Make Me A Movie! (Top Ten Tuesday)

September 10, 2013 Top Ten Tuesday 58

Aloha Bookworms!

It’s Tuesday and you know how I love a list. Let’s make one, shall we? The ladies of The Broke and The Bookish have posed an interesting and surprisingly difficult question this week. We’re challenged to name the top ten books we’d like to see made into movies or TV shows (assuming they wouldn’t be butchered, obviously.) Why is this difficult? Hollywood seems to have forgotten the concept of the “original screenplay” and a TON of books I love have already been made into movies or TV series.

toptentuesday

Here’s a list of the books that are already in the process of being made into movies or TV shows that I’m eagerly anticipating!

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Casting decisions have been made for the upcoming Starz produced series, and I’m excited. Lots of actors with authentic Scottish accents have been cast. I’m also nervous, because I love these books with a freakish intensity, but I’m cautiously optimistic for the show.

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Casting decisions have been made and they’re in production. Shailene Woodley has been cast as Hazel and Ansel Elgort will be playing Augustus. This pairing would be slightly less creepy to me if the two hadn’t been cast as brother and sister in…

3. Divergent by Veronica Roth. Which I’m also stoked about because I’ve embraced my inner YA fangirl and I’m all about seeing a dystopian Chicago on screen. Shailene Woodley is really too gorgeous to play Tris and the Hottie McHotstuff they’ve cast to play Four certainly doesn’t have a hooked nose. Sigh. Hollywood. I’ll watch it anyway.

Divergent hc c(2)

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The movie trailer was released for this and I’ve got a lot of faith that it’s going to be amazing. My greatest hope is that they still somehow manage to make Death the narrator, because that’s a big part of what made this book so awesome.

5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This is coming out in November, and I love me some Hunger Games goodness. I thought the first movie was very good, in spite of its imperfections… I really like Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, so I’m looking forward to it.

Books That Aren’t Yet Movies (as far as I know) That I’d Like to See

1. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I loved this book. I’m not sure how well it would translate to film, but if they got the right actors I can see Oscars all over the place. Lots of opportunity for poignant dramatic scenes!

2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Who doesn’t love this book? Some might argue that a movie would ruin it, but we’re supposed to be operating under the assumption that Hollywood wouldn’t be a complete jerk face and stay true to the text and whatnot. In my magical version of Hollywood, they’d stay true to the script and make good things happen.

3. Where’d You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple. I think given the proper treatment it could be SERIOUSLY funny on screen. And, obviously. PENGUINS. Yes.

bernadette

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. True, this might take some doing to translate to the screen, but I could see it being pretty cool. I’d watch it, anyway.

5. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Again, the potential for good actors kicking butt in a movie adaptation of this book? I smell Oscars!

What about you, Bookworms? Is there a book out there you’d love to see as a movie? Are you annoyed with Hollywood buthering all the good books? Got any bookish movies on the horizon you’re looking forward to? Tell me about it!

58 Responses to “Make Me A Movie! (Top Ten Tuesday)”

  2. Mikels Skele

    Don’t know about movies, but a seriously amazing mini series could be made of The Sotweed Factor by John Barth. I’ve mentioned this book before, but you have coyly ignored it.

    Reply

  4. Ashley Z

    Oh! I didn’t know Tell the Wolves I’m Home is going to be a movie! I’ve read all these exceptOutlander. I can see why these books will be movies! They are great stories! I never watch a movie that came from a book before I read the book. I’m definitely interested in seeing these movies!

    Reply

    • Words for Worms

      Doh! Sorry for the confusion, but no. The first 5 ARE movies coming out soon. The second 5 are my wishlist, although apparently the Thirteenth Tale is in production. Sadly, no news on Wolves. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got picked up though. OSCAR WORTHY!

      Reply

  5. kristinshafel

    I’ve only read The Fault in our Stars (meh) and Where’d You Go, Bernadette on your list. I thought about adding Bernadette to mine, but I’m not sure how they’d work the written correspondance angle. Fun to wonder about, though! Here’s my list.

    Reply

    • Words for Worms

      It would be tough to do an epistolary novel as a film, but hey. They made it work for Bridget Jones and Girl, Interrupted. I’d trust the right ream with it :).

      Reply

      • Akilah

        I think my other concern with Bernadette as a movie is that there’s SO MUCH backstory and information to cram in there as well. But I guess they could use archival documentary footage or some such. You’re right. This would make a totally fun hypermedia film.

        Reply

  7. acps927

    I read online that Markus Zusak said that Death will be narrating The Book Thief! I thought the trailer looked great as well. And I so completely agree about the whole Tris/Caleb turned Hazel/Augustus thing to be creepy!

