Starship Troopers. Heinlan's book was an excellent comment on imperialism. The movie, while nicely satirical in places, had nothing to do with the book.

Alien 3 was excellent - the Directors Cut is much better than the cropped cinema release version.

Paul, Northampton, UK

I'd love to see any one of the Gaunts Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett made into a film. They're absolutely fantastic, and the amount of explosions and battles would be right up Hollywoods street!

Rooney, Harlow, UK

l would love to see a film version of Fred Hoyle's The Black Cloud

Carole Cooper, Norwich, Norfolk

My choice for a film would be Samuel Delany's DHALGREN.

My top book of all time (so far).

Henry Barth, Dublin , Ireland

'Startide Rising' probably belongs on the list. It's a SciFi classic and the rights have been bouncing around Hollywood for many years, but it seems unlikely anyone will ever work out a good way of making a movie where most of the main characters are dolphins who communicate by whistling haikus.

Alex, Brisbane,

"Bladerunner" was a very poor (almost unrecognizable) imagining of PK Dick's "Do robots dream of electric sheep". Now a decent imagining of that would be something to see.

John Morrison, Fountain Valley, USA

Just you wait until (Orson Scott Card's) Ender's Game is released. If it stays true to the novel then it will comfortably sweep into the top ten science-fiction films of all time.

Duke Espley, Cheltenham, U.K

Arthur C Clarke's "The City and the Stars would have made a better movie in my opinion that Childhood's end. It is a fascinating work and I'm surprised the moguls haven't taken an interest.

Christopher John Ward, Howrah, Tasmania, Australia

How about a condensation of the first three books of the Foundation Trilogy? Or Voyage of the Space Beagle, inspiration for Star Trek I think (ca 1950) and Alien - critter looks for hosts to lay eggs in! Or Stephen Baxter's Titan, or George R.R. Martin's Song for Lya.

Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, Canada

You left out the time travel movie The Grid by Mathew Robbins & Hal Barwood. Art design Syd Mead & Ralph McQuarrie.

N, Media, PA

John Varley's trilogy, Titan, Wizard and Demon would be awesome on the big screen

Brian, Manitoba, Canada

Larry Niven's Protector. It's got all you need, aliens, creation myths, explanations for why our bodies get old, self sacrifice (ish), and battles across the vastness of space.

Peter, Ipswich,

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow
are among the titles available as audiobooks.
While not movies, the feel of them is different in the Readers' Theater version or listening to the actors' rendition of the story.

d, irvine, USA

Terry Pratchett's Disk World series is hilarious. I especially enjoy tthe men-at-arms subset. Having seen Hogfather (2006 TV UK), however, I fear it is unlikely anyone can do them justice.

I've enjoyed the novels of David Brin but was not really satisfied by "The Postman" movie.

Rob, Austin, USA

How about a movie that takes Asimov's novels seriously? There has only been I, Robot with Will Smith - like turning a Shakespeare drama into a Men in Black sequel - and The Bicentennial Man with a whiny Robin Williams replacing the logic and gentlemanly reasoning that signifies Asimov's novels.

Erik W, Stockholm, Sweden

What about Kubrick's AI? YEs, we all know what Spielberg did with it but it still technically remains 'unmade' in my eyes...

Minty, London,

A little off the subject, but I would dearly love to see Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series made into a film/tv series. Archaeologists in space in the future? How did that awesome idea get missed!

Emma, Soton, UK

Destruction of the Universe : Part two

P Hilton, London, UK

In the early 80's, I read in a New York tabloid that Harlan Ellison was going to adapt Norman Spinrad's "Bug Jack Barron" for the screen. And that was the last I've ever heard of it.

Steve O'Rourke, Danbury, CT, USA

I have never seen a movie that was really faithful to a book. By their nature, movies work on a visual level while books work in the mind. Book titles are bought in order to have a starting point for the movie. Great movies stand on their own and hopefully have some relation to the book.

charls, av, usa

One problem with most of these ideas--turning ANY novel into a movie requires cutting parts out. We'd be better off debating which books need to be turned into mini-series.

Michael, Pueblo, Colorado, US

Surely Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy should be there. The film they did make with that name bore little resemblance to the book I loved.

cheers - Rob

Rob, Bristol, UK

"Fountains of Paradise" by Arthur C Clarke.

