How would you react if the movie of your book was MUCH DIFFERENT than your book?

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kuwisdelu

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How about the latest adaptation of I Am Legend? The general plot is there, but so many things have been changed that it might as well be a different story. Just because I have to rant, I am going to spoil it.

How ridiculous is that? I enjoyed the movie, but it bothered me that they changed so much. It was so great the way it was written.

Pretty ridiculous. But after trying the book, I thought the movie was much better. I found the book kind of ridiculous itself.
 
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I've never seen I Am Legend, but Omega Man is one of my favourite fillums.
 

semilargeintestine

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Yeah, Omega Man is awesome. I Am Legend (the Will Smith one) is good too. If they did that to my book, I wouldn't be angry, since the movie is good; however, I'd be very confused about why they changed so many things for seemingly no reason other than to have something else there.
 

WriteKnight

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Marketing has a lot to do with it - the reason they acquire the rights in the first place. If it's a known author/commodity - then it comes with a certain cachet, built in audience and name recognitions.

If its just a really really good but obscure story, its easier (and cheaper in the long run) to buy the rights, and then make the changes you want - instead of 'stealing' the idea.
 

Saint Fool

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If I was ever so lucky, I'd take the money and run. There are so many variables in movies: running time, budget, intended target audience, how the "star" perceives his character, producers who "know" what sells, etc. etc., it's amazing that some come out as close to the original as they do.

I remember seeing Kubrick's The Shining in the movie theater. Half of the full-house (including me and my best friend's date) had read the book and were not happy campers. Apparently, the rest of the audience (including my date and my best friend) had not read it and loved it.

I always assume that the movie adaptation will be different than the book and adjust my expectations. But then I remember how true the adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was .... sigh.
 
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willietheshakes

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I think the single best film adaptation of a written work is The Man Who Would be King, a marvelous short story by Rudyard Kipling and a fabulous film by John Huston (1975, Sean Connery & Michael Caine)

Interesting.

Especially as I think the single best adaptation would have to be The Dead, a marvelous short story by James Joyced and a fabulous film by (drum roll...) John Huston.
 

Samantha's_Song

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That's my novel buggered if it's ever turned into a film then. Oh wait, I'd be selling it to a French film maker, so I don't have to worry about sappy law-abiding endings.

Stephen King's Cujo, the kid dies of dehydration etc in the book. Oh, he lives in the end of the film... it's a horror film for f***'s sake! :D

HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW SPOILER
In the book, she did a bunk in the end, went to live in Spain, I think, with the loot and her policeman lover.

On TV, he turned her in and she was seen to be punished. I felt like I was being whacked over the head with the 'crime doesn't pay' stick. Like ooh, we can't be seen to condone crime, can we?!

END SPOILER
 
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Samantha's_Song

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They make Dan Brown's drivel into films, so we all stand a good chance! :D

Let's face it, folks - no-one will ever make my rubbishy books into movies.
There's more chance of my cat becoming an astronaut. :D


Close encounters of the furred kind :tongue
 

Kate Thornton

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Interesting.

Especially as I think the single best adaptation would have to be The Dead, a marvelous short story by James Joyced and a fabulous film by (drum roll...) John Huston.

Okay - that's a good one, too - good enough to tie, for me. John Huston understood both stories.
 

ChaosTitan

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This is a hypothetical I don't think I can answer. I have no idea how I'd react, because "much different" doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Just changed. And let's face it--films as a storytelling medium are so vastly different from novels that adapting novels REQUIRES changes. Whether they are small changes or huge changes, changes must be made.

My plots tend to be pretty tight, so an adaptation would have to lose quite a lot of story (and possibly characters) in order to fit into a two-hour running time. Until I actually saw the Much Different Movie Version, I couldn't say how I'd feel, really. But I know I'd have more money for the experience, plus a bump in novel sales with the movie tie-in re-release. :D
 

nighttimer

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Book -- my vision.
Movie -- the director's vision.

No reason for me to assume that we'll see things the same way. I may not like the changes to my plot/characters/setting/etc, but I'm the one who voluntarily sold them to someone else. I'll either get over it or never sell movie-rights again.

Bloody well right.

