From Book to Blockbuster – Some Classics That Should Be Made Into Movies

The transition of a beloved book from the pages of a novel to the silver screen is a momentous occasion for both authors and moviegoers. It allows readers to visualize their favourite characters and settings, while also introducing new audiences to timeless stories. Here are some of the most successful book-to-movie adaptations that have captivated audiences worldwide.

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003): J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy saga was brought to life in a series of three films directed by Peter Jackson. The stunning visuals, intricate world-building, and faithful adaptation of the source material earned the trilogy critical acclaim and box office success.

• The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011): The adventures of the boy wizard, Harry Potter, were translated into a series of eight blockbuster films. The films perfectly captured the magic and wonder of J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, introducing a new generation of fans to the wizarding world.

• The Hunger Games Trilogy (2012-2015): Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel was adapted into a successful film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence. The films’ exploration of themes like rebellion, social inequality, and the power of individual choice resonated with audiences worldwide.

• The Chronicles of Narnia Series (2005-2010): C.S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series was brought to life in a series of three films. The films followed the adventures of the Pevensie children as they travel to the magical land of Narnia, where they encounter talking animals, mythical creatures, and the ultimate battle between good and evil.

• The ¹ Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014): Peter Jackson also directed a trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings. The films followed the journey of Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on an unexpected adventure with a group of dwarves to reclaim their lost treasure.

There are many, MANY books that have not been made into films, and for a lot of these, that’s probably just as well. Best let sleeping dogs lie. But some classics really do deserve their day in the silver-screened sun with a fresh, modern adaptation.

And for your delectation and delight, here’s a list of some of those books that might just work well at your local picture house. Some of them might have been adapted before, but perhaps they’re due a modern version:

1. Moby Dick. Moby Dicĸ is one of those novels that is rightly considered a true American classic. Its story about Captain Ahab and his desire to find the whale that took his leg is one that still has a great deal of power, and given the novel’s canonical status, it’s been adapted a number of times. However, few of these have managed to give the book the treatment it deserves. A new adaptation could make abundant use of advances in filmmaking technology to capture the power and the terror that are such a strong part of Melville’s novel.
2. The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter remains a searing indictment of American religious hypocrisy, focusing as it does on a woman, Hester Prynne, who is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest for the sin of adultery (despite the fact that her lover and father of her child is a priest). It’s had a remarkable afterlife since its publication, and it’s inspired its fair share of adaptations of various sorts. A skilled filmmaker like Greta Gerwig could find much in the source material that would make it a very timely film while still staying true to the book.
3. Ivanhoe. Sir Walter Scott was and remains one of the most important figures in the history of historical fiction as a genre. His novel Ivanhoe is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages, and it explores issues related to faith, history, and heroism. Like his other works, it’s also rich in historical detail. As a result of all of this, it’s one of those novels that continues to speak to the present. One can easily see it getting a spectacular and adrenaline-filled blockbuster treatment by a director like Ridley Scott, who never met an epic story he didn’t love.
4. A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens’ epic novel of the French Revolution remains one of the author’s most enduring works. It’s heart-breaking and remarkably detailed in its descriptions of France both on the eve of and during the Revolution. Given the recent surge in films and TV shows depicting the foibles and flaws of the wealthy and the powerful, an adaptation of this work would have the advantage of being able to tap into the prevailing cultural zeitgeist. It’s also a remarkably moving piece of literature in its own right, and it’s high time it was brought to the screen again.
5. I, Claudius. Robert Graves’ novels I, Claudius, and its sequel, Claudius the God, were the source for the beloved BBC series of the same name. It’s been several decades since this disturbing but deliciously melodramatic story about the squabbles and foibles of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was brought to the screen, so it’s very past time for an updated version. Moreover, both the movies and TV seem to be searching for stories set in antiquity, and Claudius remains a fascinating and sympathetic narrator. There’s no time like the present to see ancient Rome brought to life.
6. Wide Sargasso Sea. Even though Jane Eyre has been adapted many times to the screen, the same cannot be said of Wide Sargasso Sea, which tells the haunting story of Antoinette Cossway, the woman who would marry Mr. Rochester and be renamed Bertha. It has been adapted twice to the screen, once for film and once for TV, but it could be argued that neither really does justice to the source material. Given the extent to which the novel is intersectional in its storytelling — drawing attention to Antoinette’s Creole identity and her exploitation at Rochester’s hands — a new film version would certainly speak to the politics of the present.
7. This Side of Paradise. F. Scott Fitzgerald, like the other Modernists, was very much interested in war and its aftermath. His novel This Side of Paradise focuses on the young man Amory Blaine, who begins the novel spoiled but is gradually disenchanted, particularly by his experiences in the First World War. This is one of those early 20th-century American novels that has only become more relevant in the century since and, given the massive disillusionment that many feel today — particularly younger generations — this is a book that would no doubt resonate with many.
8. The Song of Achilles. Madeline Miller burst onto the literary scene in 2011 with the publication of her novel The Song of Achilles, which tells the story of Patroclus, the lover and best friend of the Greek hero Achilles during the Trojan War. Told in exquisite prose and heart-breaking detail, the novel remains a remarkable piece of queer literature. Despite its enduring popularity, it has yet to be adapted to the screen, but given the extent to which antiquity seems to be hot again, it seems more likely than ever that this poignant gay love story may yet come to either the cinema or to TV.
9. Tipping The Velvet. Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet remains a true classic of LGBTQ+ literature, focusing on Nan Astley, a young woman who leaves her small seaside English town for a life on the stage and, in the process, learns a great deal about her sexual and gendered desires. The existing TV adaptation certainly doesn’t do justice to the complexity and richness of Waters’ novel, so it would be exciting to see what a braver and brasher director could do with the material. One can but hope that someone sees the potential in this book for a new set of audiences.
10. Mrs Dalloway. Virginia Woolf was, without a doubt, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, and she was a defining voice of Modernism. Though Mrs. Dalloway has been made into a film before (in 1997), and though it inspired The Hours (both the novel and the film), it is long overdue for a new treatment. Given the extent to which the present age is, like the novel’s setting, a troubled one in which knowledge is under threat, this is the type of story that would feel even more urgent and relevant than ever.
11. The Once And Future King. T.H. White’s The Once and Future King remains one of the most notable works of Arthurian fiction of the 20th century. In addition to being a highly chivalric retelling of the stories of King Arthur and Camelot, it’s also a rumination on human nature, on war, and on whether peace can ever be attained and maintained in a fallen and often violent world. Though parts of it have been adapted — most notably in Disney’s The Sword in the Stone — it has yet to get the big-budget treatment it so richly deserves.
12. To Kill A Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of the best-loved novels in the history of American literature, and the 1962 film certainly casts a long shadow. However, its story about racial prejudice in America remains as relevant now as ever, if not more so, and it would be fascinating to see what Hollywood could do with the material. In the right hands and with the right stars, it could very well be made into a powerful piece of anti-racist filmmaking (and, if its predecessor is any indication, a very good costume drama).

Are there any other books, classic or modern, you can think of that deserve a modern film adaptation?

Or perhaps any that really should never be made, or should never have been made?

My TV agent thinks my books are worthy of an adaptation, so watch this space – maybe one day you’ll see my apocalyptic zombie/vampire mashup, “Once Bitten, Twice Die” trilogy on the silver screen. Or a TV series of my medieval vampire thriller, “Blood of the Damned.”

Hope springs eternal.