It’s no secret that some of the best movies started as books first. The biggest franchises were once well-loved novels like “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter.” Even James Bond came to life through words on a page before making his big-screen debut. Books are the perfect blueprint for cinematic masterpieces, so it’s clear why adaptations that miss the mark are so frustrating.
Have you ever read a book so well done that you think about it for weeks after you finish it? The characterization was so well developed to the point where the characters felt like good friends. Part of you didn’t even want to finish it because you weren’t ready to say goodbye. Now imagine that a movie wearing the same exact name as the book that nearly changed the chemical composition of your brain hits theaters, and it’s a complete abomination.
My creative writing teacher in high school used to tell us that it is impossible to create something completely new that didn’t have at least a slight resemblance to a work that already existed. Humans have been creative for far too long for there not to be similarities between different pieces of art. These similarities, though hard to avoid, don’t immediately tarnish a work.
A lot of people actually enjoy finding commonalities between their favorite books or movies. It’s why everyone has a favorite genre or a favorite romance trope. So many books and movies have a scene where two enemies have to spend the night together and there’s only one bed. Do I ever get sick of it? Absolutely not.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with taking the framework of a story and using creative liberty to change it up. People have been doing that for centuries. I dare you to name your favorite movie and try to connect it to any Shakespeare work. I bet you can find something, even if it’s the slightest detail.
I’d argue that some of the best movies originated from Shakespeare. How many different kinds of “Romeo and Juliet” stories have you seen? They made one with gnomes. “10 Things I Hate About You” is actually just Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” but with Heath Ledger. “She’s the Man” is Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” but with Channing Tatum.
These movies are now considered classics, and they are basically fanfiction of Shakespeare plays. The directors weren’t afraid to embrace that. This is why I don’t understand why movie makers will buy the rights to the story directly from the author and totally butcher it. If you’re looking to change foundational details, just start fresh and make something of your own.
It’s important to credit the original work as your inspiration. Authors will find the fact that you took inspiration from their hard work much more flattering than they will find you turning their hard work into something completely unrecognizable.
If you’re signing contracts with the artist and putting money in their hands to bring their story to the big screen, you’d better double down and dedicate yourself to doing the book justice. Not only do you owe that to the writer, but also to the readers.
The biggest issue I have with adaptations that stray from the book is when the title of the movie is the same as the book’s. Producers are marketing that movie as the book, but in film form. If that is the brand it is carrying, that is what I expect to see when I buy my movie ticket.
This is why so many viewers end up disappointed. It’s not because their expectations are too high, but because that is what the movie makers lead them to expect. The upcoming movie, loosely based on Emily Brontë’s novel “Wuthering Heights,” creatively navigated this by simply putting the title in quotation marks.
In short, if a movie is being advertised as a book-to-movie adaptation, it better be ready to deliver. If a director wants to make their own version of a story that already exists, they need to get their creative juices flowing, think of their own title, and give credit to the original work where it is due.
There are 13-year-olds sitting at home typing away for their loyal Wattpad and AO3 readers as we speak. Notice how they take creative liberty however they want, but make sure their work isn’t wearing the same title as their favorite piece of media they pulled inspiration.
