Thinking it Through: What you'd want to see in a Hardy Boys Adaptation

[Judah-Ben-Hur]

A pipe dream it may be, but lets say Warner Brothers suddenly swoops up the rights to the Hardy Boys and announces they will release a big budget adaptation of "The Tower Treasure" (or whatever book you decide to set your heart upon), what do you want to see? Any changes from the book? Any specific style choices? I'm curious to what everyone else might look for.

[MacGyver]

Ooh- great question! I'll have to think on this some. Off the top of my head, I'd probably just like to see an adaptation of one of the first 58 books- The Tower Treasure would be a great start- and I'd probably prefer to do the revised version rather than the original (though a movie could possibly combine elements of both.) I'm more familiar with the revised versions and those are slightly more up to date, so that would probably be best. I would enjoy a period piece but I don't know if that would go over well with today's audiences- I have a feeling a movie would almost certainly do a modern version of The Hardy Boys based on either the Undercover Brothers or Adventures take. I just want to see something that stays true to the books and to The Hardy Boys' core positive values.

[Judah-Ben-Hur]

I actually would like to see the plot from the OT, but with a modern setting. No offense to the RT but save for a few bits here and there I liked the plot much better. Miss Applegate's copout at the end of the RT would kill any good adaptation. XD I would like to see the HB at 18, but I think having actors that are a bit older might do better with snagging a more general audience. I also wouldn't mind them finding a way to bring the boys along with Fenton to NYC, without the tourist trappings. (lets go see a MUSICAL!!! said no HB ever XD). I would purposely not establish the boys knowing Nancy yet (though maybe Fenton could know Carson), and I would avoid any casefile Network stuff until perhaps a few films on.

Personally, If we were doing a film series I'd go adaptations in this order:
-Tower Treasure
-A figure in Hiding
(Chronologically I'd have a adaptation of ND's "Old Clock" here)
-A Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Crossover Film (Probably an original story where they bump into each other for the first time and have cases that intertwine)
-The big one, CF #1

From here, I'd go into a ND/HB TV show, with films occasionally based on some of the grander books (dessert Giant, ND's  OT of Moss Covered Mansion,etc).

[MacGyver]

-A Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Crossover Film (Probably an original story where they bump into each other for the first time and have cases that intertwine)

Here's something that I don't think has been done before- maybe an original story for a Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew crossover could involve them somehow come to work on the same case- and because they keep seeing each other [without thinking the other is seeing them] at scenes of the crimes (where they are investigating)- perhaps they might come to suspect each other as a result.

[Judah-Ben-Hur]

That was something that both the original series and the Casefiles/super mystery series completely missed, which I cannot on earth fathom. Whenever the guys met Nan they already knew each other, and I'm like "Hey, that's a story I want to hear!" I don't count UB, because Nancy Drew's series was the best thing about that universe and that's not saying much.

[MacGyver]

Even their earliest meetings in the books (i.e. Supersleuths! books and Camp Fire Stories) seem to just leave it where The Hardys and Nancy already know each other. I think the only place where we get a story of their first meeting and how it came to be is on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in "The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula" 2 part episode.

[Judah-Ben-Hur]

I have a blurry memory of reading/hearing that somewhere in the supermysteries they mention Nancy did undercover work at Bayport High, but I can't be sure. But still, I'd think a killer story for that was a big loss.

[MacGyver]

In Double Crossing, the first in the series, I believe it's Nancy who greets Frank and says he looks just like someone she went to high school with- however, this may have just been a cover story she made up on the spot, since Frank was doing undercover work at the time and couldn't be identified as Frank Hardy right then.

[tomswift2002]

In "Double Crossing" it is mentioned that Nancy had attended Bayport High a year earlier as an exchange student (no mention of a case) and had met the Hardys that way.

[MacGyver]

Okay-there you go then. That's interesting though- I've never heard of inter-state exchange programs, though I guess they exist. I usually hear more of international exchange programs.

[VLoneWolf]

A real Hardy Boys mystery movie when did they meet Nancy Drew?

[MacGyver]

I'm confused. Are you asking if such a movie has been made or is being made- or is that your desire for such a Hardy Boys movie?(- a meeting of The Hardys and Nancy Drew.)

I think it would be cool to have The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew meet, but I think The Hardy Boys should get their own movie separately first. After all, Nancy Drew got a modern version movie in 2007, so it seems fitting that The Hardy Boys should get their own movie next. However, perhaps after that, then there could be a teamup movie with The Hardys and Nancy Drew (though obviously Nancy Drew would be recast- I don't think any of the people from the 2007 movie would be involved in acting in a new version at this point.)

[VLoneWolf]

I would like to see a  movie made on the Hardy Boys.     I was meaning a funny movie would be  about the Hardy Boys meeting Nancy Drew for the first time but that's not the movie I would want made.

[Hardy Sleuth]

I think the Hardy Boys Mystery Stories would go over very well as long as the script was written decent. Like MacGyver said "stays true to the books and to The Hardy Boys' core positive values." That's definitely the main thing, staying true to who they are. The series went to 2005, so they're definitely 21st century, Speed Times Five would make an awesome action movie, if done like the book. The Tower Treasure could work great whether they had the movie set now or back in 1927 (that would also be interesting, very film noirish). And Judah, what you said "without the tourist trappings. (lets go see a MUSICAL!!! said no HB ever XD)", lol, exactly!

[AlwaysAJoefan]

I would love to see a movie made from one of my favorite Casefiles, Beyond The Law.