Three Books That Should Be Made Into Movies Pronto
Do you ever read a book and just wish you could see it visually? (cough cough, any fantasy or dystopian book ever) Or wish you could read a whole book series for your favourite movie? Well, I do. In fact, I have an entire page on my notes app dedicated to books that I think should be movies, movies that I wish would be remade, and movies that I would love to read a novel for.
Today I’m going to be going through my top three choices for books that should have movie adaptations and discussing exactly how I’d visualise them.
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
OK, so this one may be a bit confusing because it was only in 2019 that we got the movie adaptation of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, but let’s be honest, that film was not the Tartt story we were all hoping to see on the big screen. Personally, I would absolutely love to see a movie adaptation of my favourite autumn read—the academia aesthetic, murder mystery, and complicated relationships?! Sign me up.
In my personal vision, I can see this story being shot on film for an extra artsy vibe with a Dead Poets Society / Little Women colour palette, and Timothée Chalamet as Francis would be a fantastic casting choice. I think this story would work so much better on screen than The Goldfinch, as, while it is very mystical and allegorical, its events feel a lot more plausible than the ones in The Goldfinch. I also think the larger cast would be so much more interesting visually than the limited selection of characters in The Goldfinch, as the different relationships could likely play out subtly and interestingly on screen.
My director choice would be Greta Gerwig, and for the score I’d love to see Carlos Rafael Rivera work his magic after his eerie and captivating work on The Queen’s Gambit (another academic, high stakes story).
Danny the Champion of the World | Roald Dahl
We are definitely not short on Roald Dahl adaptations with classics like Matilda (the original, NOT the musical… I’m sorry), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Fantastic Mr. Fox (one of my all-time favourites). That being said, one story that is severely underrated, and my favourite Roald Dahl story of all time, is Danny the Champion of the World.
I know there is a movie adaptation from 1989, but I must admit I wasn’t a fan of that version. This story deserves a major remake, and I can envision a very intimate and quiet adaptation, with Danny and his father’s relationship taking centre stage.
I can see this movie being done in one of two ways. Firstly, I could see it done in a Little Prince way with stop motion animation, watercolour aesthetics, fluttering paper trees in the forest, etc. On the other hand, I can see it done as a live action remake with 35mm film and warm colours.
I used to think that Caleb McLaughlin (best known as Lucas from Netflix’s Stranger Things) would be a perfect Danny back in the first season of Stranger Things, but now that he's a bit too old I’m yet to decide who would be the perfect fit. In terms of director, I used to have Wes Anderson listed, but upon seeing the direction his recent films have taken, I may have to pick Céline Sciamma instead. Sciamma is the master of subtle scene-making and heartwarming/wrenching narratives, so I just know she’d do this story justice!
Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo
OK, I’m cheating a bit with this one because Netflix has released two seasons of the Shadow and Bone adaptation which heavily features characters from this series; however, I still think it deserves its own series. I think a spin-off show that delves into each of the crows (which is what the characters in the book are called) individually would be awesome, with each episode following a different perspective, similar to the chapters in the books!
Each season could be relatively short with maybe 4-6 episodes detailing a different self-contained mission, similarly to how BBC did Sherlock’s seasons. I love the casting in Shadow and Bone so they could all stay, but having little cameos from other characters could also be fun.
