Finally, I was able to see the Hollywoodized version of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner, clearly set up for additional movies to be made following the remainder of the series. I wasn’t in love with the book, so I figured that this provided a good enough reason to allow for seeing the movie: less of a chance of feeling any significant disappointment that the director had missed the point/overspent on special effects/under spent on good acting and script writing, etc.
The movie was notably different from the book, in a number of ways. I didn’t actually think it was worse than the book in any way, but I did feel that it was a different version of the same level of ok. Actually, I felt that–had you not read the books–you would have been able to enjoy the film version every bit as much (or perhaps more, as I find myself always distracted by noticing and cataloging what’s different, how that affects the plot/characters, etc) as those who had. My dad, who had not read the books, went to see the movie with me, and he walked away much more excited about it than I did.
However, I find myself repeatedly drawn to the movies. The question being: has Hollywood given up on trying to create their own ideas? It seems as though every other book released (and sometimes not even released, as pre-release movie rights seem to be a thing now, too!) is being optioned for the big screen. And what author wouldn’t in some way love the opportunity to see the fruits of their labors splashed on the silver screen, for all the world to see?
Well, for starters, those that fear that the movie will absolutely butcher the book, and though I have limited knowledge of book-to-movie contract rights, my understanding is that authors–and especially first time to bat, new to the Hollywood game authors–have virtually no control over what happens to their books once the rights have been optioned. I believe some retain a level of control over the project, but most kind of just have to relinquish it, which I think may be a large reason why not all of these books become great movies.
This is, of course, not always the case with YA-book-turned-Hollywood-hype-project-of-the-moment. The first Twilight movie, while it certainly moved me to read the series and watch the rest of the movies, was . . . well, let’s call it like it is. It wasn’t great. The rest got better as the budget increased and the directors shifted, but the cult following seemed in many ways to have spurred Hollywood’s interest in YA Lit, recognizing the vast loyal readership of these books/authors/series as gold, regardless of the quality of the film made.
The Hunger Games has been incredibly successful by anyone’s standards, with the next installment (they’ve split the last book into two movies) due out in November. The first Divergent movie was very well done–again, there were departures from the book, just as in all the other based-on-the-book movies, but in neither of these series did the departures seem quite so significant. The next film in the series, Allegiant, is due out next March.
Then you have John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, out earlier this summer. I have to preface this by saying that the book itself rocked my world and I’m still getting over it, so while the movie was good–really good compared to most of the crap that came out this summer–it was still a significant enough departure from the book to be a bit disappointing. (Though I note that an extended version of the movie is being released, and I’ll be curious to see what’s added to it!)
I honestly haven’t yet seen Lois Lowry’s The Giver in theaters as (I know, I know–but I can’t help it) I honestly didn’t really like the book. I will, however, see it eventually. Same, too, with Gayle Forman’s If I Stay.
Sadly, some of the books have been butchered in the movie version, with (much to my great frustration) Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments movie being one of them. Another fairly cheesy adaptation let down was Garcia & Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures, which ranged in staging from odd to completely inexplicable. I never read the Percy Jackson series, but that adaptation was apparently a letdown, as well.
Farther along in the future, it’s exciting to see that it looks like Laini Taylor’s The Daughter of Smoke and Bone is actually going to be a project as well as R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, both of which should be amazing on screen. Marie Lu’s Legend series has also been optioned, and I believe a writer/director assigned. Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron has been optioned (supposedly with Taylor Lautner set to play the lead–yay!), but it seems to have stalled along the way. Though I haven’t yet had a chance to tap into it (I’ve been distracted with Marissa Meyer’s the Lunar Chronicles, which have also been optioned, though I’m not as certain about how well this would play out on the big screen), Andrew Smith’s Grasshopper Jungle has been optioned. Of course, Lauren Kate’s Fallen is being released I believe this spring, and that’s seen quite a bit of hype, even before any footage was presented. Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood appears to be getting the Hollywood treatment, as well, thanks to none other than Stephanie Meyers. Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park has been optioned and is currently being worked on, though I don’t think a release date has yet been set. Maggie Stiefvater’s Shivers and The Scorpio Races are both Hollywood projects right now, also.
It’s exciting to see that John Green’s Paper Towns is also set for a 2015 release, and though this was by no means one of my favorite books by him, it should still be interesting, at least. I’m waiting with baited breath for Tim Burton’s take on Ransom Riggs’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children–I have to assume he will only do strange and wonderful things with it.
So, as we all look forward to cold weather, snow, ice. .. oh, wait. Maybe that’s just me. 🙂 Either way, lots of exciting YA Lit buzz–and really, who doesn’t love the excuse to see their favorite characters larger than life with some friends and a bucket of popcorn?
Anyone else out there excited about these upcoming movies (and potential movies)? Any others that I totally skipped that are exciting soon-to-bes?
The Alpha and the Omega: The Endless Ramblings of a YA Lit Lover 