What Makes a Book-to-Movie Adaptation Great vs Painful
Understanding the anatomy of success and failure
For the longest while, I didn’t know that the Jurassic Park franchise started life as a book.
The premise and storyline seemed as though they were made for the big screen. I haven’t read Michael Crichton’s novel yet because the first film (the others aren’t worth mentioning) provided such a well-rounded experience that I haven’t felt the need to add anything to it.
The Authorial Dream
A friend of a friend who’s recently published her first novel mentions in the foreword that her biggest aspiration is to write stories that get turned into films and TV series.
I think that’s true for most writers. It would be validating to have experts read your work and say, ‘This is so good it ought to exist in multiple forms.’
Of course, the increased exposure and financial opportunity aren’t to be ignored either.
But ever since The Golden Compass, an adaptation of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, came out in 2007, I’ve been nothing but wary when news comes out of my favourite books hitting the theatres.
Turning a book into a TV or film adaptation that won’t displease viewers is tricky.
