As a reader, hearing a favorite book is being adapted is both thrilling and a little nauseating. Some adaptations are terrific, others make you weep. Of course the book is always better. Anyone who says different only saw the movie, never read the book.
But there is a risk with adapting a book into a movie. There’s a risk with every movie. Just because you have an all star cast doesn’t mean it’ll be a box office hit. But a book has an extra risk as there’s already a fan base, there’s a pre-established plot, characters, character relationships and everything. One bad change, one screw up and not only is it money down the drain but it’ll be a big blemish on the reputation and record of the directors, producers and studios.
The best I can think of a bad adaptation is “The Golden Compass”. Of all the bad book adaptations, that one stands out. I was so excited for it and yet…well if you’ve seen the movie you know what I felt.
Yet adapting a book is tricky. A novel has, essentially, no limits to page and word count. Unless you’re writing for young readers, then limits will apply. But for YA and older audiences, the world’s your oyster. Yet that’s where it gets tricky if a studio/producer adapts the story. You’ve written a beautiful world, deep characters and so much to create a story so fantastic someone wants to adapt it. Yet movies have a time limit. Epic movies, like Lord of the Rings and others have gone to two hours and a little more.
But there’s only so much that can be displayed on screen. There’s only so much that actors, special effects and background music can display. It’s like that picture of the iceberg. A movie gives the tip of the iceberg, the book is other ninety percent under water.
It’s especially tricky when writing a series. If the series isn’t complete when the first movie is filmed, any changes to twists the studio makes could provide an inconsistency when the other books come out. I.E Harry Potter. In the first book Harry passes out as Quirrel strangles him and Harry tries to shove him off. He doesn’t see Quirrel die. In the movie Quirrel turns to stone and collapses. In book 5 J.K Rowling introduces the Thestrals and how Harry can see them. At the time of the first movie, book five was maybe in the outline process. There was no way for the producers to know. Yet this did cause a few raised eyebrows and confusion.
If the series is complete then no worries. From the horse’s mouth, Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven is being highly considered for an adaptation. He’s already written the screenplay which has been approved by a producer. That’s not saying it’s Going to happen but it’s on the right track. Yet, as the series is complete, there’s no risk of someone changing something for the movie which will raise confusion and complications for the yet-to-be-published next book.
Some studios may stretch one book into more than one movie. Such as Mockingjay part 1 and 2. The Hobbit trilogy and IT parts 1 and 2. (Although part 2 isn’t out yet). But in these cases it does allow some elements to be looked at closer, more time in to portray certain scenes and elements.
It really depends on the studio’s interest, ideas and meddling (for lack of a better term). What should be done is a page on social media and other sites where the author and director or whoever can make notes saying….”Due to time constraints we may need to whittle down or cut entirely one of these scenes. Which ones are you guys okay with being cut, put on a Deleted Scenes special feature?” and the readers can vote. That way the readers and author can feel that the movie will be faithful and the director can be sure they’re not shooting themself in the foot.
Being faithful in an adaptation isn’t just about being faithful to the story. It’s also about being respectful to the readers who are excited to see it happen. The readers have just as much excitement and expectations as the author. Be faithful to everything.
Living, Writing, and Ranting. 