David, Cheshire,

"Arnie to Washington as Governor of California" Huh?

Arnie went to Sacramento - California's capital city.

Michael M, London,

The Robert Heiland book I would like to see is the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, their could be a law passed that every Ron Paul supporter in the world must see it twice, and speaking of Larry Niven I think A Mote in God's Eye would make a great movie.

Robert, Dallas, USA

The Russians have made any number of amazing sci-fi films, what about them ? I would like to see a film version of WE by Yevgeny Zamyatin, written in the 1920's, the precursor to 1984 and Brave New World and in my opinion more timely than either.

Also anything by Octavia Butler -- she rocked !

irina, Fairbanks AK,

Total agreement that Cordwainer Smith is due a movie or ten. Best bet would be the Norstrilia stories, but "Dead Lady of Clown Town", "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" or perhaps "Think Blue Count Two" would be good choices.

Bob Shipp, Jacksonville, FL, USA

The kraken Wakes by John Whyndham would be a challenge

Patrick John Cloney, Cardiff,

I don't think you would be able to make a film of stranger in a strange land. Any film that was even remotely accurate would be be almost unratable. I agree that it was an amazing book, but one that would not benefit from being made into a film.

Mark, York,

There is one author you do not mention. This is a glaring inaccuracy, Cordwainer Smith, left one of the most innovative series of short stories ever written. Should anyone wish to read them they will find that these stories are truly fitted for animation or the sliver screen.

Nelson Robison, Reynoldsville , USA Pa

In re: I Am Legend, the 60's version with Vincent Price was the truest to the book. It was tight & exciting, & just suffered from film overexposure problems. I'd love to see Lucifer's Hammer, Footfall, & Ringworld, & a quality remake of Malevil

Marty Corey, Anacortes, US

Harlan Ellison's I, Robot.

JP, Minneapolis, USA

Dhalgren

Toby, Montreal, Canada

The version of Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth that nearly got off the storyboards in the late 80s would have been fun.

Incidentally, must a person be educationally subnormal to be a Bladrunner devotee? Are these people pathologically incapable of seeing the letter "N" in Never"?

Conners, London,

Event Horizon 2

Glen, Workington, Cumbria, Uk

Umm..L Novello- Davies: Please read the headline again!
:)
Apart from being massively over-rated, Blade Runner is disqualified here because it actually got made!

Mikey, Bromley, Kent

Ringworld has been in development limbo for years now, but supposedly is being made into a mini-series.

I'd love to see any of the Known Space series but I'm actually surprised "The magic goes away" hasn't been made yet. Great theme, great characters good length.

Might do it myself :D

Andy Farley, Liverpool, UK

Marian Zimmer Bradley's "Darkover" series. A fertile field for screenplay adaptation, with concepts that the average viewer could identify with.

Becky, Ohio, USA

Phillip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld" series would be great, especially after the recent revival in the amazing story of the (non-Welsh) Richard Burton. So many characters to play with plus the scenery would mean the director could re-use all the LOTR sets!

Mark Green, London,

Must be BLADERUNNER, ANY EDITION. This came before computer generated graphics, and the glass plates were spectacular. Vangelles came up witha haunting theme, and Rutger Hauer, was probably at his fittest......Any devotee of the genre, will know this movie. Wake Up Times

L Novello- Davies, Bordon, England

Dune done without the OTT campfest and the Foundation Trilogy.

Jon, London,

I would personally like to see Asimov's Foundation books given a proper silver screen treatment. Though I would only let Ridley Scott or believe it or not Peter Jackson anywhere near the material.

David, Cockeysville, USA

Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land". Definitively!

Raquel Seabra, Lisbon, Portugal

May count more as fantasy than sci-fi but I'd love to see a film based on Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood series. Baffling that it's not been done already, it's the strangest most enchanting concept in any book I've ever read.

Kieran, Leeds, UK

Hey, no mention of Rendezvous with Rama? Surely the greatest science fiction story yet to get to celluloid. I hear Morgan Freeman was considering making the film.

ian, corby, uk

For a really great movie get Spielberg to do the Larry Niven "Ringworld" series or Footfall.
Chris Bunch's Star Risk Ltd books would make great viewing if the film makers got the fx right.
One of my other favourite SF characters is Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat. Just keep Tom Cruise away.

mike, Sydney, Australia

How about a proper adaptation of Battlefield Earth, instead of the abortion that the John Travolta movie was?

