I think it’s pretty obvious these days that most of the movies that are coming out of Hollywood are based on books. Of course, books have always been adapted into movies, but it’s been more so as of late. Sometimes I feel like directors and screenwriters have run out of original ideas and decided to delve into the world of books just to keep people coming in to buy tickets.
I don’t mind if a book is being adapted but sometimes I wonder if it’s really necessary for every single one needs to have a screen adaptation. Some of the books aren’t really all that good.
With that in mind, here are some books that have been adapted into movies over the years:
- A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Help by Kathryn Stocket
- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Christy by Catherine Marshall
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- The Princess Bride by William Golding
- Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
- Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
What are some of your favorite books that were adapted to screen? I’d have to say my favorite adaptation is The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first Harry Potter film, and The Help. I like Forrest Gump but I can’t compare it to the book as I haven’t read it yet! I’m sure there’s many books where I’ve only seen the movie adaptation, much to my chagrin!
Forrest Gump, the novel, is nothing like the movie. There are very few similarities at all. Still a good read. But I saw the movie before I read the book, so for me, the movie will always be better. Groom wrote a sequel, Gump & Co., which I bought as soon as it was published, but I never could get into it.
That’s what I heard! It’s crazy how much they change it when they make it into a movie. Sequels are rarely good in my opinion.