The Top 10 Books I’d Love To See As Movies/TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’d Love To See As Movies/TV Shows. This one was hard because I think we all have love/hate relationships with movie adaptations of our beloved books… sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. Here are some I think I would like to see though… just please don’t ruin them! This week’s list is in no particular order…

1. The Lunar Chronicles as Animated Movies

animated-cinderSource

I never would have dreamed I would suggest this (I figured they couldn’t do the story justice), but once I saw the above image (+more!) from Tumblr I was sold. MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

2. The Scorpio Races as a Movie

scorpio-races-movieI think The Scorpio Races could make for a really interesting movie. The book is a little slow and the movie would have to be faster, more focused on Puck’s family, training, her and Sean’s backstories, not to mention more of the island and these dangerous horses!

See my Scorpio Races dreamcast here

3. For Darkness Shows the Stars and Across A Star-Swept Sea as Movies

fordarknessSource

I have a lot of love for these books, and I would REALLY like to see them as movies!

4. Code Name Verity as a Movie

code-name-verity-picspamSource

As long as the movie didn’t linger too much on the brutality and was more focused on the backstory and the aftermath, I think this would be a really good one to watch (though we’d all still need tissues for sure!).

5. Crime & Punishment (a good modern-day adaptation) as a Movie or YouTube Series

crimepunishFor my thesis project to graduate from the honors college years ago, I made a short film based on Crime and Punishment, set in modern times. While working on this project one of the things I did was watch a few film adaptations of the story, including a modern one called Crime and Punishment in Suburbia which, quite frankly, was terrible. So I would like to see a really good, modern adaptation of the story (to say my short film was “really good” would be an overstatement, ha).

The reason why I also added “or YouTube series” is because I can see this working out really well. Raskolinkov (we can rename him; I did for my project) is an ex-student with a lot of ideas, and I can see him doing YouTube videos to share these ideas. He would have to commit a crime not nearly as heinous and felonious as murder though if the audience is going to know what’s going on with him, or maybe we just watch his degradation from guilt without explanation until later. There would be interactions with his friend, his sister, Sonia… I just seeing it working if done well.

6. Finding Alice as a Movie

finding-alice-collageThis story about a girl diagnosed with schizophrenia has stayed with me for years, and I think it could be a really good movie.

7. The Mistborn Books as an Epic, High-Budget TV Mini-Series

mistborn-collageThis would be amazing. I don’t think there is need for elaboration.

8. Ready Player One as a Movie

readyplayer1-collageImages Found Via readyplayerone.com

I know the film rights were bought recently and I honestly believe that, if done well, I could really end up enjoying the movie more than the book.

9. The Silver Chair as a Movie

the-silver-chairSource

I was talking with some friends recently and one of them said this supposed to be happening so I REALLY hope so! Aside from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this is my favorite of the Narnia books.

10. Leviathan Trilogy as Movies

leviathan-collageI think these books adapted to film would be such a fun ride! Alternate history, steampunk, interesting creatures, and adventures all around make these books an excellent candidate for the big screen I believe!

Also check out Jessi @ A Novel Heartbeat’s recent post about upcoming YA adaptations!

What books would you like to see on the big or small screen?

26 Responses to The Top 10 Books I’d Love To See As Movies/TV Shows

  1. Ohhh Cinder would be great as an animated movie! That’s such an interesting suggestion. I feel like it’d have to have that pixar look or Big Hero 6 look but with the depth of Hayao Miyazaki movies. It’d be perfect! That’s a movie that I’d go see haha

  2. I can’t wait to see the Ready Player One movie! I really enjoyed the book, but I think everything would pack even more of a punch if it was brought to life visually. How cool will it be to see the OASIS and the Stacks? Do you have a dream cast?

  3. Wow, super post today! I love the idea of the animated Lunar Chronicles! But, I would want them to use Rapunzel and Eugene from Tangled as the characters for Cress and Thorne. So essentially, make it a Disney movie. 😀

  4. Wow! You’ve shocked me with #1. I never would’ve thought of the Lunar Chronicles being animated either, but what you found on tumblr is adorable! I’m SO torn now! Making it animated could make it easier to get some of the details right, and the looks of the characters, and the fantasy elements. And in some ways animated movies are very easy to fangirl over, which would help preserve the level of devotion I feel to the book series. But I would just worry if they could make it epic enough, ya know? Would there be enough action, would it be serious enough/feel like YA, would we get to know the leading ladies well enough, and how well would the romances be done?

    Also intrigued by #5. Sounds like you had the right idea with your thesis project — Crime and Punishment would do really well as a modern-day adaptation! Such a guilt story is timeless and I think would even do well in today’s times. And a YouTube series might just be brilliant — a sort of vlog would be the perfect modern way for Raskolnikov to confess his guilt and it would feel so personal.

    • I think as far as the depth of the characters, it’s hard to do that in movie adaptations period, because you can’t help but compare all the development they get in the book(s) versus a movie (or a few movies). I think the romances could be done well, I mean, look at Tangled. That scene with Rapunzel and Flynn in the boat with the lanterns actually made me tear up on my most recent rewatch, I just ship them so hard and love them so much! So I wouldn’t be concerned about that part!

      I really do think a Crime and Punishment would be such an interesting vlog series; glad you agree!

  5. That Code Name Verity edit looks AWESOME. Yes please for Hayley Atwell. And that Lunar Chronicles edit! It looked so insanely cool, and bonus? TADASHI AS PRINCE KAI. <3333 I want it now.

  6. I love that you picked different, specific mediums for the stories. I’m not surprised with your background, and I think it creates a very specific picture of how the story could be harnessed.

    I would totally watch The Lunar Chronicles as an animated franchise of movies. I think Dreamworks could do really well with that. Or Pixar. They’re just so not Disney and there aren’t that many animation houses in film.

    And The Scorpio Races would totally be awesome as a movie. I loved the images you chose! I also would really like For Darkness Shows the Stars and Across a Star-Swept Sea.

    And I haven’t read Mistborn yet, but I love books adapted as tv series because I feel like you can dive into the characters more and revel in the story more.

    The Silver Chair… I like the idea of. I was really disappointed in The Voyage of the Dawntreader, though so I’m warily hopeful.

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