Your Novel – The Movie Version!

By: Aryanne Ferguson

I love when people are passionate enough about books to tell the whole world. Here at August Rose Press, we talk about the joys (and woes) of reading and writing on a regular basis, but it isn’t often that love of a book makes it into the news. Canadian news outlet CBC News wrote that actor Donald Sutherland was so passionate about a young adult novel called Pirate’s Passage*, that he made it into an animated movie!  The actor felt that the YA novel described his own childhood. He identified so much with the main character, that he brought the story to life by producing and starring in the animated movie. I hope it does well! If you’re wondering who Donald Sutherland is,  he is quite the veteran actor. I loved him as Mr. Bennet in the 2005 movie adaptation, Pride & Prejudice. Nothing like a little dry wit.

Donald Sutherland isn’t the first celebrity to fall in love with a book and produce the movie version. The most famous contemporary example is probably Peter Jackson’s love affair with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit.

So how about it, Reader? As a fun thought exercise, what famous person do you think is in danger of falling in love with your work? And would you ever write a character with an actor or actress in mind to play their role in the movie adaptation?

(Yes, I know a movie deal is jumping ahead, but clearly visualizing a character’s outward appearance can’t hurt the writing process (unless it can?). In my case, I have trouble dreaming up the physical characteristics of all my characters, so it helps to have a real person’s face in front of me. Happy writing!)

 

*The YA novel was published in 2006 by William Gilkerson.