When Will These Novels Hit the Big Screen?
Books Too Good Not To Make It to Film
In this day and age with numerous streaming apps, Youtube, Tiktok, and still traditional forms of cinema it would seem that any film plot you imagined may have already premiered in some shape or form(though numerous reenactments are always possible). But what if most films have not been produced yet? This includes countless books that have never made it to screen. Here are a few amazing novels that readers are certainly wondering why they have never made it to the big screen.
The Rooster Bar: A Novel by John Grisham
Moviegoers usually love a film with suspense, romance, camraderie, and scandal. Epic thriller novelist John Grisham’s The Rooster Bar (published in 2017) contains all of these elements and then some. After the tragic loss of a dear friend, three law school students decide to ditch their “mill-school” education and go all-in to start a law firm without any licenses. Not only do they forget one small thing (what they are doing is illegal), but they soon find themselves in over their heads in all sorts of troubles. The novel is Grisham at his best, luring readers in page after page while also tackling tough social and political topics. The film would also be epic, driving readers along a riveting unfolding plot where three former law students play the system and end up pulling off an unprecedented heist.
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Imagine a movie starting with a middle-aged man experiencinga horrid health crisis and finding himself waking up as his 19-year-old self. He is stuck back in his college dorm room like any other aspiring young adult, but with 25 years of memories and experiences of the future still intact. What choices might the young man make as he now can replay his life over again? This is the fate of protagonist Jeff Winston in Replay ( published in 1986) who must keep replaying the same quarter-century over and over again, struggling to find meaning and fulfillment while also making sense of his ordeal. The classic fantasy novel captivates readers chapter after chapter, and so would a film version giving taking viewers through a gripping and suspenseful master film in the sci-fi/fantasy alternate and repeat life genre.
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Try to fathom a horrific incident where an individual with mental illness walks into a library and cuts off his own hand. This is exactly what protagnoist Dominick Birdsey must face with his twin brother in the 1998 novel I Know This Much Is True. Readers are drawn in to Dominick’s story as they realize his twin brother Thomas’s bouts with schizophrenia are but one of Dominick’s life woes. It is through advocating for his brother’s health that Dominick is able to begin his own journey of self-healing and attainment of deeper understanding. As this novel was nationally acclaimed and even recognized on Oprah’s Book Club list, a film version would certainly pull viewers into a world of suspense, drama, love, triumph, and tragedy.
Note: After publishing this piece I learned that this novel has been set to an HBO feature series. What wonderful news! But who said that you could not have more than one film version of a wondrous world?
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler
Liam Pennywell is one of the most quaint, eccentric, and aloof characters you can find. And his life is all but unremarkable until a burglary that leaves him with a concussion forces him on a journey of introspection, romance, and questioning his life’s purpose. The end result is inspiring as Liam’s journey itself. Previous Anne Tyler novels have debuted as TV movies, and this novel (published in 2010) would make an amazing addition with plenty of romance, drama, and life lessons to go around!
Too Many More to Name
These are just a few of too many more to name. In fact, of all the billions of books that have been published throughout history it is probably the case that most have yet to make it to film or television. We can hope the four above mentioned amazing novels will be cinemized soon enough. Until then, make sure to check out the great works if you have not already(or revisit for a chance for new riches to be mined).
