Chicago's only Professional Wizard: The Dresden Files

The TV show was... interesting, but had almost nothing whatsoever to do with the books. Really, aside for character names, a couple episode titles, and a couple of vaguely similar plots, there was nothing really in common between the books and the TV show.

What I'd like to see is a complete reboot. A version that actually follows the plots of the books faithfully. Naturally, you can't squeeze that into 44 minutes. I was thinking more along the lines of 12 episodes per book, similar to the treatment the first Dexter book received, but with fewer changes.

Question is, who to cast? Some of the side characters are a lot easier.
Harry Dresden: someone 6'3-6'6 who is thin and can act.
Karin Murphy: 5'0 blonde woman who can pull off being a high-ranked Aikido blackbelt and a cop. No idea. Definately not SMG.
Bob: is a voice in a skull. Needs to be innocent and yet slightly pervy.
Ebeneezer McCoy: Kris Christopherson? Someone who looks like an old an old farmer that still has a lot of presence behind him.
Mavra: anyone who would look disturbing in corpse make-up. Halle Barry?
Ivy: big chance for an 8-yo to get started.
The apprentice: good chance for another young actor to get started.
Morgan: Gotta be someone in their 50s who looks tough
Lea: don't know. Would be fun to have Eartha Kitt if she were still alive.
The Merlin: need someone who looks like a powerful wizard and who seems like a skeezy politician.
The Knights of the Cross (or The Fists of God, depending) are much easier. Get Viggo Mortgenson back for Michael, George Takei for the Japanese knight (can't remember the name right now), and maybe Wesley Snipes (what else is he doing these days?) for the Russian knight.

Better ideas? Suggestions? Is this a complete waste of time?

existing thread

 

Hmmm I think I'd like to see Storm Front as a feature length film.

It would be a great change on the fantasy film genre. You think it's a noir with magic, a couple movies later you end up with an epic LOTR style battle in the Nevernever. It's genius. The entire series of novels is genius. I'm looking forward to the short story anthology coming out soon.

 

A 2-hour movie might be ok, but there's so much material to go through--I'd hate to be disappointed with a choppy version again.

I like the fact that everything is true.

Vampires have the Black Court for the Dracula corpse-like vamps, the more modern, subtle White-wolf type Red Court, and the teeny-bopper heart-throb sissy vegan White-Court.
WereWolves have the Family Curse, the contageous bite, the magic belt, the barely civilized brutes, the people who have learned 1 really good piece of magic transformation, and the wolf-weres.
Winter and Summer Court Faeries. 3 Queens of each court.

Billy Goats Gruff may sound like a joke, until you realize they were able to take out trolls!

"Wouldst though like sprinkles of many colors on thy donut?"
"Nay, but prithie frosting of white color."
"Very well."

"Hey, where'd that donut come from?"

You turned in a high favor to the Queen of the Summer Court for a donut!
You heard about that?
Are you kidding? They've been laughing about that ever since.

"I punched it in the face. Now we're friends."

"You're awfully afraid of a man who is only wearing duckie boxer shorts.

Oh, how about the coroner's assistant from CSI for Butters? or the guy who played Microchip in Punisher:Warzone?

My girlfriend liked that fact that almost all the books have the work "Chitinous". Don't ask me why--whe just liked the sound of the word, until she heard the correct pronounciation.

 

I have recently been making my way through the 12 episode series from a couple of years ago and I quite enjoy it. Having said that I have never read the books.

Koohii did you appreciate any of the casting choices they made in that series?

 

The casting was fine, given the drastic changes in the script, stories, and characters. However, none of them really matched the characters or descriptions in the books. The only one I remember that even seemed close was "Ancient Mai".
I view the existing TV show and the books as completely different universes. I'm glad the show exists, because I probablly wouldn't have found the books without them. When I try to watch the show now that I've read the books, though, it just doesn't track propperly--kinda like how the added FX shots in the Special Edition don't really blend in propperly to the original Star Wars footage.

I do highly recommend the books. Finish watching the series first. Enjoy the story they provide. It isn't bad. It isn't nearly as good. Why have vanilla icecream when you can have double chocolate marble fudge ripple?

 

I like some of the differences in the TV series, but yeah... once I started reading the books I was like "this is not right." Storm Front was an especially big disappointment despite being closer to the book. It was weird that they just switched the physical descriptions of Murph and Susan for that one too...

The Dresden Files has great dialogue and prose, and some of the best pop culture Star Wars references ever to boot!

And just for the record, I think Paul Blackthorne better resembles the Harry Dresden of the novels than the cover art of the novels do! With the exception of the omnibus editions done by SFBC. Their Harry looks right. So does the Harry in the comics.