By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:15am PDT, May 9, 2024
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Join us as we look back at some of the best movies based on books…
Anne Hathaway plays an art gallery owner and Nicholas Galitzine plays a British pop star in the 2024 Prime Video movie "The Idea of You," which is based on actress-author Robinne Lee's juicy 2017 book of the same name. Michael Showalter directed the movie from a screenplay co-written with Jennifer Westfeldt.
The 2024 rom-com centers on Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who unexpectedly falls for 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon — the hottest boy band on the planet — after he pursues her following a chance meeting at the Coachella music festival. Things get complicated as they navigate his fame, her life with a teenage daughter and the societal pressures of an older woman dating a younger man.
Keep reading to see a steamy photo from the film plus more of our all-time favorite book-to-movie adaptations…
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The hit 2004 romantic drama "The Notebook" is based on a 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. Like the book, the film centers around young lovers Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) who reconnect years after their differences first tore them apart. The movie may not have been a hit with critics — and it certainly didn't win any Oscars — but it performed well at the box office and is now widely considered to be one of the greatest love stories told on film.
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Frank Darabont's lauded 1994 prison drama "The Shawshank Redemption" is based on Stephen King's 1982 novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption." Tim Robbins starred as banker Andy Dufresne — falsely imprisoned for the murders of his wife and her lover — who befriends a group of fellow inmates including Morgan Freeman's Red while serving two consecutive life sentences and experiencing the brutality of life behind bars during the late 1940s. The film scored seven Oscar nominations including best picture, best adapted screenplay and best lead actor for Morgan.
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Arguably the greatest film of all time is based on a book: The 1972 epic "The Godfather" — which was adapted from Mario Puzo's bestselling 1969 novel of the same name — centers around a fictional New York City-based crime family led by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and chronicles the transformation of his son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), from reluctant outsider to ruthless mafia boss. "The Godfather" won three Oscars — best picture, best adapted screenplay and best lead actor for Marlon — and scored eight more Academy Award nominations including best director and best supporting actor for Al and co-stars Robert Duvall and James Caan.
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The 2023 Prime Video movie "Red, White & Royal Blue" is based on the bestselling 2019 novel of the same name by author Casey McQuiston
It follows American law school student Alex Claremont-Diaz (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female president of the United States (played by Uma Thurman), and Britain's Prince Henry (played by Nicholas Galitzine), a handsome, charismatic young royal with whom the first son has had a social feud for years.
After a disastrous incident unfolds between the two men during a royal wedding attended by global leaders, they're forced by their powerful families and handlers to form a truce that turns into a friendship and, eventually, far more.
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One of the most successful film franchises of all time is based on one of the best-selling book series of all time: The first "Harry Potter" film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," debuted in 2001. It went on to spawn seven sequels and the "Fantastic Beasts" prequel trilogy, which kicked off in 2016. The 11-film series — which scored a number of Oscar nominations over the years — has banked nearly $10 billion at the global box office over the years.
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The 2004 teen comedy "Mean Girls" isn't based on a novel, but it was inspired by a book: Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 self-help book "Queen Bees and Wannabes," which was written for the parents of teenage girls.
Tina Fey mined the text for comedy gold and turned the film's young star, Lindsay Lohan, into a household name. The film — in which Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert also starred — inspired a 2017 Broadway musical of the same name that was turned into a lauded 2024 musical film.
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The hit 2001 rom-com "Bridget Jones's Diary" is based on a 1996 novel of the same name by Helen Fielding — who co-wrote the screenplay — inspired by Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." The movie was a huge hit with critics and at the box office — Renee Zellweger scored an Oscar nomination for best lead actress for her work alongside Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. She returned for two sequels: 2004's "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" and 2016's "Bridget Jones's Baby."
A third sequel is reportedly set to start filming in 2024.
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The 2024 romantic drama "Float" is based on Kate Marchant's wildly popular Wattpad novel of the same name.
The film centers around a young woman named Waverly (Andrea Bang) who blows off her summer med school prep courses after the handsome boy next door (Robbie Amell) saves her life when she nearly drowns while visiting her aunt over the summer. Sparks fly as he teaches her how to swim — and as she begins to learn what she really wants out of life.
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The 2006 dramedy "The Devil Wears Prada" is based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It centers around aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and her boss-from-hell Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), who's inspired by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The film was a huge hit with critics and at the box office and went on to score two Oscar nominations: best costume design, naturally, and best lead actress for Meryl.
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Christian Bale absolutely slayed as serial killer Patrick Bateman in the 2000 satirical horror film "American Psycho," which is based on Bret Easton Ellis's disturbing 1991 novel of the same name. Critics may not have loved the drama, but that didn't stop it from developing a cult following over the years.
