“The Godfather,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and other books that were made into blockbuster films

The inspiration for a blockbuster can come from anywhere. Sometimes the idea comes straight from the pages of a popular book.

Adapting a book into a movie is a risk. Readers are very passionate about the characters and stories they love, and this can make them very protective of their favorite books. Bringing the story to life on screen is sometimes a flop, but other times it’s a huge success.

Over the years, books of all genres, from fantasy to thrillers, from science fiction epics to love stories, have been made into films.

The Hunger Games series continues to grow today, with more and more books being published that delve deeper into the details of the various characters in the main story. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Scholastic; Murray Close/Getty Images)

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The following films are just a few of the many based on books.

1. “Harry Potter”
2. “The hunger Games”
3. “The Condemned”
4. “Pride and Prejudice”
5. “Forrest Gump”
6. “The notebook”
7. “Lord of the Rings”
8. “Ex girlfriend”
9. “The devil Wears Prada”
10. “The Godfather”

1. “Harry Potter”

The “Harry Potter” film series is based on the bestselling novels by JK Rowling. The main series includes seven books that were published from the late 1990s onwards.

The seven books are Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Each of these books has a corresponding film, with the exception of the seventh and final book in the series, which was split into two parts.

The popularity of the books and films has exploded, attracting new viewers every year.

Fans can delve even deeper into the magical wizarding world by visiting one of the theme parks based on the franchise. Universal locations in California and Florida each have their own “Harry Potter” theme parks called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

2. “The Hunger Games”

“The Hunger Games” began as a trilogy by author Suzanne Collins. After the books “The Hunger Games”, “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” were published between 2008 and 2010, films quickly began to appear in 2012.

All three books have been made into films, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, the late Donald Sutherland as President Snow, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne.

In 2020, ten years after the last book in the trilogy, Collins released a new novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This book serves as a prequel to the popular trilogy and provides more backstory on President Snow and the early days of the games.

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It didn’t take long for this prequel to be made into a film. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” will be released in 2023.

It seems that Collins plans to continue with prequels to the trilogy; the newly announced book “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled for release in 2025.

The events of this book follow those of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but before the original trilogy. This book tells the story of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the year that Haymitch, the mentor of Katniss and Peeta, won the games.

If you like this franchise, Veronica Roth’s Divergent books and films are also worth checking out, as they are both set in fictional dystopian societies.

3. “The Condemned”

The film “The Shawshank Redemption” is based on the 1982 novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King, which is part of his collection “Different Seasons”.

This film is generally considered one of the best of all time.

Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins both starred in The Shawshank Redemption. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

In 1994, a film based on this story was released. It starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. The film is about a man named Andy Dufresne (Robbins) who is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover.

He is sent to prison, where he meets Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Freeman) and the two become friends.

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“The Shawshank Redemption” was nominated for seven Oscars.

4. “Pride and Prejudice”

Pride and Prejudice was published by Jane Austen in 1813. This book is widely considered to be the author’s most popular.

In 2005, a film was released starring Keira Knightley in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the story.

The romantic film also stars Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn and Sutherland.

5. “Forrest Gump”

The movie “Forrest Gump” was inspired by the story of Winston Groom.

Of course, movies tend to add their own unique elements and changes from the book. While the story told in Forrest Gump is not exactly the same in the movie and the book, they both contain similar elements, such as Gump’s low IQ and his love for his childhood sweetheart Jenny.

The 1994 film “Forrest Gump” is based on a novel by Winston Groom. (Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images)

The book was published in 1986 and made into a film in 1994.

Tom Hanks plays Gump in the film, while Robin Wright plays Jenny.

6. “Like a single day”

There’s nothing better than a good love story. But be careful, this one is heartbreaking.

The Notebook is a 1996 book by Nicholas Sparks. The book is about an elderly man named Noah who reads a story every day to a woman named Allie, who suffers from dementia, while they both live in a nursing home.

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The story is about a young couple from different social classes, how they met, the ups and downs of their sometimes turbulent relationship, and the ins and outs of their love. As it turns out, this story is much closer to Noah and Allie than she thinks.

This book was made into a film, with Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling playing young Allie and Noah.

This is far from the only book by Sparks that has been adapted into a film. Other popular works of his that have been seen on screen include A Walk to Remember, The Best of Me, The Choice, Safe Haven, Dear John, The Lucky One, The Last Song, and Message in a Bottle.

7. “The Lord of the Rings”

“The Lord of the Rings” is one of the most popular franchises of all time.

The fictional, mystical world of JRR Tolkien has been successfully adapted for the screen.

The main film trilogy, consisting of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” ​​and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, was released in three consecutive years starting in 2001.

The Lord of the Rings franchise has continued to evolve with additional films and a television series. (New Line/WireImage/Getty Images)

Later, three films based on The Hobbit were released, starting with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014.

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The story was recently expanded with new parts in the Amazon Prime television series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”. The series consists of two seasons, the first of which will air in 2022.

Although the series is not directly based on any particular book, it is set thousands of years before the events covered in the novels.

8. “Gone Girl” – No longer child’s play

“Gone Girl” is a thriller published in 2012 by Gillian Flynn.

The story is full of mysteries because a man is blamed for the disappearance of his wife.

The book was made into a film in 2014, with Ben Affleck in the role of Nicholas Dunne and Rosamund Pike in the role of Amy Dunne.

9. “The devil wears Prada”

In 2003, Lauren Weisberger published The Devil Wears Prada, a story about a young professional who gets a job as an assistant to the editor in chief of a popular fashion magazine.

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It didn’t take long until the story was made into a film and released in theaters in 2006.

The stars of the Oscar-nominated film are Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Adrian Grenier.

10. “The Godfather”

The Godfather film trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola would not have been possible without the work of Mario Puzo, who wrote the books about the fictional Corleone family.

The family first became acquainted with this world in 1969, when Puzo published The Godfather.

Marlon Brando’s performance in “The Godfather” is widely remembered. (Paramount/Getty Images)

The first two films about the Mafia family both won Oscars. The first, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, among many others, was released in 1972 and won three Oscars. The second, released in 1974, won six.

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“The Godfather: Part III” was released in cinemas in 1990. Although it did not win an Oscar, unlike the first films in the series, it was nominated for several.