Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

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TheFeniX
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Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by TheFeniX »

Guess since the Harry Potter well is running dry we can finally get this? I'm not getting trolled or anything here am I?
Veteran independent producer Steven Paul’s SP Entertainment Group is launching development of Piers Anthony’s long-running “Xanth” fantasy series as a feature film and a TV series.

Producers are Spike Seldin, who recently signed on to head up development and production for SP Entertainment, along with Steven Paul and Hans Futterman.

Anthony’s first “Xanth” book — “A Spell for Chameleon” — was published in 1977, followed by “The Source of Magic” and “Castle Roogna” in 1979. The British author had originally intended to publish only a trilogy but continued writing amid strong fan response to the stories’ realm populated by humans with magical abilities along with centaurs, demons, dragons, fauns, gargoyles, goblins, and other fictional beasts.

The “Xanth” books have become one of the world’s largest fantasy series. The 42nd book in the series is set to be published this month .

Paul said plans are under way to announce creative talent as well as distribution and financing plans in connection with the project, which will cover theatrical and television programming.

SP Releasing plans to distribute more than 90 films over the next three years. Paul is one of the producers on “Ghost in the Shell” with Scarlett Johansson and has credits on both “Ghost Rider” movies. He’s struck multiple film production arrangements in the U.S., China, and Thailand.

Paul acquired distributor Echo Bridge earlier this year. He also owns the former Samuel Goldwyn building in Century City.

Piers Anthony is represented by Joel Gotler at Intellectual Property Group.
While I gave up on the series years back (only got like 3 books in) due to "I'm out of high school, time to work for a living," Spell for Chameleon stands as one of my favorite books. I just re-read it not a year ago after finding it crammed into the back of my old desk drawer.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect. And isn't the author on record defending pedophilia in some of his other work?
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Q99 »

Yea, this is... an odd choice. The main thing I hear about it is, "I liked the puns when I was younger, but over time it got creepy."

Even the pun part doesn't sound ripe for adaptation, does it?
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by SpottedKitty »

Not sure what to think of this. I did read the first handful or so way back when, but I stopped when I realised the joke had worn thin after the first book.

<re-reads> He's written how many...? :wtf:
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by TheFeniX »

Ralin wrote:I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect.
I don't disagree, even though I still enjoyed the first on a re-read. That said, this also describes Game of Thrones. And depending on where this is developed, a lot might get cut either way. Honestly, there's a few scenes in this vein the first book could afford to be cut with little consequence outside purists crying.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by SpottedKitty »

TheFeniX wrote:
Ralin wrote:I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect.
I don't disagree, even though I still enjoyed the first on a re-read. That said, this also describes Game of Thrones.
Yes, but GoT isn't marketed and aimed as "something to amuse the kiddies" the way I remember the Xanth books being. Also, when readers' letters and pun suggestions started appearing at the back, many if not most of them were from kids.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

SpottedKitty wrote:
TheFeniX wrote:
Ralin wrote:I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect.
I don't disagree, even though I still enjoyed the first on a re-read. That said, this also describes Game of Thrones.
Yes, but GoT isn't marketed and aimed as "something to amuse the kiddies" the way I remember the Xanth books being. Also, when readers' letters and pun suggestions started appearing at the back, many if not most of them were from kids.
And graphic as he can be it's not like GRRM glorifies rape or treats it as a joke, other than maybe sometimes in a horrific "Heath Ledger Joker making the pencil disappear" sort of way that underscores how bad it is. Xanth is a comedy where characters are frequently forced to mate through love potion/fountain compulsions and where the first book made it a point of showing that a guy got acquitted of raping a half-witted but supernaturally gorgeous character for...reasons which I can't actually remember off the top of my head but am fairly sure were presented as super hilarious.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Ralin wrote:
SpottedKitty wrote:
TheFeniX wrote:I don't disagree, even though I still enjoyed the first on a re-read. That said, this also describes Game of Thrones.
Yes, but GoT isn't marketed and aimed as "something to amuse the kiddies" the way I remember the Xanth books being. Also, when readers' letters and pun suggestions started appearing at the back, many if not most of them were from kids.
And graphic as he can be it's not like GRRM glorifies rape or treats it as a joke, other than maybe sometimes in a horrific "Heath Ledger Joker making the pencil disappear" sort of way that underscores how bad it is. Xanth is a comedy where characters are frequently forced to mate through love potion/fountain compulsions and where the first book made it a point of showing that a guy got acquitted of raping a half-witted but supernaturally gorgeous character for...reasons which I can't actually remember off the top of my head but am fairly sure were presented as super hilarious.
Okay... never having heard of this series before... what the fuck? I mean... in a childrens' series? :finger:

