Over the past few years, books have gained much more attention and popularity, leading to authors signing with producers to get their books on the big screen. Although some readers feel apprehensive about their favorite book taken into the hands of producers, fearing that the actors picked to play the roles of their favorite characters will fail, others trust the producers to give them a masterpiece and plan to be the first in the theater, popcorn and slushies in hand.
“Wuthering Heights”
“Wuthering Heights” was released Feb. 13 to kick off Valentine’s Day weekend with a devastating, toxic love story. The book was released in 1847 under Emily Brontë’s pseudonym, Ellis Bell. The story focuses on the toxic obsession between Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi), who come from different social classes, making their love forbidden in the eyes of society. This story does not depict a cute romance, but instead shows a type of obsession between the two characters, and the possessiveness that Heathcliff portrays for Earnshaw, leading to turmoil for everyone involved. As the most recent adaptation of the movie, it significantly alters the plot compared to the book, adding in more explicit scenes that were not in the original book. In total, there have been over 35 different movies, series and theatrical adaptations of Wuthering Heights since 1847.
“Reminders of Him”
“Reminders of Him,” written by Colleen Hoover, hits the theaters March 13. Following the story line of Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe) after she’s released from her five-year prison sentence because of her involvement in a tragic accident with her boyfriend (Rudy Pankow). Rowan seeks to reunite with her daughter, who lives with her grandparents, who have custody of her and do their best to keep Rowan away from her. Rowan forms a secret relationship with bar owner Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), who opens his door for her when no one else does.
“The Odyssey”
Written by an ancient Greek poet named Homer, the movie adaptation focuses on the storyline of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his perilous journey home after returning from the Trojan War. Odysseus finds his kingdom in the hands of suitors who think he died in battle, and wants to reclaim his kingdom and reunite with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son (Tom Holland). The producers hope to keep the movie as close to the book as possible, while still keeping the creative and practical effects that people want to watch in the current time. This movie hits the theaters July 17.
“Verity”
Best-selling author Colleen Hoover releases yet another book-to-movie adaptation, which hits the theaters Oct. 2. Verity blends a psychological thriller, romance and a hint of horror. Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) receives a job finishing the book series written by Verity Crawford (Anne Hathway) after she was severely injured, hindering her ability to write. Lowen moves into the Crawford house, only to discover chilling secrets about Verity’s life and experience the emotional manipulation of Verity and her husband, Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett).
“Sunrise on the Reaping”
Many readers are anxiously waiting for Suzanne Collin’s book “Sunrise on the Reaping” to release in theaters Nov. 20. The book and movie are set 24 years before “The Hunger Games” following young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) after his reaping for the 50th Hunger Games from District 12. After an incident with a male tribute during the reaping, the Capitol forces Haymitch to take his place, and he must find his way through the dangerous games while trying to resist the Capitol’s control.
