I forged most of my best theater-going memories when I went to the local cinema to see the film adaptation of a book I enjoyed. However, whenever I watch one of these movies, I can’t help but think about all the fantastic books that remain untranslated onto the silver screen.
Full disclosure: I don’t think every good book, even the all-time greats, deserves a movie adaptation. Some of the best books I’ve read stuck with me because they embraced the unique strengths of printed media. I also remember what it’s like to watch one of those based-on-a-book movies: the all-too-common cinematic adaptation that utterly, agonizingly fails to re-capture the spirit of the stories they’re inspired by. Looking at you, 2011’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
Whether you’re a bookworm searching for books with cinematic potential or an aspiring filmmaker seeking top-tier material, here are the ten books we’d like to see adapted into a movie.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
House of Leaves is one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read, and that’s entirely because it reads like a puzzle. Danielewski weaves a mind-melting story-within-a-story that constantly leaves you wondering where the concrete, descriptive prose ends and the delusional rambling of our unreliable transcriber begins. When I put it down, I felt like all the walls in my house had eyes and were closing in on me.
Of all the proposed book-to-film adaptations on this list, I’ll admit a House of Leaves movie has the most potential to go wrong. However, a well-versed studio like A24 or an independent filmmaker like Kane Pixels could translate House of Leaves into a spine-animating analog horror film. Projects like the Mandela Catalog and Skinamarink have rocketed this genre into popularity, and there are already some fantastic House of Leaves-inspired animations that show us what a film adaptation could look like.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
I’m not a big fan of books about time travel, and that’s entirely my fault. Even Avengers Endgames’ straightforward take on time-hopping makes my head buzz, but I like it when a book uses time travel to explore characters and their relationships. This Is How You Lose The Time War does this well, and I could see it being made into a fun romance movie.
Framed as a series of letters written by Red and Blue, star-crossed soldiers fighting a multiversal war on opposing sides, This is How You Lose the Time War does creative things with perspective and chronology that opens up many opportunities for an ambitious director. The special effects budget would be astronomical, but I can already see some fantastic scenes where Red and Blue’s words play over a backdrop of a dying world, ancient tombs, and 20th-century coffee shops.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Contemporary retellings of classic Greek myths always impress me, but The Song of Achilles is one of those rare reinterpretations that outshines the original tale. Drawing on undercurrents that were always present in the original myth, Miller reframes the tragic story of Achilles into a parable about LGBTQ+ self-discovery and forbidden romance that stays true to the timeless appeal of ancient Greek storytelling.
In the hands of a talented director, a film based on The Song of Achilles would easily be blockbuster material. The battle-scarred walls of Troy, practically built or computer-generated, would provide the perfect opportunity for Oscar-worthy low-and-high-angle shots. The chance to play Achilles, Patroclus, and Briseis could also bring in top-shelf talent.
Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry
I always start sweating when I hear rumors that one of the many young-adult fantasy novels I read growing up is being made into a movie. From 2014’s Seventh Son to 2020’s Artemis Fowl, the list of disappointing cinematic adaptations of fantasy YA fantasy novels is about as long as the trail to the peak of Mount Everest. That said, I still hope we’ll get a Skulduggery Pleasant movie someday.
With a delightfully macabre take on the time-tested “young protagonist stumbles into a hidden magical world” premise, a Skulduggery Pleasant movie could appeal to a broader audience than most YA fantasy film adaptations. For a dream scenario, I’d choose an animated Skulduggery Pleasant film adaptation over a live-action one. Since one of the two main characters is a walking, talking skeleton in a snazzy suit, I think it’d be best to lean into the series’ quirkiness with some stylized 2-D animation.
Fun fact: if I’d written this list last year, I would’ve also included Fablehaven somewhere.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Plenty of books tackle themes of friendship and camaraderie, but few touch on that awkward gray area on the border of platonic and romantic love. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, is one of those books, and I love it to bits (and bytes). It’s a refreshing take on the typical “boy meets girl” story, combining excellent character writing, solid pacing, and video game programming lingo into one outstanding package.
A movie based on Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow wouldn’t be that difficult to make, but it would face some unique issues. I could see some audiences getting frustrated with the story since it intentionally ducks many traditional romance tropes. Luckily, the book’s funny and emotional enough to compensate for that.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkaine Braithwaite
With a book titled My Sister, The Serial Killer, the adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover” loses some of its power. This black comedy gives you precisely what it promises on the sleeve: a black comedy romp about a woman struggling to keep her sister’s chronic murderous tendencies under control. It’s horrifying, hilarious, and ripe for a movie adaptation.
My Sister, The Serial Killer, would be a fantastic black comedy film. The book made me crack up more than a few times, and the jokes would land even harder, delivered by a talented cast. It also has a pretty solid mystery at the core of its plot that would encourage repeat watches.
Nueromancer by William Gibson
Neuromancer is one of the most influential science-fiction books ever printed. It’s not the first cyberpunk novel, but its success established the genre as a cornerstone of speculative fiction, paving the way for the success of Blade Runner, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2077, and countless other projects. So, why hasn’t it gotten a movie yet?
Studios have been trying to make a Neuromancer film for decades, but an unkempt menagerie of production issues has caused every attempt to crash and burn. I can see why; it has a massive cast of characters and a lot of technological exposition, which made it hard to keep track of what was happening while I was reading. This would probably be one of those adaptations that would benefit from being unfaithful to the source material.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I’ll admit it: I was skeptical about A Court of Thorns and Roses when it made its grand comeback in 2020. But after more than a few friends recommended it to me, I finally read it. I still have a few issues with it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find myself drawn into its visceral world of fey fiefdoms, magical plagues, and risque romance. With all its popularity, I’m genuinely surprised it hasn’t gotten a movie yet.
A Court of Thorns and Roses film would pull enormous crowds on name recognition alone. Even a middling adaptation would be fun to see on the big screen, but with the right combination of cast and crew, we could end up with one of those rare book-to-movies that surpasses the original book. A world as beautiful as Prythian would benefit from cinematic-scale visual storytelling, and a powerhouse pair of leads could deliver some epically steamy performances as Ferye and Tamlin.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Have you ever looked back on your past decisions, wishing you’d made a different choice somewhere along the road? What would your life look like if you’d asked out that cute face at the coffee shop or applied for that job you weren’t sure about? That concept is what The Midnight Library is all about, and I think plenty of people would watch a movie based on it.
The Midnight Library has a fantastic setting that I’d love to see visualized in a movie. These themes also feel relevant in today’s world since so many people question their life choices and wonder if everything they’ve done up to this point was worth it.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guinn is one of the best writers in history, but most of her work has remained confined to print. Filmmakers have adapted her seminal Tales of Earthsea saga a few times, but these retellings have fallen short. If I had to venture a guess, these failures are why we don’t have a film adaptation of her magnum opus, The Left Hand of Darkness.
The Left Hand of Darkness is a phenomenal science-fiction story that asks challenging questions about gender, cultural barriers, and the importance of seeing the world from new perspectives. It also has action, suspense, betrayal, and romance. In short, it’s everything a tremendous based-on-a-book movie needs.
Published: Jan 26, 2025 09:29 am