And yes, you have to make a distinction between the author depicting something as part of their setting (and Game of Thrones/ASOIAF is set in a pseudo-Medieval shit hole) and the author endorsing it. It can be difficult to distinguish, certainly, and I don't claim to be an expert on GRRM's work, and I'd be lying if I said I was entirely comfortable with everything in the Game of Thrones franchise, but... the former I generally have no problem with, if its well-written and makes sense in context, and is marketed in an age-appropriate manner.

If this guy is actively pushing a pro-rape/pro-pedophilia message, though, then he can go fuck himself.

Ugg. He sounds like a Trump supporter. Actually, I half-jokingly wonder if that's their market. Childrens' fantasy for Nazis Alt. Rightists?

Edit: Though as an aside, I would dispute the OP's claim about Potter running dry. We've had more new Harry Potter content in the past couple of years than at any time since the original film series ended, maybe since the books ended, between Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child. And while neither was a mega hit on the level of the originals, they managed to expand the franchise successfully beyond a single character in Fantastic Beasts.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

The Romulan Republic wrote:
Okay... never having heard of this series before... what the fuck? I mean... in a childrens' series? :finger:
Yeah, can't remember if any main characters get love fountain whammied, but it's definitely something that goes on in the background and it's played for laughs at least as often as being portrayed as terrible. And setting-wise it's theorized and strongly implied that this is how races like centaurs came into being.

Pedophilia stuff I don't so much remember in the stuff I read, but apparently there was this in some of his other works: https://litreactor.com/columns/themes-o ... rs-anthony
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Mind you, Harry Potter doesn't get a complete pass- love potions are certainly not portrayed positively overall, but they're not treated with nearly the seriousness something that horrifying ought to be.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

The Romulan Republic wrote:Mind you, Harry Potter doesn't get a complete pass- love potions are certainly not portrayed positively overall, but they're not treated with nearly the seriousness something that horrifying ought to be.
Xanth didn't treat love potions positively for the most part. Just funny.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Yeah, its amazing, in a horrible way, how many people still think sexual assault is amusing in at least some contexts.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by General Zod »

Ralin wrote:I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect. And isn't the author on record defending pedophilia in some of his other work?
His Apprentice Adept series goes hardcore on the pedo stuff. I'm honestly surprised any tv network is willing to touch his books.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Lord Revan »

On princible I think you're "adapting the work not the author" aka the author's personal beliefs shouldn't matter for the adaption unless they're present in the work in question. Still if the work includes themes that need to absolutely be cut when adapting might want to consider another work for adaption.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

Well I mean...Sword of Truth got a TV adaptation (which by all accounts pissed the author off immensely) that was financially successful, and far as I know Xanth never came anywhere near the genuine nastiness Terry Goodkind churned out. So I guess it's been done.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

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Ralin wrote:Well I mean...Sword of Truth got a TV adaptation (which by all accounts pissed the author off immensely) that was financially successful, and far as I know Xanth never came anywhere near the genuine nastiness Terry Goodkind churned out. So I guess it's been done.
Wiki seems to indicate he was fine with the adaption and heavily involved?
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

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SpottedKitty wrote:
TheFeniX wrote:
Ralin wrote:I read a couple of them as a kid. They seem kinda creepy and sexist in retrospect.
I don't disagree, even though I still enjoyed the first on a re-read. That said, this also describes Game of Thrones.
Yes, but GoT isn't marketed and aimed as "something to amuse the kiddies" the way I remember the Xanth books being. Also, when readers' letters and pun suggestions started appearing at the back, many if not most of them were from kids.
Was it? Weird. Bink's going on 25 and there's way too much sexual "humour" for me to think it's aimed at kids. Kids literally won't get it. Maybe teenagers. Is this more an old-hat example of the CoD effect where the intended audience for a Mature rated game instead is overrun by 12-year-olds?

