Authorized Novelizations Podcast

We all agree on what the word Sneakers means: dudes who break into banks (legally) to test their security. Duh! This week on Authorized, we joyously welcome comedian Matt Fisher so as to discuss the novelization of Robert Redford's comedy spy romp Sneakers. This book is packed with character biography, extra jokes, and a little more romance. This Dewey Gram guy has the goods. Subscribe to our...

Hannah and Overbye read 22 books on their hiatus from Authorized, and if you are interested, we are going to run them down! We cover: Neon Dreams by James Callan (Overbye) John Wilkes Booth: A Sister's Memoir by Asia Booth Clarke (Hannah) Motel of the Mysteries by David McCaulay (Overbye) John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger (Overbye) The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (Hannah and Overbye) P...

Okay, we've got a crackerjack novelization on our hands this week. We invite Goonies superfan Michael Swaim on to discuss James Kahn's robust, liberty-taking novelization. There's more laughs, more adventure, and just in general MORE. Check out Michael's podcast network Small Beans! : https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.com/authorizedpod Follow us...

Baby Jude Law, Baby Daniel Craig, Baby that guy who played Superman. This movie has it all! Today on Authorized, we're joined by returning guest Annie Kelly, who tells us how Road to Perdition cemented her Jude Law adoration. We discuss whether this movie has any real dramatic gas, and how every character should have been played by Michael Shannon instead. We also dive in on Max Allan Collins,...

Somehow, we found a guy who LOVES Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This week on Authorized, we invite Gus Spelman on to defend this Writers' Strike-era actioner, which he does so admirably. One thing no one can go to bat for, however, is Alan Dean Foster's tossed off, undercooked, overwritten steamer of a novelization. Who is this book even written for, at its 200+ page length and with its SAT...

And lo, we tempted fate, and behold, the direct-to-Netflix 47 Ronin sequel DID blow chunks. Today on a BONUS Authorized, Johnny, Hannah and Overbye discuss the plotless miasma of poor choreography that is Blade of the 47 Ronin, a film whose story is just a giant game of Steal the Bacon. Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.com/authorizedpod Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/authorizedpod Instagram:...

It's John Wick 4 Day, and we're celebrating by tackling a loathed (if not forgotten) Keanu dud. Filmmaker Patrick Willems of the podcast Can't Get Enough Keanu returns to discuss 47 Ronin, a movie in which a beloved and oft-retold bit of Japanese lore gets forced through the Hollywood meat grinder. It's an ugly affair, this film. This novelization, however, is another story. Joan D...

The Cable Guy: a hilarious comedy with a unique flavor which seems ripe for novelizing. Well, that's not what this author thought, and she made sure this book blows chunks. The good news is, we're joined by comedian Jon Gabrus to break down this irredeemable little brochure. We talk about how Steven is actually a huge creep, how much we love the filmography of Ben Stiller, and so much more! Chip j...

Uh, multi-hyphenate much? Sylvester Stallone wrote all these Rocky novelizations? What can't he do? Today on Authorized, we tackle Rocky IV, from its little asides about who wants to sleep with Drago, to its deep insights into Rocky's life. We're joined by podcast host Dan Jeremy Brooks, who knows this series front and back and has a real passion for the art of the novelization.  Check out Da...

Did you know there’s TWENTY Clueless spin-off books? TWENTY! We invited Sam Myers back to discuss the first 4, and they suck. We cover: Cher Negotiates New York by Jennifer Baker (Sam) An American Betty in Paris by Randi Reisfeld (Hannah) Achieving Personal Perfection by H.B. Gilmour (Overbye) Cher's Furiously Fit Workout  by Randi Reisfeld  (Johnny) Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.co...

Dusk was falling, or whatever. This week on Authorized, we have Sam Myers on to discuss the first person novelization of Amy Heckerling's Clueless. Cher's complex view of the world is masked under her fun and flighty slang, and luckily they gave us a slang dictionary in the back of this like it was A Clockwork Orange.  Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.com/authorizedpod Follow us on Twitter:...

You read a book, you become the book. In the Season 4 premiere of Authorized, Overbye and Hannah are joined by filmmaker Julio Maria Martino (Country of Hotels) to discuss Richard Elman's novelization of Taxi Driver. Here we have a first person novelization that verges on experimental in structure, living completely within the grey matter of one Travis Bickle. The question of the day: Why does no...

GAVIN G. SMITH INTERVIEW AT 1:46:00 GAME AT 2:29:00 WHO SHOT THE WATCHER? Also, follow up question, who is the watcher? On this surprise episode of Authorized, Hannah, John, and Overbye tackle a prose novelization, not of a film, but of the Marvel comics storyline Original Sin. Secrets will be revealed! Then we interview its author, good friend of the show Gavin G. Smith, about adapting from comic...

