Snow in the Desert on Netflix

I’ve told this story before (some artwork in that blog post) but I might as well tell it again here. Many years ago, while mucking about on the internet, I found a video on You Tube called ‘Rockfish’. This was excellent CGI (for the time) of a guy using some heavy equipment to go fishing through a planet’s crust and catch a huge creature like a byblow of a Dune sandworm and one of those horrors from Tremors. I noted an email along with the video so sent a message saying something along the lines of, ‘Excellent video; actors will soon be out of work’. I didn’t expect a reply but got one from this guy called Tim Miller, thanking me and telling me he has some of my books on his shelves. . .

During subsequent exchanges I learned that he was the boss of Blur Studios in Venice California. Hollywood baby! He roped me into a ‘Heavy Metal’ project. This was basically something of a similar format to Love, Death and Robots that had been done before, though I had never heard of it. Tim asked me if I had any short stories. After my reply, and the huge attachment, he selected quite a number of stories. He also had me write some more for the project. For example one request was, ‘Could you do a orcs and elves battle based on Rorke’s Drift?’ which I provided. Another of the stories was Snow in the Desert (bottom left now in the image below).

This project was to be sold to Paramount, but there was some sort of parting of the ways. It then got hawked around for a while, but eventually died. Apparently it was shown to Tom Cruise, who said that Snow in the Desert would make a good film just by itself. In the end Paramount bought idea of the project without the stories, so that was the end of that.

Tim Miller then moved up in the world, directing Dead Pool. He then got the possibly tainted chalice of directing a new Terminator film. I got roped into that too as an advisor, along with others like Greg Bear, Neil Stephenson and Joe Abercrombie. Flight out to LA and meetings in a room around a glass-topped table mounted on a horizontally-sliced aeroplane wing at Skydance. James Cameron sitting across the way laying out what he thought he wanted. All quite ego boosting, though I didn’t appreciate it at the time since I was suffering from horrible anxiety.

The new Terminator film tanked. The reality, I think, is that people are tired of endless remakes and franchise extensions. I certainly am and I was then, but this did not impinge on my ‘take the money and run’ attitude.

Tim Miller returned to another project he had also been working on throughout this and that was Love, Death & Robots. He wanted to use the stories he had from me in the first season, but overly cautious lawyers advised against that, since even though unpurchased by Paramount it seemed, since they took the idea of Heavy Metal, they might have some claim on them. This thankfully was resolved for season 2 and now you get to see Snow in the Desert on Love, Death and Robots.

I don’t know what to expect. My only input was the story and those directing it have doubtless put their stamp on it and made changes. Maybe I won’t like it. I’ll find out soon since soon I will be getting to see it. But my attitude is still ‘take the money and run’ along with the knowledge that no matter what is done with one of my stories, the story itself will always exist in its original form. This may also work to boost my other sales, since Netflix as over 200 million subscribers.

Onward and upward!

12 thoughts on “Snow in the Desert on Netflix

  1. Hi Neal, got all your books in hardback and audible and most on kindle so I can read or listen anywhere. Just wanted to say you deserve to be in that room with those people, and I’m currently reading the gabbleduck and can see how your universes and creativity expanded from it. Xx Darren from Newcastle, still alive and proud lol

  2. I own every single one of your books, been shilling them to my friends. Same with LDR. Looking forward to seeing one of your stories in that format. If anyone would dump the billion or so dollars int taking your stories from Cormac to Penny Royal and the __________ it’ll be Netflix. Keep them coming Asher. Appreciate your work!

  3. Neal, it’s really good to get the background. A little insight how Hollywood (and now Netflix) works. I hope more of your stories get the anime treatment. I’m a big fan of animation, CGI or drawn.

    1. Hello Neal
      Just saw Snow in The Desert. IT HAS TO BE A MOVIE. It will be a blast!
      Thank you for having shared your story about it.
      Congratulation for your work!
      We need to see more of it on the big screen.

      Ed from Venice

      1. Simply epic stories!…and after reading this and just watching LDR’s Snow, I am deifinelty going to check out more of what your mind and imagination has to show..

  4. Caught “Snow In The Desert” tonight at an advanced screening of the entire season. Fantastic! I don’t agree with Tom Cruise on much but he was bang on saying the story would make for a great stand alone movie. Hope to see more of your stories make it to season three.

  5. I don’t know if the version of Snow in the Desert deviated much from your original story, but it is by far my favorite segment from both seasons of LD&R. I absolutely loved the small glimpse we got to see into this world and would love to see it more fleshed out. Give me 10 seasons of hour long episodes of this world! I’m all in!

  6. I’ve just seen Snow in the Desert in the Netflix LD&R second collection. I had no idea there was any Asher / Polity connection, but less than a minute in I thought “I know this story”!
    It’s great! Faithful to the original, with a couple of minor departures that can be lived with. Hirald is a gamine, svelte French lady, which works well.
    More Asher on the silver screen, please!

  7. Can’t wait for your next project Neal. Take the money and Run… You can never really be satisfied with what someone else does with your work I think. But Ive just watched it, and its entertaining enough, and hopefully you will get more book sales through it, or more projects like it! Well done sir.

  8. Simply epic stories!…and after reading this and just watching LDR’s Snow, I am deifinelty going to check out more of what your mind and imagination has to show…

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