The Book: Rendezvous With Rama 
Synopsis:
At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at an inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind’s first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams… and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits — just behind a Raman airlock door.
Why it should be adapted:
Unlike the previous two entries, Doomsday Book and Brave New World, Rendezvous With Rama is straight-up Sci-Fi , with spaceships, aliens, and all of the fun jazz that comes along with that.
To be fair, I’m somewhat preaching to choir this time considering that Girl with the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher and David Fincher have tried for years to adapt Rendezvous With Rama. For whatever reason, Hollywood seems increasingly hesitant to move forward on the production with Rendezvous With Rama, which makes one have to ask themselves: why? In the mind of a studio, a Sci-Fi movie based on a 1972 Arthur C. Clarke novel is too big of a risk to take. It’s not something like Ender’s Game, which most people are familiar with. No one other than a Sci-Fi buff are familiar with Rendezvous With Rama. As if that weren’t enough, it’s set in space and how much can an audience relate to a story set in space? The most recent movie like that was Prometheus and it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire with its $403 million profits. Given the precedence, then, would Rendezvous With Rama be too big of a risk?
There’s obviously a reason that it hasn’t been made yet. Freeman and Fincher, two of the biggest names in Hollywood right now, can’t get this project off the ground. One really does have to wonder why. Perhaps the script just isn’t there yet.
Rendezvous With Rama is one of the all-time great Sci-Fi novels and the fact that the production on its adaptation has taken this long is nothing short of depressing. Perhaps space operas are just too difficult to sell anymore. At least right off the bat. Sure, there’s Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Wars: Episode VII quickly being pushed down the pipeline, but those are franchises with a built-in audience and fan-base. Trying to sell something like this raw and fresh to an average person is difficult and the studios know that. Hopefully, eventually, this will get made, but it will be an uphill battle for Fincher, Freeman, and Co.
Next up: Foundation
Previously: Brave New World