10 Terrible TV Adaptations Of Classic Films (That Everybody Forgot About)
3. L.A. Confidential
Adaptation Of - L.A. Confidential (1997)
L.A. Confidential is certainly a contemporary masterpiece, if not a classic one now given that it is twenty two years old. An adaptation of the third entry in author James Ellroy’s renowned LA Quartet series of novels, it jumpstarted the career of two of its three leads, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. Its enduring success is attributable to not only a great story, but its insight into the brutal overlap between the police and criminals in post-war Los Angeles.
Two separate television adaptations of the story have been commissioned by networks, fifteen years apart. Neither of these made it past the pilot stage, however, meaning that their audiences have been extremely limited. The 2003 adaptation saw Kiefer Sutherland take on Spacey’s role as Jack Vincennes (not sure how he would’ve juggled that and the-then in its infancy 24), supported by the less established Josh Hopkins and David Jones in Crowe and Pearce’s roles of Bud White and Edmund Exley.
The more recent 2018 edition saw Walton Goggins take the lead, again backed by lesser-known names. Will we see a third attempt in time? Probably, though in the current golden age of television, a multi-series adaptation of the whole Quartet, which shares characters and an overarching narrative, would be a great shout.