Fair enough about GoTs though. Bad example to bring up anyway consider a massively popular show directly aimed at kids has multiple horrible life messages. And I got beat to it, but the "love potion" part of Harry Potter didn't sit well with me all because it's not even a question on if they're making jokes about date rape. The director/author straight up was.

If the Xanth novels had been targetted at kids, I have problems believing they could even get published.
Ralin wrote:And graphic as he can be it's not like GRRM glorifies rape or treats it as a joke, other than maybe sometimes in a horrific "Heath Ledger Joker making the pencil disappear" sort of way that underscores how bad it is. Xanth is a comedy where characters are frequently forced to mate through love potion/fountain compulsions and where the first book made it a point of showing that a guy got acquitted of raping a half-witted but supernaturally gorgeous character for...reasons which I can't actually remember off the top of my head but am fairly sure were presented as super hilarious.
I don't recall the mock Rape trial being played explicitly for laughts. Bink's uncomfortableness about the whole thing combined with his comments about how weird the people were around the gap (I think he viewed them as bumpkins) stood-out. Along with his idiotic conclusions about the whole thing.

Considering my own views on the topic, I might be giving it too much credit. It's easy to gloss over certain parts and focus on the negative when you obviously view "date rape" as a non-laughing matter, at least in this context. I should re-read that part because I might be ignoring faults. That said, it definitely DOES kind of come out of nowhere and Bink consistently acts more like a horny teen than a man in his mid-20s. Though considering where he is, that doesn't surprise me. 20s seems like teenager years in Xanth the way the characters act. People don't seem to get their shit together until 30s at the minimum.

Honestly, I think any "lessons" learned from the books (at least the first 3, only ones I've read) would be pretty awful. Then again, I don't read fantasy to learn lessons. At the least with a book like Spell, it made me, multiple times actually, say "that is the complete wrong conclusion to be coming to. You're an idiot." I liked that about the book.
The Romulan Republic wrote:Yeah, its amazing, in a horrible way, how many people still think sexual assault is amusing in at least some contexts.
Prepare to be amazed for a long time. There's always "value" (for lack of a better term) in depraved humour. Because even why we laugh might be different.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Well, I suppose one could make a distinction between dark humour which is meant to critique (or as a coping mechanism), and humour which trivializes, white washes, or otherwise condones a dark subject.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by TheFeniX »

How do you make that distinction? I've seen some incredibly well written critiques of Dave Chappelle's humour over the years, from multiple races and genders. That's just one example. I mean, if everything was as easy to spot for the flaming shit-pile it was like Rapeman, we might get somewhere. But I've seen female bloggers go to war over something like Bayonetta. Is she empowered? Is she fap-bait? Does it matter?

What's exploitative and what's not is hard to pin down, at least for me. I find Xanth cuts both ways here. It is definitely not a progressive work. But on the male side of things Crombie is a He-Man woman hater because "women don't like me" so he goes around spouting sexist bullshit from ignorance and anger and gets his ass chewed out royally. Then he ends the book being hooked-up with a woman who can put up with his bullshit because she's also kind of a bitch and doesn't bend for anyone. I'm sure they had some really terrible kids.

In fact, the only character I could hit with a "not-jackass" stamp is maybe Roland, Bink's dad. But in a world where people are born with magic gifts and can literally pick full loaves of bread off a tree, it's no wonder they are all so fucked up and arrogant. I mean, Xanth is a dangerous place, deadly so, yet Bink is sent off alone on a quest with nothing but a shitty map. He's literally still alive at the end due to "Magic Plot Device." Multiple times.

These people are lethally moronic. And in fact, kind of reminds me of Harry Potter in many ways. Just even more sexist, both ways as far as I'm concerned. So, I have a really hard time taking anything they say as gospel.
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Re: Xanth series to be made into movie and TV show

Post by Ralin »

Crazedwraith wrote:Wiki seems to indicate he was fine with the adaption and heavily involved?
I'd heard he hated it for deviating from his vision by not including things like Richard massacring the evil pacifists and all the raping. But admittedly that was second-hand and I wasn't paying much attention.
TheFeniX wrote:I don't recall the mock Rape trial being played explicitly for laughts. Bink's uncomfortableness about the whole thing combined with his comments about how weird the people were around the gap (I think he viewed them as bumpkins) stood-out. Along with his idiotic conclusions about the whole thing.
It's been awhile, so I could be wrong.
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