5. Follow The Books Exactly Or Forge Their Own Path?
Any adaption presents its own set of problems. Will characters translate well to the screen (particularly if a lot of what readers know are in the heads of these characters). Will TV have the budget do those big events justice? Will the pacing of the story line work effectively on screen? Will characters and/or plots need to be streamlined or altered? And in the end, will fans like those inevitable changes? Game Of Thrones certainly seems to have nailed this. I know there are book purists who will argue over an amended line of dialogue or minor character omitted from the action. But on the whole, all those moments us book lovers enjoyed have been adapted very well and a lot of 'addition's, (primarily Tywin and Joffrey) have been particularly successful. However it has been said that some episodes, focusing on on-going story threads do tend to meander along without resolution as they build to bigger event episodes (usually episode 9) later on. A few years ago, Terry Goodkind's 'The Sword Of Truth' series made it to the screen for two seasons. Interestingly, the creators chose to go down the episodic stand-alone route, with our main characters running into new situations not witnessed in the book, but using the thread of the novels to act as an ongoing arc. Personally I think this because a measured success. The 'arc episodes' which came from 'Wizard's First Rule' and 'Stone Of Tears', were far superior to rest, though the characters were certainly engaging. Particularly Tabrett Bethell's spot-on performance as Cara in season 2. So where does the Shannara adaption go? A single-series narrative, where each episode continues the same story line? Or a mix of arc and new stand-alone stories that expand the world? Of course either choice has its advantages and disadvantages. Stand-alone shows have the potential to attract casual viewers of potential audience members that have heard about the 'hype of the show' but missed its introduction. But too much deviation might turn fans of the books away too. Series-long arc stories can be more rewarding as each build up is given the care and depth it needs to achieve those big plot moments, but then if you don't get the audience at the start, then it will be more difficult to build viewers further on. Personally I would go with the former, but with adding scenarios like those added in Game Of Thrones to expand the richness of the Four Lands that Terry Brooks has been creating for several decades. But I appreciate the audience is key. Which takes me to my next point...