Ever wonder where movie producers get their ideas? Many of them come from books. Several novels are being adapted for the big screen this year. Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes the classic romance, Romeo and Juliet, starring Hailee Steinfeld and Damien Lewis. I am not sure how many times these star-crossed lovers have been portrayed on screen, but obviously they bring in money at the box office.
Also premiering in February is I Am Number Four. This action-packed sci-fi thriller stars Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, and Callan McAuliffee. It is based on the book by the same name by Pittacus Lore, and tells the story of a teen who has hidden out on Earth for 10 years gathering power so he can battle the people who destroyed his planet.
Fantasy and action are combined in Incarceron, also scheduled out in 2013. Taylor Luatner is reported to star in this adaptation of the book by Catherine Fisher. No one escapes the futuristic prison known as Incarceron, but Claudia, the daughter of the prison’s warden, decides she is going to risk her life to help a young man escape. If you read the book, you can also read the sequel, Sapphique.
Keep you eyes out for If I Stay, based on the novel by Gayle Forman. Be sure you have kleenex before heading to see this one because it will definitely make you cry. Mia’s life is changed forever when a car accident kills her family and leaves her in a coma. Should she let go of life and be with her family, or should she stay and keep on living? The book made me cry, so I know I will be shedding many tears during the movie.
Another adaptation of The Great Gatsby is coming out this spring starring Leonardo DiCapprio and Carey Mulligan. The F. Scott Fitzgerald novel about the rich Jay Gatsby and his friends in the 1920s is required reading in many high schools, so there might be an audience among those who want to see the movie along with reading the book. Or, they will see the movie in place of reading the book, which in my opinion is a big mistake. Never judge a book by the movie!
You can read all of these books before you head to the movie theater. Just stop by the LMC and check one out!