Movies based on books are some of the highest grossing films on the market in recent years.
One of the most widely known movie franchises based off a book series comes in the form of the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer.
Grossing more than $3 billion worldwide, the Twilight Saga was a phenomenon in the biggest sense.
While the last movie definitely took some liberties, the series as a whole kept largely to the script of the books. “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” has the highest rating on IMDb in the series with a 5.5. All the others rate lower even though the last movie was the one that left the original storyline behind.
Here’s the good news: it might not be over.
Patrick Wachsberger, the co-chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group that made the five film series, stated he would be interested in adding more movies to the series, should Stephanie Meyer want to write more about those particular characters.
This isn’t a surprise considering how much the franchise has grossed.
Kirsten Stewart, who played Bella Swan in the movies, has also stated that she would be interested in playing Bella again should they decide to continue.
In light of this exciting development, let’s explore a few other series that have grabbed our attention in print and on the big screen.
Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series took the world by storm when the first book came out in 1998.
J.K. Rowling and her character Harry Potter became household names. Three short years later, the first book became a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley).
Over the next 10 years, the series became the second highest grossing film series of all time.
Some are upset about storylines being cut from the films; however, it has been widely acknowledged those cuts were made to keep the films focused on Harry defeating Voldemort.
All in all, the Harry Potter movie series played closely to the books and is definitely one of the best adaptations of it’s time.
Divergent
In a post-Harry Potter world, young adult series-turned-movies have become largely anticipated.
“Divergent” was no exception to this trend. Unlike the Harry Potter series, “Divergent” did just what its name implied: the movies diverged from the main storyline set in the books and became their own entity.
The sequels, “Insurgent” and “Allegiant,” tanked at the box office. Because of this lack of success, rumors stated the last film in the series will be filmed for the small screen, possibly losing Shailene Woodley as the series’ main character, Tris.
The Hunger Games
If Harry Potter is the gold standard for a film franchise and “Divergent” is textbook what-not-to-do, the Hunger Games has a happy medium.
While the first two films were highly anticipated as the next young adult film franchise to beat, the last two films seemed to lose a bit of steam coming out of the gate. Main actress Jennifer Lawrence was definitely a hit as the series’ main character, Katniss Everdeen. The series shot Lawrence into superstardom, making her the current highest paid actress in the world.
The films stayed close to the original storyline though there were some differences and scenes were cut from the films. There were also several scenes that were rearranged when it came to the big screen, such as the riot in the Districts that featured in the first film. Originally, this act of rebellion was a main point in the second book.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Recently released, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is another highly anticipated movie based on a book.
Its acclaimed director, Tim Burton, discussed a few differences between the book and the movie in an interview with Buzzfeed on Sept. 28.
As with any movie adaption, there are some pieces of the original book that had to be cut. Burton stressed he attempted to keep as close as possible to the book. Author Ransom Riggs was involved in the entire process, giving approval for any of Burton’s changes.
Burton stated he kept the same central themes of the book, and the movie will be as close to the book as possible.
It doesn’t look like the trend of adapting books into movies will end anytime soon. Popular franchises, like Harry Potter and Twilight, continue to be feature films while fledgling stories, like Peculiar Children, start their stardom.
Keep an eye out for more favorites that could be hitting the big screen.