Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely people at the Broke and the Bookish!
Today's topic is Top Ten Books I'd love to see as movies/TV shows. Oh I have a long, long list :-)
I, like many of you other bibliophiles, have some trepidation when it comes to making a book a screen-watchable-thing. We all know the feeling of "NO THAT'S NOT IN THE BOOK," and so when I hear my favorite books are being turned into movies, I feel something like a combination of pure excitement and deathly fear. My babies!
BUT. I entirely understand the struggle of the filmmaker.* There is something inherently different about the image we get in our heads because of words on a page, and the one we get because of what we see on the screen. The director has to somehow translate an image that is different for every single reader into a film that is the same for every single viewer. There's bound to be some disappointment.
*I wanted to be a filmmaker mostly because I wanted to make adaptations of my favorite books the RIGHT way.
For me, an adaptation is successful when it captures the feeling, message, and theme of the book. So that's what I hope happens to these:
(covers link to Goodreads...)
1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Oh gloriousness and beauty. I want to see the circus come to life!
(This is currently in development by Summit Entertainment! *explodes*)
2. The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
I can see the glory of the onion domes and the creepiness of the Shadow Fold.
(Dream Works has got the rights to this one.)
3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
This might work better as a TV series - and though I don't normally watch TV, I'd totally watch this!
4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
I read this new book about three weeks ago, and it was lovely and exciting and has potential for sequels! It would make a fantastic action film, but if the sequels are just as good, I'd support a TV series.
(This film is also in development and I think due to come out in 2017! And the book was just published last month - every author's dream.)
5. Jackaby by William Ritter
This has been compared to Sherlock and Doctor Who, so obviously it's film-material. There's a sequel coming out in September, and I'd be fine with this in either movie or TV series form.
6. Rook by Sharon Cameron
I just finished this book yesterday. It would make a splendid action-adventure film, swashbuckling and explosive and swoony. I support this fully.
7. Code Name Verity (etc.) by Elizabeth Wein
Strong women, adventure, escape, danger, love, friendship - it's got it all.
(Anonymous Content has got the rights to this one.)
8. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
I am tempted to request a TV (mini?)series for this one, just to fully explore the characters and all that, but really, I think this would work better as a set of films.
9. Anything Lloyd Alexander
Yes, I know Disney made that weird, not-very-famous Book Of Three animation. That doesn't count.
And I know the Prydain Chronicles are Lloyd Alexander's most famous books, but some of his other ones are The Best non-western fantasy out there. (Not that there's that much of it out there. Writers - get on it!)
Seriously, if you want a fantasy set in Middle East-ish? East Asia-ish? Ancient Greece-ish? Lloyd Alexander's got it all. And all his heroines are superb. Vesper Holly deserves a TV show.
(Also, his dialogue reads like it's straight from a script - concise, humorous, and perfect for the screen.)
10. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
This is magical and lovely and heartbreaking and soul-filling. Movie please!
What books do you want to see on the screen? Let me know in the comments and link me your TTT's!
~Sophia
Great choices! I totally forgot about the Chronicles of Prydian or others of Lloyd Alexaner's books but they would be awesome as movies. :)
ReplyDeleteWouldn't they? My dream as a child filmmaker was to adapt The Prydain Chronicles. :-)
DeleteI had The Raven Boys on my list too! Everyone's been going on about The Lunar Chronicles I feel like I have to check them out to find out why they're so good!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/top-ten-tuesday-7/
Oh you MUST read the Lunar Chronicles! They are fantabulous and everybody gushes about them for a reason :-)
DeleteYes and yes to the Grisha Trilogy and the Lunar Chronicles. I'd love to see them, and most of all, I'd love to see how the actors brought their villains to life (because those are some awesome people, you know?) Great choices!
ReplyDeleteWell-written villains are the best types of characters, I think. I'd love to see them on the screen! (Especially the Darkling....!!!)
DeleteSo far almost every post I've read on this weeks TTT has been books I haven't gotten round to reading yet! I definately feel like these are good choices though, going on the information I do know about them.
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten Tuesday Post
Some weeks it's like that for me too. It's really dangerous to my TBR though - those are the weeks when my list grows the most!
DeleteThe Night Circus made my top ten too - it seems to be on a lot of lists this week! I didn't realise it was 'in development' so that's really exciting! I do wonder whether they'll be able to capture the magic and sheer imagination of it all on screen, but I would love for someone to try! Great list :)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
I just found it was in development while writing this post! Isn't that exciting? And if no one does it then we'll never know if it's possible, so I'm excited to see how it comes out!
DeleteI haven't read most of these, but I do love the Lunar Chronicles! They would be interesting as a movie/tv series, but honestly, I adore them so much as they are, I'm not sure I'd want to see them on screen. Though if they were done well, you'd hear no arguments from me.
ReplyDeleteAlexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
verbositybookreviews.wordpress.com
It's always a little nerve-wracking when your favorite books become films - you so WANT them to be perfect but suspect they won't be. We bibliophiles go through such torture, don't we? :-P
DeleteI want to read all these beautiful books. I read 'The Raven Boys' loved it can't wait to get my hands on the other two.
ReplyDeleteOHHH the next two are glorious and the series just keeps getting better! I can't wait for The Raven King, which comes out in February and is the last of the series.... :-)
DeleteThe Night Circus made it onto my list because obviously any adaptation of it will be beautiful and amazing. And I totally agree that The Raven Boys would be better as movies than as a TV series. This list is excellent, I'll be adding the rest of these books to my TBR!
ReplyDeleteYay I'm always excited to expand other people's TBRs! :-)
DeleteAnd isn't it exciting that The Night Circus is in development? I can't wait to see how they do it!
I suck because I haven't read any of these books yet and I really want to D; I would imagine Jackaby to be a great film though :-) Here's my TTT if you would like to check it out :-) Have a great day! :-)
ReplyDeleteWell now you have a larger TBR mwahahaha. :-)
DeleteI'll definitely check yours out!