Scattered about the galaxy were the time-space Gates of a vanished but not forgotten alien race. In their time, long before the rise of the native civilizations, they had terrorized a hundred worlds—not from villainy but from folly, from tampering with the strands that held a universe together.
Now the task was to uproot these Gates…”
While Twittering around yesterday I saw a tweet from CJ Cherryh, something that happens once a day if we’re lucky. Here it is:
scary new world…film: Morgaine bit.ly/16KmTYP
— CJ Cherryh (@CJCherryh) April 9, 2013
A film adaptation of one of Cherryh’s works? That would be awesome. One thing I have noticed is that when Hollywood moves, it can be like a surge. Whenever a topic or author gets hot, we always seem to get movies in pairs. Armageddon and Deep Impact; Dante’s Peak and that other Volcano movie; A Bug’s Life and Antz….the list goes on. Point is, if one Cherryh property gets the greenlight…does that mean other’s could get the go ahead?
The plan is to start a possible franchise titled “The Gates of Morgaine.” – Variety
Of course I hope so, being such a fanboy of her work and all. So it was a bit of a sobering letdown to read her comments on her blog, Wave Without A Shore, where she noted that:
This is not the first option that’s come down the pike: those come and go. This is the first time they’ve put a notice in Variety.”
So the Morgaine Saga is still just a film option, but that’s okay. Things are a bit different now than they have been in the past. Consider that superhero movies have proven to be a viable genre unto themselves, and all those hobbits running around on the bigscreen can’t hurt either. Looks like we just have to keep our fingers crossed and wait while Hollywood moves along at it’s usual glacial pace, but perhaps there’s more hope for a Morgaine film now than there has been before.
Still, she goes on to say “But this one feels more real than some”, and also answers some questions about the options process for films and also her thoughts on possible casting as well.
As for the Morgaine Saga, this would be the first film, but not the first adaptation. In the ’80s a pair of illustrated versions were adapted and illustrated by Jane Fancher, Gates of Ivrel: Claiming Rites and Gates of Ivrel: Fever Dreams.
Print versions of both are still available at online retailers and eBay.
Movie SF has been around for decades, but Quality Science Fiction – that’s something else. CJ Cherryh is among the most celebrated authors in the genre. Her works have been winning the highest awards in the field for decades. I can hardly express how excited I am about seeing her work done on the Big Screen. Since Peter Jackson proved that anything, ANYTHING is possible in film, I am expecting many such masterpieces. I am a single member of a fan base that is Legion. I will see any CJ Cherryh movie many times. Expect us!
On the face of it wonderful news.
In reality we must remember that these are, in words used frequently in reviews GRIM, GRIM novels. Brilliantly written, very thoughtful and what I enjoy reading. But even if they survive each gate and world Morgaine and Vanye leave a trail of death, destruction, betrayal, broken friends and usually experience lots of unpleasantness in unrelenting rain in getting there!
One cannot imagine any movie adaptation Hollywood or other not fundamentally dismembering the heart of the books to suit the perceived needs of audiences.