BY GRACE MCQUADE
What better way to spend a cold winter’s day then heading to the local cinema to see a movie?
The added perk is that a trip to the theatre is often another way to enjoy literature since so many films are adapted from or inspired by well-known books.
Some of the greatest movies of all time are based on classic tomes, from “Gone with the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” to “All the President’s Men,” “Out of Africa” and “Schindler’s List.”
Many stories never grow old, with Hollywood reimagining multiple versions of timeless novels, such as Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and, most recently, Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” as well as time-honored children’s tales like “Alice in Wonderland,” “Beauty and the Beast” and the Dr. Seuss yarns.
Moviegoers flock to see hot-off-the-bestseller-list page-turners, as well as latest installments of popular book series, including J.R.R. Tolkein’s “The Lord of the Rings” legends, Harry Potter’s adventures, and the action-packed thrillers based on Ian Fleming’s James Bond, with its generations of leading men.
Prolific, contemporary authors such as Stephen King and Nicholas Sparks deliver plots that transform into box office draws given the recent, blockbuster success of King’s “It,” and the steady stream of sentimental stories from Sparks that includes the screen gem “The Notebook.”
And sometimes the movie adaptation outshines and outlasts the original book. “The Godfather,” “Jaws,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Field of Dreams,” and “Forrest Gump” are just a few.
In addition to “It,” this fall included the sleeper hit “Wonder” based on the children’s novel by R.J. Palacio, the critically-acclaimed “Wonderstruck” by author Brian Selznick, and another story-behind-the-book, “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” a biopic about A.A. Milne who created Winnie the Pooh.
Now that winter is upon us, here are some of the stories that will go from the page to the screen over the coming months.
JANUARY
“The Post” (Jan. 12; PG-13; biography/drama/history): Directed by Steven Spielberg, this drama about the Washington Post’s role in exposing the Pentagon Papers in 1971 draws from former publisher Katharine Graham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, “Personal History,” and features an all-star cast led by Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.
“Paddington 2” (Jan. 12; PG; animation/adventure/comedy): Featuring Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville and Ben Whishaw in the title role, the children’s books by Michael Bond come to life in this sequel to the 2014 film in which Paddington is now living with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens and on the hunt for a missing book.
“Freak Show” (Jan. 12; comedy/drama): This adaptation of James St. James’ best-selling cult novel starring Alex Lawter, Abigail Breslin and Bette Midler tells the story of a confident teenager who faces intolerance at his conservative high school and fights back on behalf of all the misunderstood freaks of the world by running for the coveted title of homecoming queen.
“12 Strong” (Jan. 19; R; action/drama/history): Inspired by the best-selling book, “Horse Soldiers,” this is the true story of the U.S. special forces team played by Michael Shannon, Chris Hemsworth and Michael Pena who are chosen to be the first troops sent into Afghanistan after 9/11.
“The Leisure Seeker” (Jan. 19; R; adventure/comedy/drama): Based on the same-titled novel, this comedy is about a retired couple (Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland) who head out on an RV trip down Route 66, determined to enter their twilight years on their own terms.
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (Jan. 26; action/sci-fi/thriller): The third novel in the popular series by James Dashner, this epic tale finds young hero Thomas leading his group of escaped Gladers on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the “flare.”
FEBRUARY
“Fifty Shades Freed” (Feb. 9; R; drama/romance/thriller): Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) return in the third and final chapter in the steamy “Fifty Shades” saga by author E.L. James.
“The 15:17 to Paris” (Feb. 9; PG-13; drama/history/thriller): Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the book, “The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes,” this film is about the three young men who thwarted a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train in 2015.
“Peter Rabbit” (Feb. 9; PG; animation/adventure/comedy): The book character created by Beatrix Potter that has captivated generations of readers now stars in this modern, comedic interpretation of these classic stories that has Peter Rabbit voiced by James Corden.
“Annihilation” (Feb. 16; adventure/drama/fantasy): The first novel in “The Southern Reach” trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer tells the story of a biologist played by Natalie Portman who volunteers for a secret expedition into an environmental disaster zone after her husband’s tragic disappearance.
“Every Day” (Feb. 23; PG-13; drama/fantasy/romance): Based on David Levithan’s acclaimed, New York Times bestseller, this is the story of a 16-year-old girl who falls in love with a mysterious spirit called “A” who inhabits a different body every day.
“The War with Grandpa” (Feb. 23; comedy/family): Upset that he has to share his bedroom with his grandfather who just moved in, a boy declares war to get it back in a comedy starring Robert DeNiro, Uma Thurman and Christopher Walken adapted from the novel by Robert Kimmel Smith.
MARCH
“Red Sparrow” (March 2; thriller): Based on the book by former CIA officer Jason Matthews, “Red Sparrow” tells the story of a Russian intelligence officer (Jennifer Lawrence) who is ordered against her will to become a “sparrow,” a trained seductress in the Russian security service.
“A Wrinkle in Time” (March 9; PG; adventure/fantasy/family): Perhaps one of the most anticipated winter films, Disney is bringing the iconic 1963 fantasy by Madeleine L’Engle to the screen as young Meg Murry (Storm Reid) embarks on an extraordinary journey through time with her younger brother to find their missing scientist father (Chris Pine) with the aid of three supernatural beings played by Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey.
Winfrey, the recipient of the Cecil B. De Mille Award at this year’s 75th annual Golden Globe Awards, has been a longtime proponent of fine prose, bridging the worlds of books and movies. Her latest screen project and the rest of this season’s assortment of films may very well have people heading to their local bookstores and libraries in addition to multiplexes this winter.