    Reply

    • Words for Worms

      SIGH of relief!!! And yeah, like, they should have thought that out a little better… Less than a year turnaround and they go from brother-sister to lovers and BACK to brother-sister for Insurgent (I can only assume.) Weirdness.

      Reply

  8. Heather

    I am anxiously awaiting Outlander as well (I know you’re shocked!) -but I have been stalking The Book Thief like nobody’s business. I think I have managed to convince my non-book-reading-but-movie-loving friends that we need to make that a priority!!! The trailer looks amazing, and I am so looking forward to seeing how they add Death as the narrator. If they don’t, I think I might cry in the movie theater. Eh- it wouldn’t be the first time.

    I really really want to see The Night Circus. I know it was optioned for film, but I haven’t heard any other details. I just want to see the circus in all it’s glory on a gigantic IMAX screen.

    Reply

    • Words for Worms

      Oh The Night Circus is a great choice! That could be amazing on screen! I think I’ll cry in the theater at The Book Thief because, hey, I sobbed reading the book. Plus. OUTLANDER! Aaaaaahhhhh!

      Reply

  9. Megan M.

    I can’t wait for TFiOS! I haven’t read Divergent, so the creepiness will be lost on me. And Catching Fire looks amazing, I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with it! I’d love to see Eleanor & Park, too, but I just know they’d cast some skinny girl as Eleanor and then I would have to spend the whole movie being mad. My beloved Louise Penny mysteries were made into a TV movie and the casting is ALL WRONG. Everyone is way younger and hotter than they’re supposed to be. It makes me angry just thinking about it. **seethes with quiet rage**

    Reply

  10. Bonnie (@missbonnie13)

    I’m so nervous/excited for Outlander. It has to be done right. If not, I just might cry. lol Catching Fire looks amazing, I’m so glad that the first one turned out as good as it did. I haven’t read any of the ones you want as movies but I’ve heard great things about all of those. 🙂 Great list!

    Reply

  11. Rory

    I don’t think I could handle Tell the Wolves I’m Home being made into a movie. I love it too much. The Outlander TV show is making me want cable. Badly. Has Claire been cast yet?

    Reply

  15. Jennine G.

    Can’t wait for all of those movies already coming out! Especially The Book Thief. The set for The Fault in Our Stars is just forty or so minutes from me, in Pittsburgh. A co worker of mine lives on the street where they are filming! They are actually using her friends’ houses in the movie. So my co worker stalked around every day until she saw John Green and went to get a picture with him and her book signed!!!

    Reply

  16. TrishaDM

    “The Glass Castle” was such a good book. I had that on a similar list last year. I would also like to see “Half Broke Horses”! So much drama and such vivid characters, they would be great movies.
    I too am excited to see “Catching Fire,” “The Book Thief,” and “The Fault In Our Stars.”

    Reply

  17. Wayne

    I’d kinda like to see *Neverwhere* be made into an actual film. I read on Wikipedia that there is a script for it but the project has been abandoned. I could recommend that “Insidious, Chapter 2” go straight to video and skip it. 😉

    Reply

  19. caitlinstern

    I’m looking forward to The Book Thief, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars. I do love when they make books into movies, unless they make a bad movie. Then someone ought to bop every person involved in the travesty upside the head with a hardback version of the book.

    Reply

  22. Leah

    I’m so with you on The Glass Castle and Where’d You Go Bernadette! And now I REALLY want an Eleanor and Park movie. It would probably be a bit cheesy, but it’s set in the ’80s, so that totally works!

    Reply

  23. Sarah Says Read

    Ohhhh man, the potential for an E&P movie is so there. The 80’s had such great teen / romance movies, it’d be awesome if this could be done well.

    I think I’m going to see the Divergent movie before I read the books… unless I hear that the movie is bad, then I’ll read the books first.

    Reply

    • Words for Worms

      I think seeing Divergent first is a good strategy (I mean, assuming it isn’t completely horrendous.) Then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the books as opposed to being disappointed by the movie adaptation.

      Reply

    • Words for Worms

      I don’t know that as many of the quieter adult novels I’ve read would translate especially well to film… Perhaps they would, but since I’m not much of a movie buff I don’t like to make the time commitment to watch subtle character development, you know? I’m a movie plebian. Action, music, comedy and razzmatazz are what gets me to the theater.

      Reply

    • Words for Worms

      I’m so worried about Tobias being played by a dude who is (though gorgeous) 10 years older than he’s supposed to be, book wise. I hope the fears are unfounded!

      Reply

  26. janereads

    I didn’t know the Outlander books were being made into a series. I love those! They would be my top choice. I also would like to see The Bronze Horsemen series by Paullina Simons as movies. Or her detective type stories like The Girl in Time Square as a film.

    Reply

Talk to me, Bookworms!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.