When in screenwriting school, you’ll likely discuss the process of adapting fiction for the screen. Adapting books to the screen holds the transformative power to bring beloved stories to a broader audience, allowing viewers to visually experience the worlds and characters they may have only imagined.
Successful adaptations capture the essence of the source material while embracing the unique visual and narrative opportunities offered by the cinematic medium. However, the challenge lies in balancing the original work with creative nuances.
8 Exceptional Book to Screen Adaptations
There are, of course, more incredible book-to-screen adaptations than we could hope to list here, so for the sake of brevity, we’ve excluded the blockbuster franchises we all know and love—namely, Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
One of two entries on this list based on a Cormac McCarthy novel (See The Road) and the first of two hat-tips to The Coen Brothers (True Grit), No Country For Old Men is a powerhouse in terms of both the performances therein and the moody, grim vibe spun carefully throughout. A modern-day Western par excellence.
The gripping 2007 neo-Western thriller directed by Joel and Ethan Coen is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel. The film explores the stark brutality of a drug deal gone wrong in the Texas desert, and its tension is amplified by Javier Bardem’s chilling portrayal of the enigmatic and relentless hitman Anton Chigurh, creating a dark and suspenseful narrative that earned the film critical acclaim and several Academy Awards
Book: Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name (2005)
Life of Pi (2012)
After languishing for a decade in development hell, Ang Lee finally did justice to the superb Booker Prize-winning book of the same name (and we can’t imagine anyone else who could have done quite the same job.) If you get the opportunity to watch it in 3D, do so.
As well as being a great example of a book—not least one that was widely considered ‘unfilmable’ – Life of Pi is also a better example of the third dimension used to great effect.
Book: Yann Martel’s Life of Pi (2001)
The 39 Steps (1935)
While only loosely based on the source material, The 39 Steps is not only one of the finest thrillers ever made but also helped cement a lot of ‘Hitchcockian’ elements, which would define the director’s career and put him on the world stage.
Numerous further adaptations have followed over the decades, including a hit Broadway play.
Book: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)
Matilda (1996)
We could have included several Roald Dahl adaptations here (the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for one). Still, Matilda was the surprising hit worthy of a special mention.
For everyone wondering what happened to the adorable child star Mara Wilson (who also did an amazing job in Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street), she quit acting shortly after Matilda and is now focusing on writing fiction herself…and thus, the circle is closed.
Book: Matilda by Roald Dahl (1988)
Forrest Gump (1994)
So great was the success of the Forrest Gump movie that it has almost eclipsed the fact that its origins lay in literature. Forrest Gump is a uniquely charming cinematic gem and one of the best movies of the 1990s.
To say this endures as one of Tom Hanks’ finest performances in a filmography as impressive as his is a high accolade indeed.
Book: Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump (1986)
The Road (2009)
Among several post-apocalyptic movies released around the same time, The Road snuck in on limited release but became an essential watch.
Stripping back the usual high-budget flair of the genre, this Cormac McCarthy adaptation concerns itself solely with how the unspecified ‘event’ has ravaged the emotions of the two protagonists. The result is a very grim and highly charged movie, which doesn’t pull its punches.
Book: The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
True Grit (1969 & 2010)
A superb book that produced not just one but two excellent slices of Western cinema. The original (which earned John Wayne his only Academy Award) and the 2010 Coen Brothers’ remake featuring a great performance by Jeff Bridges are well worth watching, regardless of whether or not you think you like Westerns.
Book: True Grit by Charles Portis (1968)
The Lizzie Bennett Diaries (2012)
The Lizzie Bennett Diaries (2012) is a modern-day take on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and one of our favorite book-to-screen adaptations. The web series updated the famous novel and reconceived it as being told in vlog-style by lead character Lizzie Bennet. The show included revealing aspects of the story through the characters’ various social media accounts. It even included interactions with real fans.
The show was the first web series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Original Interactive Program. The award is shared by a casting director and LA Chair of Producing Jenni Powell.
Book: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
Create Your Own TV and Movie Adaptations At NYFA
Whether it’s film, television, web series, podcasts, or any other medium, at NYFA, you can learn how to adapt your own compelling stories. Learn more about our screenwriting programs today!
Header image via The Silver Petticoat Review.