5. Tiffany Aching
Part of the reader appeal of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels is how sprawling and seemingly messy they can be. Sky's TV films have been a pretty mixed bag when it comes to capturing that on screen. However, the Discworld sub-series for younger readers focusing on trainee witch Tiffany Aching seems a more likely bet for a big screen Pratchett story. The Aching books' younger audience means the stories are more streamlined and possible to realise on film and her four adventures would make up a more manageable franchise than the 39 novels of the wider Discworld series.
How likely is it? Back in 2006, a movie of The Wee Free Men, the first Tiffany Aching book in which she must rescue her brother from fairies, seemed all set to go into production. Director Sam Raimi, at the time wrapping up the third Spider-man picture, was attached to a script written by Corpse Bride's Pamela Pettler. Then there was no news about the project for a long time. Pratchett has been quite vocal about his disliking for the script, saying that: "I saw a script that I frankly thought was awful. It probably won't get made." Since then he has described the original script as "Disneyfied" and "everything that The Wee Free Men campaigned against," a comment he made on reacquiring the book's film rights in 2009. Now it's up to a studio to approach the author with a version of the story he approves of. Only then might this one get made.
Who should star? Tiffany starts out the first story as a nine-year-old and ends the last one at sixteen and a film adaptation would likely pick any age from that spectrum to suit its purposes. If they did choose to go for a nine year old actress it would likely be someone unknown, as with the casting for Harry Potter. Aging Tiffany up to a teen, though, would offer the chance for more established and talented performers. Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams is a teenager capable of playing younger than her age and has a proven background in smart, resourceful girls in fantasy stories. If a Tiffany Aching movie was made right now, Williams could pull it off.