I’m glad that the brief fit of madness where movies based on children’s books attracted screenwriters and directors who seemed to love the books has passed. Via DominEditrix at Unfogged, behold the many many changes made to bring The Dark is Rising to the screen. The big names in the cast were promising — Ian McShane as Merriman; Chris Eccleston as the Dark Rider — and I love Shallow Grave as much as the next man, but this is insane. Now, of course, there will be a generation of children who don’t bother reading the book, with all its twee Arthurian lacework, but think it’s Harry Potter and the Cornish McBritsalot.

On the upside, it will probably still be better than the film adaption of Lloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron.

Update: Tim Burke goes all heretical in his response to the same Unfogged thread.