The books that need to be made into movies

For 81 weeks, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been a part of The New York Times’ best sellers list. The film version of the book has captivated audiences around the world and is the highest selling foreign language film in the U.K. as of last year. This made me wonder: what other awesome books need to be made into movies? Here are my top three (SPOILERS AHEAD!):

Rage-Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

Originally titled Getting It On, this is one of the novels that Stephen King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It is not one of his traditional horror story novels, however, there are many elements that’d make a great movie. The main character Charles Everett “Charlie” Decker is a junior at his high school, who finds himself in trouble and responds with violence towards his teachers. In a climactic moment in the book, Charlie gets into trouble, proceeds to his locker, pulls out a gun and fatally shoots two of his teachers. Charlie barricades himself into a classroom full of students, which leads to a discussion between him and the other students, as if turning the class into a psychotherapy group. This novel should be adapted into a movie because although it was first published in 1977, this subject has not been more relevant than in today’s society. As well, the book is a difficult one to find and a story like this needs as much exposure as possible—in any medium.

Catcher in the Rye-J.D. Salinger

Okay, so I know most classic novels shouldn’t be messed with but this piece of literature is one that needs visuals to match the epic storyline. The novel features a main character, 16-year-old Holden Caulfield, through his deepest thoughts and journey. Holden is a very troubled teen who hates school, fads and society. He leaves prep school and begins his journey home to Manhattan. Along the way, readers get a very personal and intimate view into Holden’s mind and his beliefs. This novel should be made into a movie because Holden reiterates the thoughts that most people think but never actually say. Also, Holden’s view of the world gives readers an opportunity to contemplate a genuinely unique perspective to carry into their own life. It would be great to see this played out on screen and put real images to these well-known words.

Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoevsky

This classic piece of literature has been turned over a few times in movie form, but it would be interesting to see a contemporary, big-budget adaptation of the novel. The story is set in Russia and follows the main character Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a poor but attractive and very intelligent man (shall I suggest Jake Gyllenhaal for the lead?). He murders a pawnbroker and for the rest of the novel, the reader watches Raskolnikov struggle with himself and his actions. This book would make for a great movie because it keeps the reader on edge, always wanting more.

You May Also Like