perhaps animation is the best medium possible, due to the novels overt gruesomeness and considering that anime allows the glorious and blood ridden tales of samurai epics to be displayed so graphically. But damn am I dubious of whatever efforts are being made to film Blood Meridian. Negativity aside, very cool to hear you're in close contact with the creatives, I hope your deep understanding of the book and pertinent insights influence their interpretation. I wrote this after consuming a fair amount of cheap bourbon at a bar in Seoul. Godspeed sir.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Bless you!

[@geordiejones5618]

This is perfect. As an amateur writer/director who's considered this adaption, my idea was to literally focus on the kid for the most graphic parts. Have all the violence occur, in horrible detail, but only the audio/shadows and maybe background too. The camera sticks with the kid. He barely talks but you see his reactions, or lack thereof. You hear the gore and splatter and the begs and total inhumanity, but all you see is how the kid observes it all. Otherwise the book is damn near perfect script if you can get the right locations and shots to make a true to form live action adaption. I know some people would complain about so much footage being of the kid and whoever is right beside him, but I think getting those visceral reactions would really give an actor the challenge of their career to keep the audience interested in their face. Moreover I think it's a fun directing challenge to still capture those horrible moments, the gunshots, the arguing, the callousness, but cheating a bit to keep that R rating. What do others think?

[@jacaliber]

I love some of the animations of Love, Death, and Robots. Some almost look live-action too.

[@jmfraser]

I read this book for the first time a couple weeks ago and have been listening to your videos since then. I thought this book wouldn't do well in a live action adaption (off-topic, but I've always felt the same way about Dune, that it should be an animated adaptation, though Dune has more clear parallels with a typical Japanese manga or anime story). At first I thought something that looks like Wicked City or Demon City Shinjuku would serve the story well, and still do to some extent, given the graphic, obscene, demonic subject matter, though these are very dated adult-oriented direct to video films and have a Japanese setting. Maybe they keep some of that vibe, but make it look like a more current style. I could see an adaptation that looks sort of like recent titles like Vinland Saga or Shingeki no Kyoujin working as a limited series. As a bonus, these shows have a western world setting and are extremely dark and brutal.

[@pointerxtoxin]

Off the top of my head, I think Clancy Brown would be a good voice for an animated Judge. Also, I always pictured Captain White as having the voice of John Vernon, the dean from Animal House. Also you should stick Alan Tudyk in there somewhere, perhaps as Toadvine. Glanton remains difficult for me to pin down. Woody Harrelson perhaps?

[@sillythekid7380]

Yes im so nervous sir. In high school & college i would scan tbe internet monthly for news of a film adaptation desperate for a movie. But now that im a grown man & know that everything is a slap in the face now a days in very concerned that it looks like the thing might actually get made. Anyway i dig your conclusions a lot & Iv considered this heavily. But ultimately I think it would stand best executed shot on location with a blend of live action, miniature sets, really expensive puppet anamation & some light CGI only when it adds & never as a crutch or for filler. Think Wes Anderson style anamation blended with live action. After watching his latest movie Astroid City I thought Blood Meridian should look just like that. In fact I think it would be better if Wes Anderson made it all together- he could provide a whimsy to the writing that would suit the scalphunters well, because it's kind of a dark comedy if you lean into it. Also I think some of the characters & animals should have full prosthetic make up akin to the bad guys in that crazy ass Dick Tracy movie. Anyway that's my fantasy for BM as far as animated goes. Oh & it should be around 24 half hour episodes with some 1 hour specials.

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

I can't wait to see this I just finished the book 2 weeks ago and this is kind of like a book that I'd like to read every summer. there's something that is just otherworldly about the book, and if the movie is anything like the book it's gonna be an amazing movie

[@ElvingsMusings]

I agree that an animated Blood Meridian would be astounding, provided you have the right crew, and people with a brilliant aesthetic imagination. I am not entirely sure I buy the idea that Blood Meridian or any novel would work as a miniseries more than a feature though. Because it depends on the kind of feature people have in mind. Like I think the relentless nature of the book would be hard to sustain over an episodic series compared to a single long film. The real issue with casting the Judge is that I don't think the Judge is believable as a human being. Like it's a kind of impossible character to picture as a person and him being an animated character makes more sense. The only issue with animation is how they portray the Native groups because there's a long history of grotesque stereotypes that need serious rethinking.

