Movie or Miniseries: Why Television is Now the Go-to Medium For Adaptations

Julius Bridgeforth
Nov 5 · 3 min read
Source: Bad Wolf/BBC One/HBO

On November 4, HBO debuted the first of their eight-episode production of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, but it isn’t the first time a stab has been taken at bringing Pullman’s beloved, thought-provoking children’s series to life. Remember 2007’s The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig? Despite grossing nearly $400 million worldwide, it was largely considered an underperformer in the US due to its low domestic box office returns ($70 million) when compared with its budget ($180 million).

There are many theories and perceived factors as to why the film didn’t work, from its seemingly atheist undertones (which drew the ire of the Catholic Church) to whether the promotional material made it look like a The Chronicles of Narnia/Harry Potter retread. As a fan of both the movie and original novel, I can admit that the film bit off more than it could chew. The Golden Compass (titled Northern Lights in the UK), the first in a trilogy, contains multiple levels of backstory and elements that one would consider difficult to adapt to film realistically. Make no mistake — the big-budget film looked gorgeous on the big screen — but the story progression didn’t match the visual spectacle. Even the director, Chris Weitz, acknowledged that he would try to be “much less compromising” in adapting the following books. That time never came, as pre-production on adaptations of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass were placed on indefinite hold.

In 2015, BBC One announced an adaptation of Pullman’s books, with HBO carrying the task of being the series’ international distributor. The key takeaway from the announcement was that the story would be a multi-episode miniseries. Another eight-episode season was ordered in 2018, before the first season even premiered, giving fans the expectation for at least 18 trips with their adored characters.

HBO, along with other television networks, have become the home for adaptations of beloved books in recent years: Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects, True Blood, Watchmen, and their crown jewel, Game of Thrones, were all optioned for TV in favor of film. Even Netflix has a planned reboot of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia (whose onscreen adaptations faced similar issues as The Golden Compass) in the works. There are a few reasons why the small screen is the new hot spot for bringing books to life:

Storytelling

Condensing a 300+ page book into a film is quite the laborious task as is. Add in the idea of wanting to keep a specific rating, appeal to a certain demographic, and time constraints and you have a mountain of work ahead of you. On top of all of that, the film has to actually be good. Miniseries provide the opportunity to introduce characters, explore plot lines, and lay groundwork for a sequel over multiple episodes or seasons, rather than compromising essential elements for a theatrical release.

A-list talent

It’s no secret that in recent years, household names who built their careers on the big screen have attached themselves to small screen ventures, especially with the expansion of premium cable networks and streaming services. Nicole Kidman (who starred in the original The Golden Compass film) has been a frequent collaborator of HBO in recent years, starring in three different projects with the network this decade, and has a new miniseries, The Undoing (also based on a book — go figure!), slated for 2020. Her Big Little Lies co-star, Reese Witherspoon, is costarring in an adaptation of the 2017 bestseller Little Fires Everywhere for Hulu alongside Scandal star Kerry Washington. Amy Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Viola Davis, and Julia Roberts are just some of the big names who have taken their award-winning talents to a network or streaming service near you.

Content liberty

Even “kid’s stories” like His Dark Materials have their share of violence, language, and dangerous situations that may be scandalous for a family night out at the multiplex (2007’s The Golden Compass garnered itself a PG-13 rating, which even further confused audiences despite its “family friendly” promotion). Cable networks have looser boundaries than broadcast TV, and premium networks/streaming services are even more lenient to the type of content allowed. This gives creators free range to explore their art at its truest form, which results in satisfied fans of the source material.

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