Many of us dream of writing a book, finding an agent, and getting our book published by a traditional publisher. It's a dream come true for any aspiring writer! And while we're putting words on paper and watching our characters come to life, sometimes, in the back of our minds, we dream that eventually our book will be made into a major motion picture. Some of us even pick out actors who could play our beloved characters on screen. Why not? It's fun!These authors (below) had their dreams come true twofold. First, by getting their books published and, second, by seeing their words portrayed on the big screen. And the list is long. It gives us hope and reminds us that anything is possible.
So as you're enjoying your Christmas day, and perhaps going to the movies with your family or watching a good flick at home, remember that a writer just like you probably had a hand in the film you're watching. Some of them are obvious, like Julie & Julia, for instance, but others may surprise you. See how many you can pick out. Merry Christmas!
December 2009 & Upcoming:
Up in the Air
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride
Based on: Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
The Lovely Bones
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan
Based on: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Invictus
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Scott Reeves, Bonnie Henna
Based on: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin
Youth in Revolt
Cast: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Justin Long, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi
Based on: Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne
November 2009
The Box
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Michele Durrett, Kal Thompson
Based on: Button, Button: Uncanny Stories by Richard Matheson
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes
Based on: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
Based on: Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
Precious
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Based on: Push by Sapphire
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cast: George Clooney, Owen Wilson, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Angelica Huston, Michael Gambon
Based on: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
The Blind Side
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates
Based on: The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
New Moon
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Chaske Spencer
Based on: The Twilight Saga: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Me and Orson Welles
Cast: Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Zac Efron, Ben Chaplin, Zoe Kazan, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly, James Tupper
Based on: Me and Orson Welles by Robert Kaplow
The Road
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Garret Billahunt
Based on: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Cast: Robin Wright Penn, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Alan Arkin, Monica Bellucci, Blake Lively, Maria Bello, Ryan McDonald
Based on: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
October 2009
Whip It
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Alia Shawkat
Based on: Whip It by Shauna Cross
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
Cast: Matt Czuchry, Jesse Bradford, Geoff Stults, Keri Lynn Pratt, Marika Dominczyk
Based on: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
Where the Wild Things Are
Cast: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
Based on: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Vampire's Assistant
Cast: Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Kelly, Patrick Fugit, Jane Krakowski
Based on: The Cirque Du Freak series by Darren Shan
September 2009
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Cast: Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Mr. T.
Based on: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett
The Informant
Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Mike O'Malley, Andrew Daly, Adam Paul, Melanie Lynskey, Thomas F. Wilson
Based on: The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Cast: Bobby Cannavale, Ben Shenkman, Max Mingella, Christopher Meloni, Julianne Nicholson, Josh Charles, John Krasinski, Dominic Cooper, Timothy Hutton, Will Forte, Lou Taylor Pucci, Chris Messina
Based on: Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace
Coco Before Chanel
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos
Based on: L'irreguliere, Ou Mon Itineraire Chanel by Edmonde Charles-Roux
August 2009
Julie & Julia
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch
Based on: Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell, and My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme
Taking Woodstock
Cast: Demetri Martin, Kevin Chamberlin, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano
Based on: Taking Woodstock by Elliott Tiber
The Time Traveler's Wife
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean
Based on: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
July 2009
Public Enemies
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Graham, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup
Based on: Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough
I Love You, Beth Cooper
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Storm, Shawn Roberts
Based on: I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Based on: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
June 2009
Cheri
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones, Iben Hjejle, Stephen Frears, Christopher Hampton
Based on: Cheri The Last of Cheri by Colette
My Sister's Keeper
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Jason Patrick
Based on: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jim Caviezel, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban
Based on: The Stoning of Soraya M: A True Story by Freidoune Sahebjam
May 2009
Angels & Demons
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Based on: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
April 2009
High Noon
Cast: Emilie de Ravin, Ivan Sergei, Cybill Shepherd
Based on: High Noon by Nora Roberts
Tribute
Cast: Brittany Murphy, Jason Lewis, Tippi Hedren, Diana Scarwid
Based on: Tribute by Nora Roberts
The Soloist
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Steven Root
Based on: The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
March 2009
Watchmen
Cast: Bill Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matt Frewer, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino
Based on: the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Northern Lights
Cast: Rosanna Arquette, LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian
Based on: Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
Midnight Bayou
Cast: Jerry O'Connell, Lauren Stamile, Faye Dunaway
Based on: Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Cast: Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Desmond Dube, Tumisho Masha, Bongeka Mpongwana, David Oyelowo, John Kani
Based on: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
February 2009
Coraline
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, John Hodgman, Ian McShane
Based on: Coraline by Neil Gaiman
He's Just Not That Into You
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Conolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long
Based on: He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb
Based on: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Gomorrah
Cast: Toni Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Salvatore Cantalupo, Gigio Morra, Salvatore Abruzzese, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone, Carmine Paternoster
Based on: Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System by Roberto Saviano
January 2009
Not Easily Broken
Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Jenifer Lewis, Maeve Quinlan, Kevin Hart, Eddie Cibrian, Wood Harris
Based on: Not Easily Broken by T.D. Jakes
Defiance
Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner, Mark Feuerstein
Based on: Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec
Hotel for Dogs
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle, Johnny Simmons, Troy Gentile
Based on: Hotel for Dogs by Lois Duncan
Inkheart
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Rafi Gavron
Based on: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Killshot
Cast: Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don McManus
Based on: Killshot by Elmore Leonard
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Wow, what a list! I'm probably missing some, but these are the ones that I know of. If you've both read the book and seen the movie, what did you think of the adaptation from book to film? I'd love to know your thoughts!
5 comments:
I heard that 90% of movies are from books. Very encouraging for authors. Apaloosa was produced by Ed Harris because he picked up the book at an airport and liked it.
I HATED the changes to My Sister's Keeper...
Very encouraging indeed! I'm waiting for my library to have The Blind Side available (I'm supporting my local library), before I watch the movie.
The book is very rarely, if ever, better than the movie. It's just too hard to get to know the characters the way you do in a 350-page book in a 2.5 hour movie. That's not to say that some movies from books aren't good--I like the Polar Express, Christmas Carol, and even New Moon was pretty good. The book/movie combo that drives me the most nuts is the Harry Potter movies. I understand there's no way they can put all 700 pages in a movie, but they change integral parts of the plot for no good reason (that I can see). This especially happened in HP #6. UGH! But that said, if someone wants to make my movie into a book, go for it. It makes more people buy your book and read your work which is what we all want anyway.
Margo
http://margodill.com/blog/
As Pamela ( a new writing friend) pointed out to me in a very kind email, what I meant to say in my first sentence is that the MOVIE is very rarely better than the BOOK! And also that if someone wants to make MY BOOK into a MOVIE, I will be very happy. :)
My fingers type faster than my brain on comments. :)
Margo
http://margodill.com/blog/
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