Kevin, Topeka, KS, USA

I've just read the best ever SF short story 'The Crystal Spheres' by David Brin. As it's the best story ever and hasn't been made into a film....

tim, basel, switzerland

There probably wouldn't be much left of the original story, but I'd still like to see an adaptation of The Stars My Destination.

Like many other commenters I loved EE Smith when I was a lad but I fear the stories are both too ambitious & too dated for Hollywood

Mikey, Bromley, Kent

How can you say that the phillip K. Dick adaptations aout there are successful. In my mind Scanner darkly was the only film that did one of his books faithfully, all of the others were signifcantly altered and warped. In my eyes, Tom Cruise ruined Minority Report. T

Mark, York,

how long do we have to wait for an Iain M Banks? Player of Games, anyone? could be truly great...

James, London, Uk

I've been waiting forever for Ken Grimwood's Replay to made into film (no spaceships, and firmly on earth, but if you love a good timeslip story...). I heard Brad Pitt had the film rights. Who knows. Oh, and Robert Sheckley's stories deserve exposure on film.

John E., London,

"Anyone out there heard of BLADERUNNER ?
This list seems myopic by omitting it.
Edward Johns"

The list is of the 10 greatest sci-fi films NEVER made, not "ever made".

andy, London,

Edward Johns, this is a list of the greatest sci-fi movies NEVER made. As I recall, they made Bladerunner.

Darren, Norwich, UK

I find it rather puzzling that the handful of Robert Heinlein adaptions have never fulfilled the promise of the books. (Starship Troopers was sort of gruesome fun, I suppose, but far from the spirit of the book.) Phillip K Dick has had a much better run of successful movies from his books.

steve, Brisbane, Australia

Heinlein's Orphans Of The Sky could make a great animated film.

Walt, Seattle, USA

Anyone out there heard of BLADERUNNER ?
This list seems myopic by omitting it.

Edward Johns, Lannion, France

Agree with Doc Smiths 'Lensman' books ; also 'Moonseed' - Stephen Baxter

David James , Brisbane, Australia

Liam in Stoke,

Rendezvouz to Rama has been in early production for a few years now. Morgan Freeman owns the rights and has been trying to raise finance to get the thing going. Last I heard David Fincher was slated to direct.

GM, Brisbane,

quot;Arnie to Washington as governor of California...."
<br/>
<br/>Huh? What th...? Since when does the governor of California serve in Washington?
<br/>
<br/>I thought *Americans* were supposed to be ignorant.

Shrewsbury, New York, New York,

I would like to see Ed Smith's Lensmen series filmed (preferably by Ridley Scott). Hopefully the characters would retain their 1950s charm and the special effects team would take their cue from the paintings on the 1970s Panther Publishing book covers.

Ray, Chorley, Lancashire

Alien 3 may not have been the best sequel to Alien 2, but it is the true, spiritual sequel to Alien 1.

Bill Peter, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phill didn't understand. The Alien 3 in question is a version of the script that was never made - so there is no 'laugh'. Also, as a 'book'? Does this mean some kind of novelisation? Not a relevant point. Also, no "Alien 5" exists. Finally, Rendezvous with Rama was never proposed to be film-adapted.

Liam, Stoke, UK

Please get your American politics correct... Arnold went to Sacramento, which is where the Governor of California works, not Washington, where nobody works.

David Chorley, Tulsa, Oklahoma USA

I'm pretty sure that Schwarzenegger had walked to Sacramento as governor of California.

Dwight, Toronto, Canada

What ever happened to the plans to film "Ender's Game"?

Michael, New York,

Alien 3 is brilliant.

A Good film, but a bad sequel.

J.Wilkes, Gloucester,

Alien 3? Are you having a laugh! It's mediocre as a book and worse as a film. Alien 5 is much superior. At least in that we get to find out who the huge Alien is in Alien 1.
And where's Rendezvous with Rama? What a book!!

Phill, The Wirral, England

As a teenager I used to love the John Carter books. And in particular the way in which women were depicted both on the covers and within. Lets hope Pixar remain faithful to the original!

Guy, London,