[@frankie3010]

Has it ever occured it you those stereotypes are true?

[@ElvingsMusings]

Not even for a nanosecond. @@frankie3010

[@Noise_H]

@@frankie3010Bro what the fuck. Go touch some grass you fucking bigot.

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

something you gotta remember is that all of this that happens in the book is like a metaphor, so you don't actually have to show the violence, all you have to do is convey what happened during the violence: like the guy walks it up to the campfire without an ear, something like that. there always a way around the censors.

[@ProudGirlDadX2]

Right off the bat YES!! The Proposition is a phenomenal F'N movie. Another one of those character driven great movies that Guy Pearce appears in. He also briefly appears in the beginning of The Hurt Locker and at the end of The Road. He would be amazing as Glanton.

[@oneinathousand2156]

In my mind I see the art style as being much like those ultraviolent OVAs from the 80’s/90’s like Doomed Megalopolis, Wicked City, etc. but with somewhat more realistic but still slightly stylized character designs, and scratchy lineart like the Xerox era of Disney. Cel animation has a tactile quality to it that digital animation doesn’t have for me, but people can manage to imitate the look of cel animation very well; plus, I would want the backgrounds to be traditionally painted to help with that tactile look. If I were in charge but the producers insisted on doing a 3D CGI animation, I would have it look like those uncanny valley but still kind of cool looking pre-rendered cutscenes in games from the mid-90’s to mid-2000’s, stuff like Silent Hill 1-3, Rule of Rose, Fallout 1 and 2.

[@michaelcolleary7688]

Brilliant idea!

[@peybak]

I want 12 hour film adaptation in the style of "Hard to Be a God."

[@tobytoby8495]

Vincent D'Onofrio should play judge. The violence I think would be more impactful in a live action series or film.

[@ElvingsMusings]

I mean D'Onofrio doesn't look like the Judge in any way. Like he's barely convincing as Kingpin and relies heavily on costume, camera, style, and the performances of his co-stars to "sell" Fisk as a physical threat.

[@VersusArdua]

I think a highly stylistic animation would serve the atmosphere in ways that a normal film just couldn't. Really does sound like the best approach imo, at least in terms of making this 'unadaptable' story into something much more tangible in scope.

[@KevynHarper]

Vincent Denofrio for the Judge and Jash Brolin as Glanton

[@sweetviolents29]

I want it to be an opera. The way the words rush over you the first time through is kinda like listening to a beautiful performance in a different language

[@horseface31]

If netflix can do edge runners, hbo can do blood blood meridian

[@metroidfighter90]

I don't think it should be animated but it definitely needs to be a mini series.

[@lanegarrett7220]

Studio Ghibli presents: Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

i'm a little bit nervous that this film is not going to be made because Cormac has passed I think he would've wanted this film to be made even though his death occurred

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

Have you ever seen the miniseries by BBC pride and prejudice? that was a great mini series, if it was done in that format it would be incredible

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

Actually it was done by A&E...but all the actors had the same British accent, and all scenes maintained the period of history they were trying to portray. Honestly I don't see how blood meridian can be done in any other place besides Sonora, Chihuahua, San Diego, Tucson, Tijauana, West Texas, etc. All of the scenery mentioned in the book exists, it's just a matter of finding it. And such a film could help improve public relations with MX..

[@Sibster45678]

I could see it. Get the animation house behind the new Onimusha series to do it.

[@serbryndenshiversthecool5928]

I think a 8 part or 10 part series has HBO written all over it. They can do anything they want by way of violence and sex.

[@interrogative2607]

A blood meridian animated series done with western styling (rather than japanese styling) would be a massive change in how we in the west see cartoons and animation. It'd be tough doing this and maintaining a constant dark tone, writers may feel they need comic relief, but I strongly believe it is possible and would help create more serious animated works of art that aren't done from a Japanese lens.

[@culloden23]

Guy Pierce as Captain White.

