So what might have been Elan's super secret plan?

[Mordar]

Not a prequel.

Re: Godfather II -> Perhaps this is appeal to authority, but an awful lot of film people disagree. So much so that it is the "Best Prequel" on any number of film-based websites. Can you capitulate that it is at least three-fourths-prequel?

Can I just say this is the weirdest hill for any of you to die on

Nah, Persistent Resurrection has been cast.

Point of order on Red Dragon. The book came out in 1981, a good 7 years before the Silence of the Lambs novel (which was specifically written as a sequel to Red Dragon). And.... even if we're just looking at films, "Manhunter" came out in 1986 (which was the original film version of Red Dragon). Note that this means that there was a film version of Red Dragon before both the book Silence of the Lambs (writtten in 1988) *and* the film Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Dont get me wrong. The film actually titled "Red Dragon" is vastly superior to Manhunter and should be considered the version to watch (and it uses Hopkins as Hannibal, and a brilliant performance by Edward Norton). But yeah... It is not a prequel via any method we could use to apply the term. It's a remake of the original (a much much better remake).

I think it should qualify since we're talking about a distinct movie universe (e.g. Hopkins as Lecter). The book timing and previous film version muddy the water, but absent SotL there is no Red Dragon film.

If we're talking thriller books made into films later, there are a ton of very very good prequels in the Jack Ryan related books by Tom Clancy. Patriot Games, while subtle to detect, is a prequel to Hunt for Red October (and both the books and films were released in order to make Patriot Games a prequel). Ryan is first offered a job to work for the CIA in Patriot Games, and is working as an analyst in Hunt for Red October, and his past working with the UK is more relevant in the book than in the film. To be fair, both books and films can be read/watched in any order and it doesn't matter (very small details are all that's there). Without Remorse, on the other hand, was written specifically as a prequel, and shows it (and is also an excellent book). Sadly, the film version is basically a completely different/new continuity, so we can't really call it a prequel to anything. It wasn't as good as the book (and frankly, other than the title and character names had absolutely nothing in common with the book, so...).

Another quandary with the books and films intersecting, particularly given the multiple actors leading the films, and their different uses to introduce the new leads (SoAF as reboot seems egregious to me, and I like Affleck). At risk of losing my Harrison Ford fanclub membership, I actually think he was the least-good Jack Ryan.

- M