The combined revenue of both Dune films totaled over $1 billion, but the films weren’t just boons for Hollywood. Since their release, book publishers have enjoyed booming sales of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, and Paul Atreides has become the new Luke Skywalker.
If done right, TV and film adaptations have the power to send the original story to totally new heights. In some cases, you could even argue that the film adaptation is actually better than the source material.
There are over 100 million unique published books in the world. However, few are ever imagined beyond the page. Whether it’s a classic overdue for a chance at a movie or TV rendition or simply an underrated story, we picked five books that deserve the adaptation treatment.
Red Rising (2014) – Pierce Brown
Following a miner in a grim, futuristic setting defined by color-coded castes, Red Rising is the first in a five title series. Darrow, the book’s sole narrator, starts the narrative beneath the surface of Mars as a Red. He is part of the lowest class of laborers and believes that he is helping terraform the planet to be inhabitable. After his wife dies, he learns the truth: that the planet is already inhabited by the highest caste, the Golds, and they are living in luxury on the backs of the Reds. The first book in the series follows Darrow as he infiltrates the Golds and spearheads a revolution from within.
Sounds like it could make for a solid Andor-esque series, right? Well, the good news is that a television show has been on Brown’s radar for quite awhile and it may have even been in the early stages at one point.
The bad news is that it no longer is, according to an interview with Brown on the Parentesis Podcast.
“The thing that was in the works for quite a long time is no longer in the works,” Brown said.
Hopefully, studios recognize the adaptation potential of Brown’s sci-fi epic. The familiar contrast between the Golds’ grand, Romanesque cities and the Reds’ subterranean helium mines is no coincidence. Red Rising is a story of class struggle, one that is comparable to modern frustrations with inequality in the real world. Darrow is the champion of that struggle.
An adaptation would not be without its challenges. Darrow’s transformation from a below-average-height laborer into a seven-foot demigod is certainly one. But I have faith that a good director could bring this unique sci-fi dystopia to life.
The Stormlight Archive Series (2010-Present) – Brandon Sanderson
This entry is cheating a little bit because of course we’d like to see the whole series hit theaters. For the sake of fairness, we’ll focus on the first entry in the series: The Way of Kings.
Set in the sprawling world of Roshar, The Way of Kings features three protagonists who must navigate a world in turmoil following the assassination of the king. Each of them plays a distantly related role in the narrative. Meanwhile, another “Desolation” looms, as does the threat of the ancient and mysterious Voidbringers.
With the controversial Game of Thrones finale having been released over six years ago, the fantasy community is primed for another sensation. The Rings of Power didn’t quite match the heights of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, and The Witcher series had to replace its star, Henry Cavill.
Unfortunately, Sanderson’s fans may still be in for a wait.
“Don’t hold your breath. I think we’re completely stalled at this point, folks,” Sanderson shared in a 2023 Reddit post. “We got really close in some ways I’ll be able to talk about eventually, but I don’t see any kind of film/TV announcement coming this year.”
We can still dream in spite of Hollywood’s apparent reluctance to adapt The Way of Kings or any other Sanderson book. The war-torn vista of the Shattered Plains and the book’s steampunk vibe could set the stage for another fantasy phenomenon. If nothing else, an adaptation will finally settle the debate over who should play each of the main characters.
America Fantastica (2023) – Tim O’Brien
The newest entry on this list, America Fantastica centers Boyd Halverson, a disgraced journalist and habitual liar. After Boyd robs a bank for no other reason than boredom, he takes the bank’s teller, Angie, hostage. The book features an eclectic cast of loosely connected characters, many of whom are on Boyd and Angie’s trail. Hitmen. A billionaire. The bodyguard of his ex-wife’s husband. Even an ex-boyfriend armed with a garden-hoe. Everyone, except the police, seems to be after them.
“The fabulous and the fantastic—the wildly outlandish lies—were typically questioned by the intellect yet wholly absorbed by the heart.”
