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Gerrold finally gets a movie
Oct. 17th, 2007 02:29 pmWith all the big-budget movies being made of both greater and lesser science-fiction authors' works (Heinlein, Asimov, LeGuin, Dick and Farmer among others), one singular talent has until now been overlooked by the movie studios. Despite a four-decade career spent writing almost as many scripts for Hollywood as novels for print and winning multiple awards, David Gerrold has never, to my knowledge, had a film based on his work.
That ends in two weeks, on Nov. 2nd, when Martian Child, based on a Gerrold novelette, hits theaters. The original story won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and is based on his own relationship with his adopted son. It is also the first major motion picture based on the work of an openly homosexual SF writer, and thus deserves that much more to be noted.
I have a sentimental attachment to Dave and his work; in addition to his famously having written far and away the most popular episode of the original Star Trek series, "The Trouble With Tribbles" (and a sequel for the animated series a few years later), and having been on the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dave was one of the main guests of honor at the very first convention where I worked on staff, AcadianaCon '79 in my home town of Lafayette, LA. I can still see him in my dim memory, sitting in on panels and twiddling a Rubik's cube (this was at the height of the original cube craze). He also wrote an excellent essay column for Starlog early on, and some Babylon 5 episodes (thanks for reminding me, Hal). So I'm glad to see him enjoy this latest success, for his own sake and for that of the movement toward equality and understanding for the LGBTQ community.
What's your favorite film based on a literary work? Mine is probably the Jackson Rings trilogy—though I did actually enjoy the films of Starship Troopers (maybe due to lack of familiarity with the original novel) and The Puppet Masters (even though I had read the original).
That ends in two weeks, on Nov. 2nd, when Martian Child, based on a Gerrold novelette, hits theaters. The original story won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and is based on his own relationship with his adopted son. It is also the first major motion picture based on the work of an openly homosexual SF writer, and thus deserves that much more to be noted.
I have a sentimental attachment to Dave and his work; in addition to his famously having written far and away the most popular episode of the original Star Trek series, "The Trouble With Tribbles" (and a sequel for the animated series a few years later), and having been on the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dave was one of the main guests of honor at the very first convention where I worked on staff, AcadianaCon '79 in my home town of Lafayette, LA. I can still see him in my dim memory, sitting in on panels and twiddling a Rubik's cube (this was at the height of the original cube craze). He also wrote an excellent essay column for Starlog early on, and some Babylon 5 episodes (thanks for reminding me, Hal). So I'm glad to see him enjoy this latest success, for his own sake and for that of the movement toward equality and understanding for the LGBTQ community.
What's your favorite film based on a literary work? Mine is probably the Jackson Rings trilogy—though I did actually enjoy the films of Starship Troopers (maybe due to lack of familiarity with the original novel) and The Puppet Masters (even though I had read the original).
