Five (Great) Movies You Didn't Know Were Books Posted on: December 10, 2014 /
Categories: Current Events, Ideas & Inspiration
Hollywood loves its book adaptations-and for good reason: a staggering eighteen of the twenty films with the all-time biggest opening weekends were based on books or comic books.
If you're wondering, the remaining two were inspired by a theme park ride. (Hint: it has to do with pirates.)
Such is the reason we've grown used to seeing based on the novel by ______ or Stephen King's ______ adorning movie posters. However, producers aren't always so quick to publicize their source material. Here are five well-known films with little-known pasts on bookshelves:
Die Hard (1988)
One of the most important action films of the eighties, Die Hard is adapted from Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. Bringing significant changes from the book, it could have easily been a very different film.
For starters, it was originally adapted with an eye for Frank Sinatra to play the lead as a World War II veteran and retired New York City police officer. The producers essentially cut the hero's age in half by casting Bruce Willis. Conversely, they doubled the age of the hero's captive family member-as he's visiting his daughter in the book, not his wife.
In addition, the terrorists in the book actually are terrorists, not just thieves. They're not motivated by money, but politics. Oh, and Hans Gruber? His name in the book is Anton-and his nickname is Little Tony. The novel was out of print for years, but rereleased for the film's 25th anniversary and is worth a read for die hard fans of Die Hard.
*Die Hard II: Die Harder, it happens, is based on a completely different book-Walter Wager's 58 Minutes, but we're counting the franchise as one.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Perhaps the only thing more outlandishly 80s than Fast Times at Ridgemont High is the fact that its writer, Cameron Crowe, spent a year posing as a high school student in order to research the story-which first appeared in book form.
In 1979, at the age of 22, Crowe moved in with his parents and enrolled in the local high school as a student. No one in the school knew his real age or name except for the principal, who agreed to his experiment. (We all know that would never, ever happen today.) Two years later Crowe published Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story based on his embedded experiences-and a year after that the adapted movie hit theatres.
For some completely unacceptable reason, the book remains out of print-with used copies selling for more than $100 in acceptable condition. Still, it's probably worth it.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Yes, Buttercup, Westley, and the six-fingered man were first characters in a book (of the same name) more than a decade before the film. Both the book and movie share the same general plot points as well as the unique plot device of a narrator who reads only the good parts.
The book is still in print. However, if you come across a version that claims to be abridged by William Goldman, rest assured it's the full version. Goldman is indeed the author of The Princess Bride. However, like the film, the novel presents a tale-within-a-tale by voicing the narrator's reflection on a classic romance work by S. Morgenstern. In reality, there's no classic work and no Morgenstern. In the film, this is accomplished by showing a grandfather (played by Peter Falk) reading the book to his ill grandson (played by Fred Savage), while in the book, the narrator's audience is his son.
Weird Science (1985)
We take it back. With John Hughes as its director, teenagers (among them, Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall) wearing bras on their heads, and a theme song performed by Oingo Boingo, Weird Science might be more outlandishly 80s than Fast Times, if not the story behind it.
Interestingly enough, all of the above came out of a 1951 comic book of the same name. Specifically, the film is an adaptation of issue five, titled Made of the Future! In the original story, it's not hormonal teenagers that set out to create a woman using a computer, but a time traveler in search of a wife. The original comic sold for ten cents, but copies can now sell for more than $100 depending on their condition.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Moving firmly into the nineties (with no less than Cypress Hill's Jump Around on its soundtrack), the classic dad-turned-nanny flick Mrs. Doubtfire was adapted from Anne Fine's Madame Doubtfire. It was published in Britain in 1987 and given the title Alias Madame Doubtfire here in the United States.
In the book, the older children recognize their father from the start-whereas his makeup fools them in the movie-but that's the only glaring difference. Other than, of course, a brilliant performance from Robin Williams.
RIP Mr. Williams. Thanks for your decades of entertainment.
Related Posts
Barrington High School VideoBlocks Commercial
5 Top Scenes from Christopher Nolan Movies
Its official, VideoBlocks is Cool
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
06/05/2024
Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...
06/05/2024
Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...
06/05/2024
Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...
06/05/2024
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
For years, radio stations have used on-premises servers to broadcast content and manage automation, traffic, and billing systems. As technology continues to adv...
06/05/2024
06 May 2024
AI and Big Data Take the Centre Stage in Central Asia at Beetech 20...
06/05/2024
FIRST LOOK AT JIM PARSONS & MAYIM BIALIK REPRISING THEIR ROLES FROM THE BIG BAN...
06/05/2024
NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership, Kentucky Derby to Be...
06/05/2024
Beverly Hills Aerials, LIV Golf Make Australian-Broadcast History by Flying Live...
06/05/2024
Back to All News
Watch the Trailer for A Part of You - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ry...
06/05/2024
Leadership in 12G-SDI for low impact migration to 4k production...
06/05/2024
Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31
STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Download as PDF
Paris, 06 May 2024 ...
06/05/2024
Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...
06/05/2024
To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...
06/05/2024
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...
06/05/2024
Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...
06/05/2024
Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI.
They'll find man...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series Roosters, Starring Jeroen ...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electr...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
04/05/2024
New faces and new storylines': What to expect on Izingane ZeS'thembu...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
Five (Great) Movies You Didn't Know Were Books Posted on: December 10, 2014 / 
