Recently I've been reminiscing over the good ol' times (last summer) when I watched my favorite shows late into the night, which led me to lamentations about the misfortune of crappy adaptations of amazing books/series. (*cough* I'm looking at you, Percy Jackson. *cough*) Speaking of bad book-to-film adaptations, usually the acting is the biggest issue in my eyes, but recently Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services have surprised me and cast great actors and actresses. But now they've blundered into another critical issue for any film: storyline.
They keep trying to put out original scripts with terrible flow, logic, and premise. One good example of one such recent film would be the heavily criticized Netflix film "Tall Girl"—great production and actors, but lame storyline. Now I'm not hating on this film! Every once in a while I love to sit down and watch a movie that makes absolutely no sense to me. But when it comes to quality entertainment, that's what I crave on a daily basis. Now I've been saying for ages, "Why don't producers make more book-to-film adaptations? The story-line is already there." Now that technology is becoming more advanced and it's becoming easier to produce elaborate films, I want quality book-to-movie adaptations even more. So here are four books and series that I would absolutely DIE to see on-screen!
The Sisters Grimm
"You ignorant little rodent!" [snapped Sabrina] "This isn't just an old book. This is the book of Everafter."I can just imagine the aesthetic—oranges, blacks, grays, greens; crows, tangled forests, creepy magic. I've been saying for years that The Sisters Grimm should be adapted into a television show! The story would engage not just younger kids, but also older viewers. The characters are different and dynamic, and the plot would be killer. Each book could be covered in 2-3 episodes, and a season could be three books—of which there are nine! All NYT bestsellers! Just imagine three seasons of creepy, engrossing (quite literally), and magical action scenes/Puck antics. Now, do you think it would be better as a tv series or a movie?
"Sorry, I haven't read it. I'm waiting for the movie," Puck said.
Heist Society
“It's Vermeer"If Heist Society was produced exactly how I imagine it, it would be hands down my favorite show of all time. I could even settle for a film trilogy. I would love to see my museum-robbing teens on screen working out secret plans, playing pranks, hanging out in Uncle Eddie's kitchen, and ruffling Interpol's feathers. Plus the ships are just A+. Netflix, if you want to give me a totally cliche and stereotypical story, give me this one. At least Hale has a brain as well as good looks.
Kat turned to the boy who lingered in the doorway. "It's stolen"
"What can I say?" Hale eased behind her and studied the painting over her shoulder. "I met a very nice man who bet me he had the best security system in Istanbul." His breath was warm on the back of her neck. "He was mistaken.”
Skyward
"Aim for something higher, Spensa. Aim for the stars."WOW. This book blew me away. If I were to use one word to describe it, that word would be solid. In every aspect of Skyward, all I could think about was how solid it all was from characters to plot to world-building, and I would love to see all of that transferred to the big screen. The battles and spaceships would be so cool in 3D! As if living in the book wasn't enough for me, watching it would be wild. Spensa would be intense and dynamic, M-Bot would be stealing hearts, and Rig would hopefully get a date with FM (the one minor plot change I would allow). ;) Also, the live-action brotp's would make me weep with joy.
The Scorpio Races
"Do you know how to wrap a leg?"This one breaks my heart because The Scorpio Races was actually supposed to be made into a film. There was a contract signed, a director picked, and they were approaching casting. It was scheduled to release in 2015 but they ended up cancelling it for undisclosed reasons. Was I mad?? Of course I was. But I would forgive them without a second thought if they picked it back up. The misty setting (please be Ireland!), the thrills, excitement, romance, and the HORSES of course! (I kind of live for horse movies.) We'd see the fascinating but dangerous capaill uisce racing on the beach, and the horse race at the end would be heart-pounding and beautiful. And the ending? Oh, the ending would have me wallowing in tears. Puddles and puddles of tears. This movie would automatically be my #1 if perfectly executed.
"I was born wrapping legs," I say stiffly, because I'm insulted.
"Must've been a challenging delivery," Sean notes.
So, what are some books you would love to see as films? What book-to-film adaptations do you love? How do you feel about book-to-film adaptations? Also, does anyone know the difference between the words '"adaption" and "adaptation"? Because I...don't, lol, and I think I've misused them. #help
- all images in this post are from unsplash.com -
- all images in this post are from unsplash.com -
