I loved both these books and think they will make good films if done right. My main problem with them becoming movies is that I've got the characters formulated in my mind. I know what they look like, how they speak, what their thoughts are. We all do that when we read. We create our own mental images. There have been times when I've thought a hero might be played by someone like Paul Newman or Sean Connery, and as I read, I 'see' them in the role.
So, if I go to the movie version, I might be greatly disappointed. On the other hand, I might think that a certain star is perfect for the role. So yes, I'd like to see both these movies. I only hope the screenwriter did not take it upon him/herself to completely change the story. I get pretty irritated when the end of the movie doesn't resemble the conclusion of the book in any way. And it happens more often than it should.
I imagine the author of the book must sign some type of agreement allowing the Hollywood people to alter the story any way they like. They're paid a princely sum when they sell film rights, so they probably should not complain. But it's surely got to bother them when they go to the premier and have to sit through many changes that they may not agree with.
Considering that I will most likely never know on a personal basis, I shouldn't even venture an opinion on what an author who sells the film rights to a popular book thinks. I've not written the great American novel yet, and probably never will. Instead, I'll go see the two movies mentioned here and try to enjoy them. If they give me cause to mumble and mutter, I'll try not to influence others who want to see them.
Does anyone know what the ratio of original screenplay films are to those made from novels?
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