When enough is enough?

[ScottyMcGee]

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm not ranting about JK Rowling. I do not hate her. I do not hate Harry Potter. I like the series.

But I wanted to give you all a hypothetical situation.

Say you were JK Rowling, and your book was a hit. Would you really go all out with theme parks, video games, movies, the whole lot?

Personally, I find all that distracting from the book, and ruining the experience of reading. I'd hardly go beyond encouraging movies from my stories. I know she was poor or something, but if I were poor too I'd be satisfied with just the movies.

Terry Prachett, if any of you know him or have read his fantasy series Discworld, has always been adamant against making a Discworld movie. Also, unlike other fantasies, there isn't even a map of Discworld. In each book, the map of Discworld has nothing but a quote from him saying "You can't map a sense of humor."

Honestly, after the movies came out could you not help but imagine the characters in the books as the actors and actresses? I tried hard not to.

[lostbookworm]

All I can say is that she's a teeny tiny bit of a sell-out in my opinion.

[Lykaios]

Terry Pratchet's 'Going Postal' was turned into a TV Series, and I swear that's one of the Diskworld books, if that counts?

And with Harry Potter, I agree to some extent. The games (I think) are made by Warner Bros, which would link with the movie rights or something - when the first games came out I was like eleven or something and I loved them, and still own GBC versions of them. Almost all movies are being turned into games nowadays so it's not really much overboard.

However,I think that as cool as the theme park is, that was going a little overboard, especially considering the price of entrance and the prices of everything inside. The merchandise side of it has lessened since the third film and it was mostly kid-stuff anyway (and I owned a ton of HP merch, including HP wallpaper). I think that it's Beadle the Bard that stands out for me one going over the limit - she sold the handwritten copies for tons saying they'd never be properly published, and then a few months later, the book is in all the bookshelves.

Anyway. /endrant

[Julian]

Adaptions are fine, personally.

However, if people are starting to profit from it, I think that we will have to set some boundaries. I mean, so much effort can be produced somewhere more productive. Rowling has 10^9 pounds for God's sake!

For example, Pottermore and the publication of virtual versions of her books. I mean, come on. That screams "purely for profits"to the very core. Not only that, more people will probably buy Kindles, and that is daunting. Not being able to annotate, or to feel the sensation of paper is horrifying. As more people will start buying these virtual books, less people will buy real paper books.

[ScottyMcGee]

Terry Pratchet's 'Going Postal' was turned into a TV Series, and I swear that's one of the Diskworld books, if that counts?



Well, the interview I read is pretty dated now. They could have done something by then and Pratchett could have been like "Whatever." I know I stumbled upon a "Hogfather" movie in Blockbuster, but it didn't look like it was the most popular piece of film-making ever made. And I had no idea "Going Postal" was turned into a TV series. Since when? I guess it's only a UK thing?

But I guess the point I'm making is it that it's not some super-huge extravaganza like Harry Potter, dishing out everything from every book.

[Lykaios]

Going Postal was out around Christmas, I think? Not sure? It was on Sky here, so I figured it was an American production as stuff made here usually goes on a more accessable channel here. I don't remember though as I watched it at my uncle's on DVD in like April. It's brilliant though. :D

[SapphireSeaBird]

She's probably just desperate for it not to die out. Look at it from the point of view of die hard fans; games, Pottermore, the theme park etc are a way of keeping the whole Harry Potter madness alive. I think Pottermore may be overstepping the line (that said, I'm still going to try for early entry xD) but the theme park? I don't know about anyone else but I think it's class. It's the closest thing Potter fans are going to get to having Hogwarts and the whole Potter world become real. The only thing I don't like about the theme park was that it was built in Florida. Florida already had Universal Studios and Disney World, they didn't need any extra theme parks, the UK, on the other hand, is lacking, and Harry Potter is British, when it boils down to it... :L

[ScottyMcGee]

he only thing I don't like about the theme park was that it was built in Florida. Florida already had Universal Studios and Disney World, they didn't need any extra theme parks, the UK, on the other hand, is lacking, and Harry Potter is British, when it boils down to it... :L


Hey. . . I never thought about that.

The UK totally got jipped on that one.

[Bowie20049]

Maybe there are more US fans than UK fans? US is larger after all.

[Syn]

Meh.. It's just good business that will make them millions.
Love it or hate it, that's capitalism for ya :-|

[bookworm]

Maybe there are more US fans than UK fans? US is larger after all.

That was so cruel. And at the same time true.

[Wolfie]

I'd go as far as say yes to movies, but I'd probably feel bad about the other stuff and say no.

As far as Rowling herself doing it... Well, whatever, it's her world. As long as it doesn't hurt me, my reaction is "Whatever, cool story bro." :P

[Simmi]

JK Rowling didn't want the books to be made into movies at first, I believe she said that at the final HP Premiere in London. She wasn't too keen on the idea, I don't remember of she mentioned her reason, though.
I am extremely excited about Pottermore, to see all these notes she's kept, but I'll admit that selling the books as eBooks is purely profit; I don't see any other reason for it.