What would Hollywood be without popular books to adapt these days?

[Galactus]

Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Da Vinci Code... It seems that most big franchises today are adaptations of popular books (and comics). While it has resulted in some very good movies sometimes I can't help wish that Hollywood could come up with some ideas of their own. They could once. Even as late as in the 80's there were a lot of very successful movies that weren't adaptations, like Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, the Indiana Jones-movies to name a few.

[블라스]

The Hollywood movie industry has only a few years to live now.

[The Lumberjack]

I agree completely, Gammy. There are a few people out there still doing great original films, but for the most part Hollywood is all but dead.

BTW Galactus is one of the best posters around. It seems like he always start the most intelligent and interesting threads, especially his science threads.

[ultimatefan]

Hollywood has been like that since always, A LOT of movies have been adapted from novels or plays...Gone With The Wind? Novel. Casblanca? Play. Wizard of Oz? Novel. Godfather? Novel. now they also have comic books, old TV shows, games...

[Kevin Roegele]

Originally Posted by ultimatefan

Hollywood has been like that since always, A LOT of movies have been adapted from novels or plays...Gone With The Wind? Novel. Casblanca? Play. Wizard of Oz? Novel. Godfather? Novel. now they also have comic books, old TV shows, games...

Good call. Shawshank Redemption? Steven King story. Lord of the Rings? Obviously. Psycho, The Birds, Silence of the Lambs, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Shining, 2001, Jaws, Forest Gump, Blade Runner, The Big Sleep, Full Metal Jacket, The Exorcist.....some of the greatest movies of all time have come from the printed page.

Think like a Hollywood exec. It only makes sense to make a movie based on a popular book, rather than make a completely new movie that you are not sure anyone will like.

[Mee]

Look at Disney. They ran out of Fairy Tales and now all they make is crap. Unless it involves Pirates or Pixar.

[GoldGoblin]

They have books,comic books,television shows,video games,and remakes from older movies.Looks like they have enough material.

[Sabretooth]

Originally Posted by GoldGoblin

They have books,comic books,television shows,video games,and remakes from older movies.Looks like they have enough material.

Maybe,but look at how they waste their materials....

[cerealkiller182]

Hollywood is definately surviving off owning and producing other peoples work (books, classic movies, plays, tv shows, video games, even peoples lives!!!). But nowadays I feel like most of the really good movies are made from directors/writers/actor/whoever pitching to the studios. The studios are now more of a finace source rather than a creative source. People like Spielberg, Scorsesse, and Eastwood are definately making movies they want to be making. While people like Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Rodriquez basically just go out and make their film and hope a studio will distribute it.

In a few years Hollywood will definately become obsolete and the distribution and production of movies will be nationwide rather than that little greedy part of LA. Like anyone films around here anymore anyway (I know they still do! I am exagerrating!). I'm gonna do my best when I get out of college to make a Hollywood equivalent on the eastcoast .

[thedeadite]

i'm much happier when i see an adaptation of a novel/comic/book etc... than i am when i see that, yet again, hollywood is "remaking" another classic movie...especially with horror movies nowadays...makes me sick

[Mee]

Also going along with the idea that Hollywood has run out of ideas, all these unwarranted sequels. Basic Instinct 2, A v P 2, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the list goes on and on.

[Dr. Fate]

Hollywood has nothing left to turn to except novels and comics. I wonder if they'll ever try to adapt Larry Niven's Ringworld...

[primemover]

Ultimatefan is right, this isn't anything new, Hollywood since the beginning has done this.

It makes sense, why try to create a new lore that will probably already have been created somewhat when you can mine the richness of years and years of literature, with characters and lore that people already know and love. It makes sense from a monetary AND popular level.

I am kind of getting sick of the cliche of Hollywood running out of ideas putting out nothing but sequels, remakes and adaptations, when I imagine if you looked at every year in the past there would be the same ratio of original to derivative output.

[terry78]

Original ideas don't make money. They just don't. They did back in the day, but nowadays even if someone did think up an original story, everyone would accuse them of ripping off something from back in the day anyway.

[Isildur´s Heir]

There is no originality left, at, least 100% originality.

Look at the old movies...Indiana Jones, based on adventure books like H. Rider Haggard´s King Solomon's Mines; Back to the Future, is based on 50´s science fiction books, comics and even movies, like H. G. Wells´s Time Machine.
And it´s all good....but the diference is, today, if something is famous enough, everyone points fingers and accuse them of ripping off something, just Terry said.