National Treasure is back! Sort of. This week on Authorized, we welcome back Chase Wheaton-Werle to discuss Season 1 of National Treasure: Edge of History. It's got the franchise's first competent villain, a million clues, and, because it's a Disney Plus show, it's got that teen drama element, too. Riley Poole shows up for a hot second and it positively rules. I like to think the episode photo is...

KIEL PHEGLEY INTERVIEW AT 1:47:55 GAME AT 3:12:00 Today on Authorized, we conclude our Sonic the Hedgehog coverage by discussing Sonic the Hedgehog 2! We're joined by returning guest Matt Dartnell, as well as Marika Brownlee, and the author himself Kiel Phegley! We discuss Knuckles' age, Tails' age, Shadow's age, and much more! In our interview with the author, we dig into his history with Sonic a...

BONUS episode! Two Willow episodes wasn't enough; we just had to have a third. We welcome Paxton Holley back to discuss Season 1 of Willow, a show that totally ditches its Lord of the Rings aspirations to be a cheeky Gen Z dramedy. The thing is, it's so annoying but we also love each and every one of these irksome kids.  Check out Paxton's many podcasts! : https://cultfilmclub.com/podcast-dir...

Finally, we get Hannah and Overbye's main beef on mic: How old is Sonic the Hedgehog?! On today's episode, Matt Dartnell joins to discuss Sonic, Donut Lord, Pretzel Lady, and, most importantly, Jim Carrey's almost-completely-without-basis Robotnik performance. Does this video game universe translate onscreen? The answer is a resounding...sort of??? Follow Matt on Letterboxd!: https://letterboxd.co...

Why skip Species II? Because there's a novelization of it! Today on Authorized, we're joined by Max Fitzpatrick to discuss the direct-to-Syfy Channel Species III, which is as horny as the original but way more scrambled and confusing. It's at least funny to talk about, even though it truly blows pretty badly.  Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.com/authorizedpod Follow us on Twitter: Twitter....

In the thrilling sequel to The Fugitive, get to know all the US Marshals- The short one, the young one, and...I don't think we could pull any of these folks' name, honestly. Today on Authorized, we give Max Allan Collins a second chance with US Marshals. We talk Sam's romance with his boss, the weird father/son thing between TLJ and RDJ, and about how this movie is unforgivably mistitled! Subscrib...

Adam Gates really dropped the ball. First he gets the least treasure-y National Treasure adventure, and now we learn he has been a distant father to his son James, such that they cannot even bond over TREASURE.  Join Overbye, Hannah, and returning guest Matt Dartnell as they follow James Munroe Gates Westward Bound in what is (sadly! regrettably!) the final chapter of the Gates Family Mystery...

Overbye finally gave Hannah three weeks off from Authorized, and they both read a bunch of books for fun! Now they're going to run down what they read. Hannah reports in on reading:  The Crow Folk (Witches of Woodville #1) by Mark Stay Motel of the Mysteries by David Macaulay John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger Overbye reports on reading: The Dark Tower #s 1 and 2 by Stephen King The 25th...

ROAD TRIP!!! This week on Authorized, we're joined by returning guest Annie Ulrich and National Treasure aficionado Chase Wheaton-Werle to explore the Louisiana Purchase. When two Gates family ancestors ask to join Lewis & Clark and are told "Hell no", they decide to hike through America's new lands anyway. And guess what? It goes badly! But maybe, just maybe, there's treasure in this new fron...

The Gates Family lives in the shadow of the treasure they found in Book 1. Disillusioned by this silly legacy, Jonathan Raleigh Gates devotes himself instead to finding America's true treasure- guns. Unfortunately for him, in order to become a gun nut, he'll first have to follow a bunch of clues in order to find this lethal fortune. Usually I put kind of a sardonic spin on the episode descriptions...

Welcome to another mini-season of Tertiary Tomes, in which we are tackling the National Treasure Gates Family Mysteries! You know how everyone in NT talks about how the Gates have been at this treasure hunting thing for ages? Well here is a series that proves it. Up first, we follow Sam Raleigh Gates as he makes his way from his home of Britain to Jamestown, Virginia, along the way picking up the...

In celebration of Avatar: The Way of Water, Authorized is going back to 1989 to follow James Cameron into his first underwater passion, The Abyss. Andrew and Hannah somehow do almost three hours on this book without any guest, just some friends gabbing about a big old hole in the ocean. We're obsessed with Hiram Coffey, as well as James Cameron and Orson Scott Card's outright disdain for the mediu...