We’ve all endured the mental anguish of a movie or TV show not living up to the expectations of our favorite books (*glares furiously at the Percy Jackson movie*) I am a firm believer that the book is always better than the movie, and furthermore that you should always read the book before watching the movie. With that being said, there are a few really well-done book-to-movie or tv-show adaptations that I think are worth watching if you love the books! I am, as always, linking all of my book images to my favorite local indie bookstore- shop local!
Harry Potter Franchise
Now you know that I am not a fan of She Who Must Not Be Named, but I must admit that a bitch can write. The Harry Potter books were the first books I read out loud as a child and they were a massive part of my childhood. I recently reread the books and as long as you’re able to separate the author from her craft, the books are good. I watched the Harry Potter movies as I read the books- my mom made me read each one before I watched the movie, and there is so much to love about these stories. The movies obviously can’t cover every little detail of the books (which is indeed why the books are better) but they do an excellent job and I loved that they cast the children correctly so that they aged as the movies did (glares once again at the Percy Jackson movie). Daniel Radcliffe is such a great actor and I loved how Warner Brothers brought the story to life.
The Fault In Our Stars
I adored this book by John Green and the movie did not disappoint. The casting is perfect and they kept nearly everything true to the books, which is rare. I don’t love Ansel Elgort as a human being, but man, I loved him as Augustus Waters. I read TFIOS when I was 14 and cried all the way through- I then went to see the movie adaptation when it was in theatres and my mom and I cried then too. Such a well-done film!
The Princess Bride
Ah, the most quotable movie of all time! My family quotes lines from The Princess Bride all the time. I love this movie and watch it a lot, but the book is incredible! It’s the perfect adventure story for a rainy day and if you love pirates, princesses, fencing, giants, and wuv, twu wuv, you’ll adore this story as much as I do! I've read this book a lot in preparation for writing my own princess story :)
Bridgerton
People either loved or hated Bridgerton- I loved it. I watched it with my parents, which was painful- don’t do that! But I loved the costumes, the storylines, the music, and the plot (Regé Jean Page licking a spoon). With this one, I didn’t read the books until after watching the show because I didn’t realize that the show was based on books. But I read all eight books before the second season came out, so now I am ready for all future seasons!
The show complemented the books well- both had things that the other didn’t. And I love a good regency romance.
Some book-to-screen adaptations I’m looking forward to:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
You guys already KNOW that I’m ready for the book to show adaptation of my favorite book series. I’m so excited, I can barely contain myself. But…what if they cast it wrong? If every character doesn’t look the way they look in my head, the SJM fandom will riot. There’s no news yet on when this show will come out yet, but y’all better believe that when it does, my bookish bestie and I will drop everything to watch it together. I'm currently rereading the ACOTAR series and I can see everything SO CLEARLY because Sarah J. Maas writes descriptives so well. Do not f*ck this up, Hulu!!!
Red, White, and Royal Blue
I read RWRB over the summer and fell in love with it- it’s hilarious, sweet, sexy, and all-around a wonderful story. I was delighted to hear that it was being made into a movie and saw some pictures from when they filmed it this summer. They wrapped filming in August of this year, so even though Amazon Prime Video hasn't announced an official release date yet, the film could be released in early 2023. I'm so excited! And how cute is the special edition cover of the book?!
Percy Jackson
I get to stop glaring at the Percy Jackson movie!! Everyone, including Rick Riordan, hated the way that The Lightning Thief was butchered, and they thought it needed a redemption arc. Rick Riordan is working closely with Disney+ to create the TV show and he got to help cast the characters which means that the boy playing Percy, Walter Scobell, is 13 playing a 12-year-old as opposed to Logan Lerman, who was nearly 19 at the time they filmed the movie in 2009. They released a teaser trailer a few days ago as a part of the D23 convention, and it looks incredible! According to Rick Riordan, there is no news on when the show will come out yet, but it might not strike Disney+ until 2024. I know it will be worth the wait!!
Here's the link to the teaser trailer! It's amazing!
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
When I was in high school, V.E.Schwab visited my classroom during NaNoWriMo and told me to write brave. It wasn’t until I was in college that I read The Invisible Life of Addie Larue at the glowing recommendation of my mom, who had read it and loved it. I read it over the course of a weekend and fell in love with the story. I was thrilled to hear that the book was being adapted for the big screen last year! V.E. Schwab posted on Instagram a few months ago that she had read the finished script for Addie Larue and it was like a love letter to the book- there’s no news on when the movie will make it to the big screen, but I know my mom and I are going to watch it together (and probably cry.)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
I am so excited about this movie, mostly because I want to understand the book better. This is the prequel to the Hunger Games book and it’s written from the perspective of Coriolanus Snow, Panem’s president, approximately 64 years before the first Hunger Games book. He was a mentor for the district 12 tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. It’s a fantastic concept and such a well-written book but oh my god, the last 20 pages give me a heart attack every single time and I still don’t fully understand the ending. I cannot WAIT for this to hit the big screen and I’m also hoping Suzanne Collins writes more books from different perspectives- what I wouldn’t give for a Finnick or Haymitch book! This is the only movie I have a definitive date for Songbirds and Snakes hits theaters on November 17th, 2023!
Here's the link to the teaser trailer! Not much information about the movie itself, but still fun!
What are your favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Better question- what are your LEAST favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Comment below.
Xoxox- Emmabird