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

something else to remember about this book is that it's almost 100% men Women are usually just used So that's another obstacle however if you watch the film the Northman they got away with a lot and if they can do that then maybe we can do this

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

so I think John Goodman should be the judge if you're using voice actors Now I don't know who you put as an actual actor for the judge but whoever it is got to be like a bodybuilder or a power lifter I can guarantee the powerlifters would probably love to do this role like the world strongest man and all that stuff and you could get him to actually lift a giant boulder over his head and stuff like that and show people how to pee and make gunpowder

[@mickeydoodle69]

Not computer animated. 70’s Anime style tho…Would be nice.

[@el_spicerbeasto]

Frank Miller style with a score by Nick Cave using some Ennio Morricone vibes.

[@herschell_2]

After watching Fantastic Planet and gandahar and I stand alone I think the director should be french

[@elricofmelnibone425]

As someone who kind despises anime, I kinda agree. The visuals would lend well to the medium of animation. Also, I desperately want cyberpunk elements added just for my own nerdiness, and I think this would be best opportunity.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Agree on all fronts!

[@phosler23_95]

This is a wicked good idea! Also I just picked up All God’s Children and have read a couple chapters and I love it so far. Keep up the great work!

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

You could make it into an anime like cowboy bebop but I don't know how many people enjoy that

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

like if they were to do a Westworld version of blood Meridian the difference being that blood Meridian will have 500% more blood and violence yeah it would be pretty good

[@penelopegreene]

This would be more Bakshi "American Pop" like project.

[@noahrodriguez293]

You mention a "more extensive interview" at 2:45 to come out in 2024 Any idea when that might be?

[@GuarmaRummy]

It's always puzzling to me that people treat this text like it's a Batman comic or something that can be easily adapted into a movie. Fans of this novel know deep down that no film adaptation could ever match the scope and tone of Blood Meridian. You guys are just asking for a movie that you will hate the moment you have finished watching it. That said, if anyone in the comments has a copy of the Ridley Scott version of the BM screenplay that's floating around online, hit me up lol i would hate read that thing in a heartbeat

[@matthewfergusons4318]

Animated was a good idea I love these character designs it would be good to be an anime one person gives opinion anime test be awful

[@morenotheartist]

Stellan Skarsgård

[@matthewfergusons4318]

That's where I believe anime would have advantage in animated version would have an advantage over live action think berserk anime has a history of dark and think berserk anime has a history of dark current history of dealing with dark subject way better than Western media has and do it differently Black lagoon Black lagoon I forgot the other one

[@PlayRoom44]

First I’m hearing of it. Nick Cave! Dang

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

The way generations of humans in this country have viewed animated movies is from a perspective of that it is not a mature film, that is not a serious film, that is for children. why would I even have an opinion about it, etc., and so from that perspective, yeah this makes sense to make it into an animated film, so that it survives however, like I put earlier, if you made it like Westworld, which was a big letdown by the way, and you didn't hype it up like they did, and maybe downplay the violence, and just use methods around showing the violence, and just showing the results of what happened after the violence, might work

[@catalyst385]

I could get behind an animated series, but either way it needs to be a series. If they turned it into a 90 minute garbage action movie like they did with The Dark Tower I’ll lose my mind. If it is live action, how about Steven Ogg as Toadvine?

[@spiker1923]

if it were animated it should be 2D animated, which basically doesnt exist in america anywhere. so I think an anime would be cool

[@xSavedSoulx]

HBO Mini-series

[@ProudGirlDadX2]

Definitely in on the idea that this should be a miniseries. As a huge fan of westerns I know that The Searchers, High Noon, Giant, the Good-Bad-Ugly and Unforgiven are generally considered the greatest of the genre, and I agree that they are all great. But IMO the greatest ever is the 6 hour miniseries Lonesome Dove. Robert Duvall has never been better. I cant imagine only 90 minutes of Gus, it wouldn't have close to the same impact. Now I don't think I'm out of line when I say that Blood Meridian is a little deeper/denser/thought provoking etc than Lonesome Dove is, so I think a 90-120 minute movie would just be a waste of everyone's time honestly.

[@HeinrichDorfmann]

in my opinion the whole book was a dream by the man at a bar, and I could be totally wrong about that, but it would make sense to put someone who is mature as a voice actor who can convey what it was like to be the kid, and that those were his feelings, those were his actions

[@get2thechawpa]

Trump 2024!