Just look at The Da Vinci Code or The Matrix.

Personally, i don´t mind, as long as it is good and coherent.

[primemover]

Originally Posted by Isildur´s Heir

There is no originality left, at, least 100% originality.

Look at the old movies...Indiana Jones, based on adventure books like H. Rider Haggard´s King Solomon's Mines; Back to the Future, is based on 50´s science fiction books, comics and even movies, like H. G. Wells´s Time Machine.
And it´s all good....but the diference is, today, if something is famous enough, everyone points fingers and accuse them of ripping off something, just Terry said.

Just look at The Da Vinci Code or The Matrix.

Personally, i don´t mind, as long as it is good and coherent.

There really hasn't been originality in Hollywood, most movies are derivative of one thing or another ever since it's inception, read this.

[terry78]

Our imaginations are shaped by what we've seen in the past, and that includes movies, tv shows, and books we've read.

[Cinemaman]

I still have good feeling that we will get a NEW GOLD ERA of Hollywood in 2010s.

We just need more popular and successful franchises.

I hope so.

[Katsuro]

Personally, I dont care. Who cares where a film idea comes from, as long as it's entertaining and fun? They could keep making comic book movies and sequels to those comic book movies, and as long as they stay fun and exciting, i'll watch them. Same with an original property. If I see a trailer for an original movie that looks good, i'll watch it (Snakes on a Plane, anyone?). And besides, who cares if they make crappy sequels to crappy movies, there's no reason to see it! You dont have to see it, and since you dind't enjoy the first one it's not like anything is being ruined.

People blame the box office slump on sequels and adaptations, which frankly cofuses me since arent' they always the biggest grossing movies? Spider-Man and Harry Potter movies are huge! I'll tell you what's really killing movie theaters: outrageous prices. Trust me, I work in a video store that's just across the street from a movie theater, and I always hear customers making comments about how they dont go to the theater anymore because of the price.

[Galactus]

I don't mind adaptations when the result is something like the LOTR-trilogy, which are among my favourite movies of all times. But I just wish there could come something that makes you really curious and surprises you because there isn't the book you've already read or something. Take James Cameron's mysterious Avatar-project for example. I'm probably looking forward to it more than I do about any upcoming adaptation or sequel for the simple reason that I don't know much about it, but knows what Cameron can deliver in his best moments

[DACrowe]

As if Hollywood hasn't adapted books before our generation? Pfft. Gone with the Wind anyone? What about The Godfather? Or....


Hollywood will continue to adapt to the screen but hey stage adapts from other artforms as well, it hardly means stage is dying. I think Hollywood is not very creative right now but with a few exceptions Hollywood has always been conforming to other industry hits for the last 80 some years. The formulas are growing outdated now (as Posiden and KOH and MI3, etc. show), but they'll just find the next big thing.

Anyone who thinks Hollywood is going to die anytime in their lifetime's much less in the next few years is kidding themselves. I'm just waiting for audiences to get sick of superhero movies. And after X3 hits, I suspect there will be a real bad dtaste in audiences' mouth afterwards too.

[Kevin Roegele]

Originally Posted by Mee

Also going along with the idea that Hollywood has run out of ideas

No. Why would 'Hollywood' suddenly run out of ideas?

The people in Hollywood who decide which movies get made are not the ones who have the ideas.

The fact is that are as many new ideas in Hollywood right now as there ever were, it's just that movies are becoming a greater financial risk (box office takings are dropping, budgets are soaring) and the appeal of an already recognised property lessens the risk somewhat.

Imagine you have $100m to spend on a movie. Do you go for a completely new script and hope it catches on, or do you find the number one bestselling book of the year and adapt that?

[JLBats]

Originally Posted by Gammy v.2

The Hollywood movie industry has only a few years to live now.

I disagree. Recently I read the comment of a famous director who's name escapes me (Tarantino? Lucas?) about the necessary shake-up that goes on in Hollywood every 10 years or so, because the old ways are dying. I get the feeling we're in the time of such a change.

[Kid Flash!]

I agree with Kevin Roegele on his posts.

[블라스]

Originally Posted by JLBats

I disagree. Recently I read the comment of a famous director who's name escapes me (Tarantino? Lucas?) about the necessary shake-up that goes on in Hollywood every 10 years or so, because the old ways are dying. I get the feeling we're in the time of such a change.

I hope so.