Book to Film Quotes

I've never read a script that I've loved equally and differently to the book.

Sometimes we'll walk into a set, and I'll think, 'Oh, this film doesn't look like this.' You know, 'cause I read the script, and I saw it in my head in some other way. Which is a lot like what happens when they're writing a movie that's based on a book - I'm like, 'Ah! He doesn't have a beard.' You have these visions in your head about it.

I don't think that Slaughterhouse-Five was successful movie material. In fact, Vonnegut's books mostly I don't feel are movie material.

'Underworld' was my first filmed book. I think there are about seven of my lines in it.

In my novel, 'First Blood,' Rambo died. In the films, he lives.

Yes, there is some thought about making a film of My Name Is Asher Lev.

The world may not be ready yet for the film equivalent of books on tape, but this peculiar phenomenon has arrived in the form of the film adaptation of J. K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.'

Interestingly, I never thought I'd do an adaptation. I've also been quite against them. I think trying to translate one medium to another is wrong. I never really felt that books fitted into film. Generally people are disappointed, aren't they?

As a filmmaker, you have to understand the essence of the book and tell the story you want to see on the screen, and hopefully please yourself - because you can't possibly please everyone.

This particular one was very, very heartwarming and is the relationship of an older man and a young boy that are essentially on the run. And so yeah, as I say, Barry Crump wrote a lot of books and this one got into the hands of Taika Watiti who then writing the screenplay decided to really vamp up if that's the word, or ramp up and modernize certain phrases - getting in the humor. So he added a lot of a real comedy perspective onto it which is what I think the story needed anyway, especially for it to turn into a film. And it worked.

By the usual reckoning, the worst books make the best films.

It's a difficult thing when you try and make a film of a book that you really love. You have about two hours to tell the story, and it's never going to be enough.

I've never adapted a book I didn't love.

It's always tense when you move a character from a book to the screen. Always tense.

It's hard when you make a film from a book that so many people love, because there's no way to get the entire story into a two-hour movie. But I was pleased with the reaction [for Kite Runner].

As long as a film stays unmade, the book is entirely yours, it belongs to the writer. As soon as you make it into a film, suddenly more people see it than have ever read the book.

Ever since I was a little child, I refused to see movies of books that I loved. Because you already know what Heidi looks like and she doesn't look like Shirley Temple.

I don't think I'm the right man to adapt a book.

A lot of period pieces we see are adaptations of novels - we always know the story.

Tom Hooper did an amazing job in capturing the feel of Victor Hugo's book. I thought some of the performances were incredible. I thought the Bishop would be a nice part to play, and they all made such a fuss of me being there.

I'm not one of those people that goes into the movies that are based off of books going, 'I know what this is really about.' I want to go and have a good time.

I see my role as a translator, telling the story that's in the book using the more visual language of film.

Giving your book to Hollywood is like turning your daughter over to a pimp.

There is a sort of theory that you should adapt bad books because they always make more successful films.

If you think about movies that are adapted from books, they never feel like enough. There's always too much cut out in the end. You either make a five hour movie or you leave out stuff that should be in there.