The Bookseller does a pretty good job of reporting the trends on book-to-film translations and just what the movie-goers want. And the sometimes confusing ends it can have.While The Golden Compass, Eragon and The Chronicles of Narnia are all huge hits in the book world, that success didn't necessarily translate on to the big screen. At least not in the numbers the studios wanted.
Let's face it. Harry Potter started it all. Those books were the ultimate gateway for the YA genre to have become what it's become. It opened the door even wider for movie adaptations of YA fantasy books. The fans loved the books. They loved them so much that they flocked to the movies in droves to see the films (although there's a bit of anger around this latest one). So why didn't it work with the others?
The Bookseller thinks that people are just sick of them. But think about it, if people really liked the books, why wouldn't they enjoy the movie? Maybe because it wasn't a good adaptation to begin with? Hmmm? I think that was a pretty major point that the article missed. If you don't give the fans what they want with the movie, and not what the studio wants to do, the chances of them liking it are pretty low. Not to mention the fanbase for Harry Potter is astronomical and so huge that I don't think any of those other ones can actually compare. So the numbers are a bit misleading when you look at it that way.
But I guess now the studios are branching out to less hardcore YA fantasy movies. Things that are more of this world with just a hint of fantasy, more family oriented movies, that type of thing. So what YA book would you want to see made into a movie? Who knows. It could very well happen.
4 comments:
It would never happen, but the Frank Beddor series The Looking Glass Wars! But it's seriously out there fantasy. Oh well, it's what came to mind first.
i was pleased with the film adaptation of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. but i was dissapointed with the second one: Prince Caspian. and i get that the studio respond to one movie being sucessful by shoveling out more movies along the same vein.
but i totally agree with you. frankly i think they don't see the number they want because the movies just aren't good.
as for which YA novel i'd like to see made into a movie i'll have to give that some more thought
I remember this Bookseller article... it's now sat in my Twilight folder, lol. I love the Narnia filmes, but disliked The Golden Compass. I thought it was pretty bad. Obviously, I'm a Twilight movie fan, and also a HP one. I don't think adaptations will ever die down.. at least, I hope they don't!
I hope they don't die either but I think the movie studios need to listen to the fans and make the movies based on their suggestions. It can't hurt the movie, can it? I mean, the fans know what they like more than the movie people do.
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