Tim O’Brien, America Fantastica
The book’s themes are more relevant today than ever. O’Brien’s not-so-subtle depiction of a society obsessed with falsehoods is reminiscent of the surge of AI-generated images and videos laden with misinformation. America Fantastica isn’t just a film we want to see. We need to see it.
America Fantastica is a convoluted mess in the best possible way. O’Brien’s absurd cast of characters, each with their own energy and motivations, would make for a thrilling ride on screen. But the real joy would be in the unlikely relationship between Boyd and Angie.
The Blood Meridian (1985) – Cormac McCarthy
The Blood Meridian is not for the faint of heart. Cormac McCarthy’s protagonist, known only as “the Kid,” is a teenage runaway in the 1850s American Southwest who later joins a gang of scalp hunters. It is an exceptionally violent story, illustrating American expansion westward in a raw and nauseating fashion. At the heart of the the Glanton Gang’s cruelty is perhaps the book’s most chilling element: the deeply mysterious character of Judge Holden.
There has been some speculation as to whether an adaptation of The Blood Meridian would even be possible. From the disturbing violence to the highly descriptive prose, the consensus among readers is that it would take an especially creative director to pull it off.
“That’s all crap,” McCarthy said in a 2009 interview with the Wall Street Journal. “The issue is it would be very difficult to do and would require someone with a bountiful imagination and a lot of balls. But the payoff could be extraordinary.”
No Country for Old Men and The Road were arguably McCarthy’s most popular works. Studios adapted each within just a few years, which makes The Blood Meridian a bit of an outlier. It’s a deeply underappreciated story, and its themes about good, evil and humanity’s affinity for violence more than warrant an adaptation.
It would not be an easy watch. But one day, we’ll hopefully get to see Hollywood’s recreation of the sadistic, possibly demonic Judge Holden. He would instantly join the ranks of cinema’s most iconic villains.
The Graveyard Book (2008) – Neil Gaiman
Of course, we can’t have a conversation about Neil Gaiman without acknowledging the disturbing sexual assault allegations against him. Any adaptation of his work would surely have to reconcile with his controversial image.
Nevertheless, the author of Coraline is known for his rhythmic prose and dark fantasy tales. The Graveyard Book is no different, taking place in a recognizable, modern-ish setting characteristic of his other works such as American Gods.
The book begins with a young toddler, Bod (short for “Nobody”), crawling to a nearby graveyard to escape the man that killed his family. There, he is raised by ghosts and the mysterious, half-alive Silas. The ghosts grant Bod the “Freedom of the Graveyard,” which gives him strange powers. The book turns into a coming-of-age story, with each of its chapters set two years from the last. All the while, Bod confronts threats from the living world and the supernatural.
A Disney adaptation of The Graveyard Book was actually in the works back in 2024, but the allegations against Gaiman put the project on pause. With its future uncertain, we may never see the book rise beyond the page, but it is still fun to imagine.
Like the generationally popular Coraline adaptation, Gaiman’s works fit well into the stop-motion style. For example Bod’s ability to manipulate dreams and his encounter with ghouls could really stretch the limits of the animation style.
The Power of the Adaptation
Any one of these entries would make a great addition to your reading list, whether it’s the meteoric rise of Darrow or the wild ride of America Fantastica. Some are classics that have flown under producers’ radar, while others are underrated.
Let’s be real, though: We don’t always have time to read a book, and sometimes it’s easier to watch the movie or TV show. When the title of a book eventually finds the theater marquee, it invites new fans to enjoy the characters and world-building. The story can even reinterpreted into an entirely new work of art.
In 1984, almost 40 years before the modern adaptations, David Lynch’s Dune rendition proved disappointing to most fans. For some, however, it became a cult classic that brought them closer to Caladan, Arrakis, and the far future of Herbert’s universe. Even when the product doesn’t meet expectations, adaptations can broaden existing fandoms and forge unique communities.
