TTT: Author-Screenwriter/Director Duos

Yesterday threw me off, because I had no work, and no work means I get lazy. So this TTT is coming to you a little later than when I usually post them. Ah well. It’s still Tuesday here, and that’s what counts, hah!

I’ve been watching a lot of animated movies lately (owing to an animated movie project my friend and I have undertaken). Some of which I have really adored because of storylines and animation. Now this is all hypothetical, and I’m pretty sure half of these authors/screenwriters would have to rise out of their graves–or out of retirement–for some of these to ever happen. Wishful thinking. (It would be effing HEAVEN if Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon translated every one of these authors’ stories into screenplay. Like, OMG. Ahem…alright, I’ll stop drooling on an impossible prospect now).

Top Ten Author and Screenwriter/Director Duos

Gail Carson Levine and Hayao Miyazaki – I mean, think about it. Most of Miyazaki’s creations revolve around strong female protagonists, often children. He’s already turned Dianne Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle to a fantastic animated movie, so it would have been great to see him do something else with an author who does a lot of fairy tale retellings. Also, I’m so down for a Miyazaki/Ghibli animation of Ella Enchanted. Just saying.

Terry Pratchett and Satoshi Kon – I’d watched Tokyo Godfathers recently, and I just couldn’t help thinking how wonderfully buoyant an animated film would be if the late Sir Terry and the late Satoshi Kon had ever done a collaboration. Discworld books translated into film, one by such a celebrated Japanese screenwriter would be awesome. Granted, Satoshi Kon is mostly known for his scifi-inspired films, but there’s always something whimsical and fantasy-ish about them (I’m talking about you, Paprika!).

Juliet Marillier and Tomm Moore – The visuals of Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells were amazing, and Moore is to thank for that. I loved the Irish mythologies running within the story of both movies, and the author who comes to mind who’d probably thrive in this animated collaboration would have to be, hands down, Juliet Marillier. Marillier’s Sevenwaters series would certainly be an awesome thing to have animated by Moore, and I’d so drop a couple of dollars just to watch this in movie theatres!

Marissa Meyer and Tina Fey – Okay. You’re probably wondering why the hell I’d throw these two together, LOL. Tina Fey is my life right now. And I’d kill for her to write something in the sci-fi persuasion (I blame Liz Lemon’s mass obsession with Star Wars!). And oh, look! Marissa Meyer happens to have a YA scifi fairy tale retelling that’s almost going to be done soon. Fey would so kill it. Or, at any rate, there could be a new Mean Girls. IN SPACE.

Sarah J. Maas and Quentin Tarantino – LMAO YES. This duo. Just. This. Sorry, I thought of Celaena Sardothien and for some reason imagine her swinging a sword a la Uma Thurman style. Let’s face it. If Celaena knew who Uma Thurman was, she’d want to dance like her, too. Kill Bill-wise, I mean. Uh. I guess Pulp Fiction-wise, too. Granted, anything written by Tarantino would prolly have to rise to an adult rating, and I’m not sure who Samuel L. Jackson would play.

Laini Taylor and Makoto Shinkai – Laini Taylor weaves beautiful portraits with words. Makoto Shinkai comes up with breathtaking shots for his animations. I think this is a match made in heaven. Daughter of Smoke and Bone would be further enhanced by Shinkai’s overly-detailed sketch of Marrakesh’s markets and freshly fallen snow upon Prague’s red-roofed cities. Hell, Shinkai can make the most mundane events look beautiful, what more with supernatural events, like angels and blue-haired teeth-collecting girls and ravens setting on fire?

Gail Carriger and Wes Anderson – Is it weird I can totally see Carriger’s stuff being turned into a Wes Anderson film? It probably is. But I can so see it happening, just with their humor alone. Also, I’d love to see a steampunk movie by Anderson. It’d be hilarious, and the visuals would be awesome.

Brandon Sanderson and Monty Oum – I am completely in love with RWBY and am glad it’s being continued by Rooster Teeth in light of his passing. Sanderson can probably write his own screenplays, but honestly, I’d have loved to see him collaborate with Monty Oum, especially with those epic Mistborn fight scenes. Just…yes!

Neal Stephenson and Darren Aronofsky – I feel like the Unwind trilogy was so disturbing and so disturbingly good that it needs to be made into a film. By Aronofsky. Because feels. Plus, Aronofsky has not shied away from disturbing and feels. And he’s known a couple of good scenes when he’s seen one. Also, he was inspired by Satoshi Kon (and it’s even said he’d bought rights out of Perfect Blue just to be able to use the bathtub scene for Requiem for a Dream), so that’s good stuff right there.

Scott Westerfeld and the Wachowskis – Okay, I’m a little torn on this one. I’ve only really liked one Wachowski film (well, two, if you include The Animatrix), which was The Matrix. It was full-blown scifi, the visuals were amazing (and still are, if you disregard the ’90s version of a “futuristic mobile” XD), and admittedly I loved the story. With a collaboration between the Wachowskis and Westerfeld, who knows what they’ll come up! More scifi awesomeness probably (and maybe even a little steampunk thrown in!).

So there you have it.