Countless books have been brought to life on the screen, transforming the written word into a visual that resonates with audiences worldwide. Although these films became generational classics (some even on IMDb’s most watched of all-time list), the books that inspire them often go unnoticed. Here are some of the most widely-loved movies based on books!
Enjoy!
| Film | Inspiration |
| “Jurassic Park” (1993) | Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton |
| “The Shining” (1980) | The Shining by Stephen King |
| “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) | The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris |
| “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) | Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King |
| “The Godfather” (1972) | The Godfather by Mario Puzo |
| “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001) “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002) “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) | The Lord Of The Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien |
| “Dune” (2021) | Dune by Frank Herbert |
| “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001) “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002) “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005) “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009) “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” (2010) “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011) | Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling |
| “The Green Mile” (1999) | The Green Mile by Stephen King |
| “Fight Club” (1999) | Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk |
| “Forrest Gump” (1994) | Forrest Gump by Winston Groom |
| “Little Women” (2019) | Little Women by Louisa May Alcott |
| “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (2005) | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis |
| “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011) | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson |
| “The Great Gatsby” (2013) | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| “The Revenant” (2015) | The Revenant by Michael Punke |
| “The Martian” (2015) | The Martian by Andy Weir |
| “The Hunger Games” (2012) “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013) “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” (2014) “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015) “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” (2023) | The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins |
| “Gone Girl” (2014) | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn |
| “The Girl on the Train” (2016) | The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins |
| “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014) | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green |
| “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum |
| “The Jungle Book” (2016) | The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling |
| “The Girl on the Train” (2021) | The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins |
| “The Bourne Identity” (2002) “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004) “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007) “The Bourne Legacy” (2012) “Jason Bourne” (2016) | Bourne series by Robert Ludlum |
| “The Exorcist” (1973) | The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty |
| “The Da Vinci Code” (2006) | The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown |
| “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012) | The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky |
| “The Princess Bride” (1987) | The Princess Bride by William Goldman |
| “Divergent” (2014) “Insurgent” (2015) “Allegiant” (2016) | Divergent series by Veronica Roth |
| “The Help” (2011) | The Help by Kathryn Stockett |
| “Blade Runner” (1982) | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick |
| “The Maze Runner” (2014) | The Maze Runner by James Dashner |
| “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) | The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger |
| “The Matrix” (1999) | Neuromancer by Wiliam Gibson |
| “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee |
| “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) | Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen |
| “Batman Begins” (2005) “The Dark Knight” (2008) “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) | DC Comics Batman installments |
| “Hidden Figures” (2016) | Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly |
| “Schindler’s List” (1993) | Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally |
| “Goodfellas” (1990) | Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi |
| “M*A*S*H” (1970) | MASH by Richard Hooker |
| “The Social Network” (2010) | The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich |
| “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey |
| “American Psycho” (2000) | American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis |
| “The Color Purple” (1985) | The Color Purple by Alice Walker |
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