There’s been a lot of buzz around the book-to-film adaptations lately, and many future project updates!! As 2012 came to a close we said farewell to the Twilight Saga, with its last installment Breaking Dawn: Part 2, getting rave reviews from fans across the board, calling it the best of the saga. In December, the much anticipated Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, left die-hard Tolkien fans a bit bewildered by Peter Jackson’s take on the story. On the contrary, Ang Lee’s version of Life of Pi has received numerous nominations as well as book-lovers and critical praise. As we turn the page to the New Year, 2013 has huge “book-to-film” momentum. In January, the dark re-telling of the Grimm Brother’s classic tale, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, didn’t seem to resonate too well with viewers. Perhaps it had to do with the studios odd choice of making this a rated ‘R’ film, but the unusually-violent and gory fairy tale has only earned about $9.4 million in the box office so far. Then, much to our surprise, February brought with it a huge hit, with the YA adaptation Warm Bodies. This zombie Rom-Com topped the box office opening weekend and with its unexpected wit and charm won over fans and critics alike. Time magazine called it “the first movie worth paying for this year”. Trailing just one week behind, and opening next weekend, is Richard LaGravenese’s adaptation of the YA supernatural love story, Beautiful Creatures.
There are other great adaptations to look forward to this year as well, and some of them are just right around the corner. In theaters next month we’ll see Oz the Great and Powerful, Jack the Giant Killer and The Host. Then in August, the much anticipated Mortal Instruments Series will make its debut, as well as the second installment of The Percy Jackson Series, The Sea of Monsters. Then, with the end of the year we’ll get to see the first installment of the Last Apprentice Series, Revenge of the Witch- with the movie title The Seventh Son, in October. In November, the long awaited sci-fi hit, Enders Game will finally make its film debut, as well as, the sure to be smash-hit, second installment of Hunger Games, Catching Fire. Finally, in December, we’ll get to see if Peter Jackson’s second segment of the Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, will be any bigger of a hit with fans.
Along with all of this year’s box-office action, there seems to be a lot of forward movement in future projects! Veronica Roth’s Divergent Series has been all the buzz lately, with rumors of Kate Winslet joining the cast, the yet-to-be-filled lead male role, and open casting calls in Chicago. The Giver receives a solid greenlight, with Jeff Bridges attached to star and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone gets the support of big-time producer Joe Roth (Oz: The Great and Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman) backing the film. We also learned that Lauren Oliver’s hit series, Delirium, which was optioned by Fox, will be adapted into a television drama instead of a film, to be aired in the future on their network. The Book Thief finally seems to be making huge progress, recently casting stars Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, and Emily Watson. The film will also be under direction of Brian Percival, best known for his work on the hit television drama Downton Abbey. Fans of the bestselling Graveyard Book will be happy to learn that Ron Howard has signed on board to direct the adaptation, which will now be live-action version, rather than the previously rumored animated film. It’s also looking like Ally Condie’s Matched is about to get a director- latest rumors are that the studio is in negotiations with G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon Chu, to helm the big-screen adaptation. In more great news, devotees of Richelle Mead’s bestselling 6-book Vampire Academy Series will be happy to know that the adaptation appears to be moving full steam ahead. They have now named the three lead cast members- Danila Kozlovsky as Dimitri, Zoey Deutch ( from Beautiful Creatures) as Rose and Lucy Fry as Lissa. Also, they have decided to change the film title to “Blood Sisters”, with brothers Mark and Daniel Waters working on the project; Mark will direct while Daniel has written the script. Finally, Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, was put on hold after Dakota Fanning, set to play the lead, dropped the project. They have finally found her replacement with the mega-talented Chloe Moretz, known for her roles in Kick-Ass and Hugo. The film is also under the new direction of RJ Cutler, which hopefully means this project will get moving more quickly.
