Although Hollywood is constantly coming up with original films, sometimes executives just run out of ideas. So, they take wildly successful and appealing books and turn those in to big-budget films. Some turn out to be small projects with modest casts and production values, while others become huge blockbusters with cult followings. Here we list the Top 10 upcoming book-to-film adaptations for the rest of 2013.
Fair warning: November is loaded with promising movies, so start saving your money for movie tickets!
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Aug. 16, 2013
This is the sequel to fantastical Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Percy Jackson and his friends embark on a journey to the Sea of Monsters to search for the Golden Fleece, an object of divine power. Along the way, the heroes must face mythical creatures and battle ancient evils. (Perfect fantasy, right?) Logan Lerman returns as Percy Jackson.
Book: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) by Rick Riordan
9. Carrie, Oct. 18, 2013
This is not only a film adaptation of the classic horror novel by Stephen King, but also a movie remake . . . of a film adaptation of the book. Regardless, fans of the 1976 horror classic and folks of the younger generation anxiously await the release of this new take on a classic. Carrie, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, is a bullied teenage girl who is harassed by classmates and controlled by her fanatic mother (Julianne Moore is going to kill it as the crazed Christian mother). At the prom, Carrie unleashes her terrifying telekinetic powers on all those who have wronged her.
Book: Carrie by Stephen King
8. The Wolf of Wall Street, Nov. 15, 2013
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jordan Belfort, a wildly rich investment banker who lives life in the fast lane surrounded by parties, drugs, sex, and luxuries of all kind. Belfort gets mixed up in a massive Wall Street scandal and his whole world begins to come crashing down. The movie is based on John Belfort’s autobiography of the same name. Martin Scorsese directs an all-star cast including Jon Favreau, Spike Jonze, Matthew McConaughey, and Jonah Hill. Although seeing DiCaprio play the high-rolling superstar is nothing new, we can't deny this will be a hit at the box office.
Book: The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
7. Black Nativity, Nov. 27, 2013
A musical rendition of one of Langston Hughes' most spiritual pieces. The story of the birth of Jesus is intertwined into a enthralling contemporary tale of family life in the big city as a single Baltimore mother (Jennifer Hudson) falls on hard times and sends her street-wise son (Jacob Latimore) to Harlem to stay with her estranged parents (Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett) during the holidays. There he embarks on an inspirational journey. The musical includes heart-wrenching and uplifting performances by its stars. (You know the soundtrack is going right into my Itunes library). The all-star cast includes Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, and Tyrese Gibson.
Book: Black Nativity by Langston Hughes
6. Serena, Sept. 27, 2013
Silver Linings Playbook’s Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper reunite in this adaptation of the 2009 New York Times bestseller and PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist novel by the same name. It is a story of greed, corruption, and revenge as newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton move to North Carolina from Boston to build a timber empire during the late 1920s. The two ruthlessly kill all who stand in their way. When Serena finds out she can’t bear children, the couple’s past and marriage chaotically unravels. If Lawrence’s performance in Serena is anything like her Oscar-winning role in S.L.P. (which surely it will be), then this movie is bound to be a hit!
Book: Serena: A Novel by Ron Rash
5. The book Thief, Nov. 15, 2013
This New York Times bestseller and Printz Honor book is about the power that books have to take people away from their problems and feed their souls in times of horror and despair. Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich finds escape by stealing and reading books during WWII. After her accordion-playing foster father teaches her to read, she continues to steal any book she can get her hands on and shares them with neighbors and the Jewish man her family is sheltering. Surely this story will tug at your heartstrings and inspire you to read more books. (Death narrates the book, so its tone is a little dark but really captivating.) Directed by Downton Abbey's Brian Percival, the film will star Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and rising Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse.
Book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Ender's Game, Nov. 1, 2013
If you’re a sci-fi fan (who isn't?), you need to see this movie! Set in the future during a war against an alien civilization, a brilliantly gifted child named Ender Wiggin is sent to a military academy in preparation for an alien invasion. Although there is bound to be huge action scenes with incredible effects, the audience also sees Ender’s struggle with his family and his future as a leader. Not only that, but the struggle that a child must face once he's put in an adult's world of war. This blockbuster will have epic fighting scenes and unbelievable visual effects. What more could you want from a sci-fi movie? Asa Butterfield plays Ender (you'll remember him from Hugo.) Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin also star in the movie.
Book: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3. The Monuments Men, Dec. 18, 2013
This unbelievable true story set during World War II tells the tale of a crew of British and American art historians and museum directors who band together and risk their lives to rescue stolen works of art before Hitler and the Nazis erase them from history. As opposed to sending trained military and the army's most well-trained men, FDR assembles a task force comprised of art experts to enter Germany, recover 1000s' of years of art, and return them to their proper owners. (Think Saving Private Ryan, but with art and history nerds.) The film stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Jean Dujardin. Surely, the cast will bring this compelling and unlikely story to life.
Book: The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel
2. August: Osage County, Nov. 8, 2013
After the father of the Weston family commits suicide, an entire family returns to the Oklahoma house they grew up in for the funeral. The strong-willed women of the family whose paths have led them in different directions finally clash as a series of calamitous events occurs. The film examines both the struggles and the bonds of family. Meryl Streep is unrecognizable as the dysfunctional mother, Violet; Julia Roberts plays her daughter, Barbara. (Let's be real, what role CAN'T Meryl Streep play?)
Book: August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Nov. 22, 2013
This is probably the most-awaited film of 2013. It is the sequel to The Hunger Games, adapted from the books by Suzanne Collins. After winning the Hunger Games and embarrassing the Capitol, there has been talks throughout the districts of riots and revolution. Katniss Everdeen aka The Girl on Fire has given the people hope to begin taking control and stand up against the over-bearing Capitol. The Capitol won’t stand for losing their power so they throw Katniss into another Hunger Games, this time against all the previous winners. Her opponents are not just kids from other districts, but now killers from past years who have lived their whole lives for the Capitol and some even against the Capitol. Jennifer Lawrence stars as the “Girl on Fire,” Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return as the two sides of her love triangle.
Book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Now, run to your nearest book store and get ready for some unbelievable stories.