MORE: Stars' on-screen transformations
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Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" was the must-read book of 2012 — and the David Fincher-directed adaptation was the must-watch film of 2014. Ben Affleck starred in the psychological thriller as an aloof teacher who becomes the prime suspect when his wife (Rosamund Pike, who scored an Oscar nomination for her work in the film) suddenly goes missing. "Gone Girl" was a huge hit with critics and at the box office.
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"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum has been adapted countless times, but it's the 1939 musical version — titled "The Wizard of Oz" and starring a young Judy Garland — that won our hearts. Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, the musical won the Oscars for best score and best original song for "Over the Rainbow." It scored three more Academy Award nominations including best picture, which it lost to "Gone with the Wind."
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"The Hunger Games" had something for everyone when it hit theaters in 2012: romance, action, political intrigue and more. Perhaps that's why the original four-film franchise — which is based on Suzanne Collins' trilogy of dystopian YA novels — was so incredibly successful. The Jennifer Lawrence-led action flicks grossed more than $2.9 billion worldwide, making "The Hunger Games" one of the top-grossing film franchises of all time.
In 2020, Suzanne dropped the prequel "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which was adapted into a hit 2023 film similarly titled "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."
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After Alice Walker's epic 1982 novel "The Color Purple" won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, it inspired a 1985 Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation that racked up 11 Oscar nominations including best picture, best adapted screenplay, best actress for Whoopi Goldberg and best supporting actress for both Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey.
The novel went on to inspire a 2004 Broadway musical of the same name that in turn inspired a 2023 musical film. Danielle Brooks, who starred in the 2015 Broadway revival, scored an Oscar nomination for her work in the 2023 film.
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Leonardo DiCaprio went to great lengths to shoot 2015's "The Revenant," which is based on Michael Punke's 2002 novel of the same name. All his hard work paid off: He won the Oscar for best actor in 2016. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki also took home Oscars for their work on the film, which scored a total of 12 Academy Award nominations including best picture.
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Chocolate rivers, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Fizzy Lifting Drinks — our greatest childhood dreams came alive with the delicious 1971 big-screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which was renamed "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." (Roald would disagree with this addition to the list — he reportedly hated the movie, which starred the late, great Gene Wilder.) Sadly, the 2005 remake starring Johnny Depp was not nearly as sweet.
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The 2011 period drama "The Help" is based on Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name. It was a big hit with critics and at the box office, though it only won a single Oscar: best supporting actress for Octavia Spencer, who starred as a put-upon housekeeper during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. "The Help" earned three more Academy Award nominations: best picture, best lead actress for Viola Davis and best supporting actress for Jessica Chastain. (Emma Stone also starred in the film as an aspiring writer who interviews the maids about the systematic racism they've faced over the years.)
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Emma Donoghue, who wrote the 2010 novel "Room," also wrote the screenplay for the 2015 adaptation starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and son who escape the shed where she was held captive for years — and where he was born — so that he can finally experience life in the outside world. Brie won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, a BAFTA Award, a Critics Choice Award, an Independent Spirit Award and more for her work in the drama, which scored three more Academy Award nominations: best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.
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The 2015 adaptation of Colm Tóibín's 2009 novel "Brooklyn" scored three Academy Award nominations: best picture, best adapted screenplay and best lead actress for Saoirse Ronan, who starred as an Irish immigrant torn between her two homes and two loves.
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Emily Blunt starred as a lonely alcoholic who witnesses a crime but begins to doubt what she really saw in the 2016 adaptation of Paula Hawkins' novel "The Girl on the Train." While the psychological thriller failed to impress critics, it was a huge hit at the box office, raking in more than $173 million at the global box office. Emily also scored BAFTA and SAG Award nominations for her work in the film.
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Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander met and fell in love while co-starring as a married couple in the 2016 adaptation of M.L. Stedman's New York Times bestselling novel "The Light Between Oceans." The drama kicks off when the couple, who live on an island off the coast of Australia, rescue and informally adopt a baby who washes ashore. Years later, they're forced to confront the consequences of their actions. The film performed well with critics, although it ultimately failed to make much impact at the box office.
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"Where the Crawdads Sing" — a 2022 adaptation of the 2018 Delia Owens novel of the same name, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list — may have tanked with critics, but that didn't stop fans of the book from showing up in droves to see Kya's epic love story with her childhood sweetheart play out on the big screen. Daisy Edgar-Jones starred as "the Marsh Girl" — an outsider who becomes the primary suspect in the murder of a former suitor — in the Reese Witherspoon-produced drama.
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The 2007 romantic tragedy "Atonement" — which is based on Ian McEwan's 2001 novel of the same name — centers around young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), who are torn apart on the brink of WWII by a lie told by Cecilia's jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan). The period drama performed well with critics and at the box office and went on to score seven Oscar nominations including best picture, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actress for Saoirse.
