The most reassuring thing about Hollywood nowadays is that when the search for original material gets too hard or risky, it isn’t afraid of jumping on the established works of bestselling authors and adapting them for the big screen.
There’s no downside, really. You get prepackaged fans, speedy word of mouth and a half-baked marketing department scheme–just slap ‘based on the New York Times # 1 bestseller’ in italics on a poster more photoshopped than Madonna in a Louis Vutton spread and you’ve got gold.
All jokes aside, a crop of these upcoming movies look promising and good enough to spend your hard earned cash on. Even better, the source material is worth even more.
So go pick one up and immerse yourself–and try not become the “The movie is out, so I don’t have to read the book” cliche. No one likes those type of people.
Divergent
Due to release March 21st in IMAX, Veronica Roth’s debut novel Divergent (part of a thrilling bestselling trilogy) is out for blood, Hunger Game’s blood to be exact. This dystopian plans to upset the YA line of succession–however, as many other movies have proven (Percy Jackson, Ender’s Game) it can be difficult breaking out in a genre specific franchise with failure rates that outweigh the successes.
Set in a ‘utopian’ Chicago , Divergent follows all around mary sue Beatrice Prior who lives in a society divided into five different factions.
These factions are dedicated to five virtues–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).
It isn’t until after the faction Choosing Ceremony that newly named Tris finds her inner she-wolf, and consequently learns that she can’t be categorized into one group and is different. And in their world different means dangerous.
Producers felt so confident about the movie’s chances that it fast tracked the sequel Insurgent. They know what they’re talking about–so yeah, go read that book.
The Giver
Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Unless you spent your childhood as Matilda and consumed every book in your local library’s repertoire, then you will mostly likely only know this title because you were forced to read it by your hag of a teacher in grade school.
Considered a classic, Lois Lowry’s novel centers around a young boy named Jonas whose Community is seemingly perfect. There is no war or fear or pain. No choices.
Jonas is selected to learn from the Giver, an elderly man who knows what’s up in the “real world”.
The kid’s not even in high school and he has to get the ‘real world’ speech, that’s messed up. The Giver’s silver screen counterpart is due out August 15.
Hunger Games: Mocking Jay
Does this even need plugging? You would have to live under a rock to not know what this is about–and if you do, well, sincerest apologies. For the sake of continuity, a blurb is, in fact, necessary.
Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay (which is not split into two parts) follows Katniss Everdeen and crew as the venture into the dangerous waters of revolution.
The Girl on Fire has become the reluctant symbol of the rebellion against a Capitol full of people who look like they would rather be at a Lady Gaga concert than fight the good fight. The next installment hits theatres November 21.
Gone Girl
Opening in early October, Gillian Flynn’s fiction suspense/ thriller Gone Girl–which got mixed critic reviews–tells the story of Nick Dunne a bitter husband whose perfectionist wife goes missing on their wedding anniversary.
The police suspect foul play. But did he do it? Who did? Important questions.
Oscar winning director and future Batman Ben Affleck is set to play the twisted, misunderstood spouse in the movie adaption alongside the likes of Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry.
Other Adaptations to look out for:
J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit: There and Back Again
Also by Gillian Flynn Dark Places
John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars
James Dashner’s The Maze Runner
Zhana Johnson
Features Correspondent