Let's Talk Book to Movie! New Year Edition

Hello all! I have been slacking on the blogging this month in order to prepare for nursing school. But, I have been thinking about and watching a lot of movies. So, I asked Spencer back to the blog to chat about what 2015 has in store for us in the way of book to movie adaptations. In fact it seems like the big screen and books are well on their way to being peas in a pod!  I have noticed many titles in the YA genre have sold rights to film, before they have even hit shelves. And the possibilities are endless! As far as what the new year is shelling out, there are quite a few adaptations to look out for! 

2015 Brings Even More Bestsellers
Starring Media Blogger Spencer Blohm

2014 was a year that saw the trend of books being adapted into hit films skyrocket; classics like Lois Lowry's The Giver and more modern YA hits like Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and Veronica Roth's Divergent, became blockbuster phenomenons. Now they’ve inspired a slew of spin offs that are rapidly gaining fan-bases all their own, and it seems that directors and screenwriters are taking every opportunity available to bring the top novels among teens and young adults to the silver screen. 2015 will be year to hit the theater, and here are some books you may want to grab a copy of before their big cinema debut.

Mockingjay: Part 2

The final installment in the biggest pop culture phenomena since Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga will be released in late November of 2015 across the globe, which gives you plenty of time to catch up on the daring and heroic deeds of Katniss Everdeen, as she rebels against her capitalist government, before the sure to be epic finale airs. 

Paper Towns

John Green has been a favorite among readers for quite some time, but it was his bestselling novel about two cancer-stricken teens and their love in The Fault in Our Stars, along with its subsequent film adaptation (already streamable from both Amazon and Direct TV), that skyrocketed him into the spotlight. Now, another one of his titles is being crossed over to film. Paper Towns is yet another one of Green's novels that have made the New York Times Bestsellers list, and is again a coming of age romance that takes place in Orlando and follows Quentin Jacobsen (Nat Wolff, who starred in TFIOS) as he embarks on an epic road trip with four friends to find the girl next door, Margo (Cara Delevingne). Tag along for the ride when it hits theaters June 5. 

Frankenstein

Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Igor, the assistant to Victor Von Frankenstein (James McIoy), this film will delve into the dark history of the monster inventor's assistant, the start of his friendship with Frankenstein, and how he went on to become the legend he is today. Frankenstein is scheduled to be released October 2, 2015.

The Jungle Book

The childhood classic about a little boy who is raised by wolves and threatened by the return of a king tiger will be released on October 9th, and stars famous actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, and Bill Murray.

Insurgent

The sequel to Divergent, starring The Fault in Our Stars actor Shailene Woodley, is the second movie based off the bestselling trilogy and continues to tell the story of Beatrice, a girl in a dystopian society who is fighting against an alliance that threatens to destroy her community. Insurgent will arrive in theaters in March, exactly a year after the novel’s debut.

Inferno

The worldwide bestseller by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is based on Dante's comedy of the same title, and continues the story of Robert Langdon on a whirlwind mystery through present day Florence, Italy. The series has been successful so far, with The Da Vinci Code earning $758 million worldwide and its successor, Angels & Demons grossing $486 million. Inferno will arrive in theaters December 18. 

Pan

Based on Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Pan features Wolverine star Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard the pirate, and newcomer Levi Miller as the lead in the story of an orphan who is whisked off to Neverland and goes on an adventure filled of magic, wonder, and suspense. Amanda Seyfried and Rooney Mara will also appear in the film, which will be released on July 24 in the US.

Novels are the original movies, personal ones created within their readers' heads. It's their openness to interpretation but connectivity that unites people and makes them the ideal basis for a film. With this lineup and dozens of books on the rise, it's a lot certain that film adaptations of our favorite novels is a trend that is only guaranteed to grow stronger.

2015 just keeps looking sweeter! Aside from those Spencer mentioned above, there are several that I would like to throw in here as well. 

Ready to get 50 Shades? Not ashamed to admit it! I read the entire trilogy. Us bookish people can say we read the book for the story line *cough* but after we all see the movie when it hits theaters on February 14, 2015, we'll have to start coming clean. It's a hot, steamy, guilty read. The movie will be much the same. And we love it. 

In Fifty Shades of Grey a literature student (Dakota Johnson) begins a daring affair with a controlling businessman (Jamie Dornan) whose sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and pleasure.

If you see me at the theater, pretend you don't. We can Tweet about it later...

The Martian has been adapted for the big screen! This was a fantastic book! The story is about an astronaut that becomes stranded on Mars and struggles for survival. I find space movies to be extremely creepy. There is nothing that would terrify me more than going into the unknown and having to battle against things that are even more unknown than the unknown I was preparing myself for. (If that makes sense!) 

This movie is slated for release in November 2015 and will star Matt Damon. I predict this action filled sci-fi film will be a for-sure hit!

The Maze Runner Trilogy continues with the next installment, The Scorch Trials! I recently watched The Maze Runner and quite enjoyed it. I still love the book(s) more, but thought the adaptation did Dashner justice. The Scorch Trials come out September 2015. 

Which book to movie adaptations are you guys looking forward to? Personally, I will be seeing them all. Although, I love John Green's work, so Paper Towns is high up on my must see list. 

Big thanks to Spencer to being her for another Book to Movie Talk!