If you write the book and they write you a check and you cash the check they are under no obligation to make a movie that's a frame-by-frame "faithful" adaptation.

John Grisham wasn't happy with the changes made to The Pelican Brief, but he didn't have the power to change it, so he had to suck on it. I'm sure he didn't give the money back though.

Books and films can go together like peanut butter and jelly or like peanut butter and mayonnaise.

:cry:
 

Pagey's_Girl

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I wouldn't be happy about it, but on the other hand, if it got people to read more of my stuff, it would all be good...
 

Claudia Gray

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Cash my check.

Seriously, you sell it, you surrender the rights -- unless you have the kind of J.K. Rowling-clout that would allow you to have input, and probably you don't. I might find it very weird, but I would know what I was getting into.
 

Darzian

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Darzian:

Dumbledore is different in the movies (post-Richard Harris) because Michael Gambon didn't read the books. He bases Dumbledore off of his interpretation of the script, not on Rowling's character.

I'm not a fan of Harry Potter. But I really enjoy Gambon's Dumbledore so much better than the book's Dumbledore. Nevertheless, as far as the book's character goes, you couldn't get someone closer than Richard Harris... gawd, he was awesome... ever see Count of Monte Cristo?

Omg, Harris was the perfect fit! But Gambon, IMO, wasn't. Very different characteristics which more or less ruined every Dumbledore scene for me.

Golden Compass: I liked the book though I thought it could be shortened. But the removal of the ending is the worst mistake EVER.
 
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Harris was great in Gladiator too. But then everything about that movie was golden.
 

semilargeintestine

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Gladiator. Best. Movie. Ever.

I would totally go gay for Russell Crowe.
 
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I would totally go straight for Joaquin. Oh wait - I am!* That's handy! :D





*Most of the time.
 
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Sell out!

:D

Wouldn't you feel pissed, though? That they'd bought your story and then put out something that wasn't your story? Or am I just precious about this sort of thing?

Don't answer that.
 

gypsyscarlett

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The worst one to me was Watchers by Dean Koontz. I love the book. I think it's his best work. So imagine my joy when while reading the book I found there was a movie based on the book. I ordered it through Amazon.
Imagine my frustration when I saw what had been done to the story! Every detail was changed except the most basic element. The MC had been changed from an ex marine to a high school kid! The love of his life in the book had become his mother!

Oh gawd. There aren't enough words to describe how wrong that is. (shudder) And sort of funny in a horrid way.

Me? As a reader, I can't stand when filmmakers change novels. I understand the need to cut things out, tweak things here and there. Movies are a different medium and they usually only have two hours.

But there's a big difference between cutting things, deciding you'll focus on this aspect of the novel and leave out such and such subplots, and actually changing the heart of a novel. When females become males, adult men become children, when sad endings become happy or vice versa... I wonder why the hell they didn't just use an original screenplay.

So, yeah. I'd also be cursing to the bank.

added: Of course, there are exceptions. If the film was a beautiful piece of art in itself (not just a moneymaker) then I'd probably be forgiving.
 
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mmorsepfd

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I wrote a book that was published in 2007. A lot of people thought it would make a good movie so I decided to do a screenplay adaption. What started as a movie version of the book ended up barely resembling the original. If I can't trust myself, who can I trust?

The screenplay is being considered by a independent filmmaker who loved the story. It's a longshot, but you never know! I can only imagine if it does get made what the end result will be.
 

frimble3

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Marketing has a lot to do with it - the reason they acquire the rights in the first place. If it's a known author/commodity - then it comes with a certain cachet, built in audience and name recognitions.

If its just a really really good but obscure story, its easier (and cheaper in the long run) to buy the rights, and then make the changes you want - instead of 'stealing' the idea.

Or, what if it's a good basic idea that the scriptwriter is already using. But a book comes out using enough of the same idea that the writer might claim plagiarism when he sees the movie? Simpler to pay him off, use the title, and continue with the movie they were planning.
After all, this is the industry that won't accept unagented submissions for fear of being accused of 'stealing ideas'. And it wouldn't do to call it 'hush money', for fear of treading on sensitive egos, so people are left wondering what happened?
 
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