We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community which books need to be turned into movies immediately. Here are some of the most popular responses...
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1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
"All the Light We Cannot See would make such a good movie if they did it right." –sherryy49c3b4326
"In the right hands this could be a masterful film." –Ir Jaa, Facebook
Back in 2015, there were reports that the book had been acquired by 20th Century Fox, but there's been no word of it moving forward since.
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
"The cinematography would be absolutely amazing." –julim4d635ba19
"I just want to see how they would execute a movie, the visuals and CGI would be absolutely fantastic!" –abkat822
"Simply put, it's magical. Romance, magic, mystery, basically everything you could ever want in a book." –kianah463bcbec9
The good news is it has already been optioned by Summit Entertainment. The bad news is Morgenstern says she has no idea when they'll even get a director for it.
3. The Selection book series by Kiera Cass
"The Selection series by Kiera Cass would make incredible movies. It's a YA trilogy about America, a girl in a caste – separated, futuristic USA who is 'selected' to compete for the Prince's heart in a The Bachelor–style show full of highs and lows. It has drama, family, tragedy, friendship and romance and would just work extremely well in a film format." –Elliehannahh
Good news! The rights have been acquired by Warner Bros and it even has a director, Me Before You's Thea Sharrock. Now we just have to wait patiently for more news about it.
4. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
"I'd love to see A Little Life brought to the big screen. I've already taken care of the casting: Cillian Murphy will play Jude, Michael Fassbender as Willem, Titus Burgess as JD (he will win an Oscar), and Michael Ealy as Malcolm." –Elizabeth Pears
There's been no news of a movie adaptation so far, but Yanagihara reportedly wrote a Facebook post (before allegedly deleting it) stating it will be turning into a TV series. So at least that will be something!
5. I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan
6. Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
"One of the best series ever!" –princetonhopeful17, chandlarh, lauram430502571 and bently82
This was a hugely popular suggestion, but there's been a lot of stopping and starting on the movie front for this series. The rights were bought all the way back in 2006, a year after the first novel was published. It was slated for a 2011 release but got pushed back, and now all that is known is that it is in the works. Here's a tweet from the author about it back in 2014.
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green
"I've been waiting years to see this masterpiece hit the big screen." –katyross82294
"I have been desperately waiting for a movie adaptation of Looking For Alaska by John Green ever since I first read the book in 2008. It is my all time favorite book and I literally read it at least once a year still to this day. But don't get me wrong, if they aren't going to do it justice, then don't do it. I haven't waited this long to have my favorite characters destroyed on the screen, when it should be their time to shine." –nikkije
"Apparently it's been stuck in the preproduction phase for YEARS now and no one can get their acts together to actually make the film. The book is my absolutely favorite of all time." –juliac451416788
Here's another book that was suggested A LOT. But, alas, progress is looking pretty doomed for now. Green sold the rights to Paramount back in 2005, and it's been in limbo ever since. Even the author is pretty fuming about it. Here's a tweet he made about it last year. Fingers crossed they come to an agreement soon!
8. Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo
"Such good books, would be amazing films!" –Rachel S.
"I can imagine the suspense and the aesthetic." –meramagdalena
As far as we can see there are no plans in the works (as of yet!).
9. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
"I read the entire book in two days, I couldn't put it down!! Even at 4 a.m., I had that book in my hands. It's suspenseful, has very quirky and developed characters, and a really interesting plot." –sierrasteelem
"I would kill Bunny all over again for a movie of The Secret History." –Felix Wright
There have reportedly been a couple of attempts to turn Tartt's first novel into a movie over the years, but it seems like it's now going nowhere. Someone make this happen!
10. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
"This novel and the rest in the series definitely need to be made into a movie. One of my favourite books and I'd love to see how the characters and the story as a whole plays on the big screen!!" –oliviac4d81bcbca
"It's message is all too relevant in the current climate." –zoen40f0e00d2
"Has Noughts and Crosses been done yet? If so, it should be." –sarah9591
We may be out of luck for it to be turned into a movie – but that's only because it has already been signed up to be a BBC TV drama. Which we're pretty excited for, NGL!
11. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
"I read it in a day and it's still one of my favorites!" –erinb490c791aa, katieg4e0a4aa41 and emilyh4ba12e0f6
"It's my favorite YA romance better than The Fault in Our Stars in my opinion. It would make the cutest movie!!" –janes4e84ed369
Back in 2014 it looked like it was actually going to happen, as Rowell even started writing the screenplay for DreamWorks. But it never got made and the rights are now back with the author. Here's hoping someone else picks it up as this was a popular recommendation!
12. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
"Although the subject of the book is heavy, the storyline is amazing and intriguing and has a really powerful message. It shows how it really feels to be different in everyday society." –caseyh419c9135a and crystalqueetap
Jodi Picoult has had several of her works turned into film adaptations. But we've not heard anything about a Nineteen Minutes big-screen version just yet.
13. The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
"They're four books (plus a few extra, but that's the main series) about Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White, except they're all really badass and live in a futuristic world with a tyrant queen living on the moon with powers to be able to mind control people. Cinderella is a cyborg mechanic, Little Red Riding Hood is just a badass and will kill you without a second thought, Rapunzel is an amazing computer hacker that can ruin your info in a second, and Snow White is a slightly insane person of color. In conclusion, they're amazing and must be turned into a movie with correct casting (no whitewashing) at once." –cinderhelmo
"The Lunar Chronicles!!!! Intertwined fairy tales in a sci-fi world, yes please." –erinfox01
"The Lunar Chronicles – because the world needs sci-fi meets fairytales meets absolute feminism. These books gave me life, it would be unfair to those who don't read, not to make it into a movie; but more importantly, the fandom." –allegrachloe4
No solid news so far but it's looking optimistic! Meyer says in a Q&A on her website: "The movie / TV rights have been optioned and a script is in the works. Fingers are tightly crossed!"
14. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
"Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – about multiple universes and emotions and love. If done right... damn." –hdejar
"Multiple parallel universes are fascinating." –katef4
The good news is Sony picked up the rights BEFORE it was even a book, based on a 150-page manuscript they were sent in 2014. The bad news is there've been no recent updates, so we'll wait patiently for now.
15. The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
"It's the usual romantic story that we expect, but with a suspenseful twist that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. I could totally see it being a movie and would be first in line if it ever hit the big screen." –janiceo43b31f5df
So many Nicholas Sparks books have been turned into movies, he even has a whole page on his website of them. But The Guardian is yet to be added to the list.
16. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
"This book has it all: a strong, witty, independent, arrogant, and badass woman as lead character, a kind and handsome prince, a smart stubborn soldier, an evil, mischievous king, and so many more. All the characters are evolving and growing throughout the entire series. There is always action and drama and you can never see what will happen next. Basically, Sarah J. Maas is queen of cliffhangers and plot twists." –lolibby
"They totally need to make a movie or TV show based on the Throne of Glass books." –meggymoo1855, katelyne41cff93c0, purplesnitch123 and luvthebuzz
Looks like it's happening! Throne of Glass is being made into an upcoming TV show by Hulu. But that doesn't mean we won't also get to see a movie version, as the film rights have also been optioned.
17. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
"Haruki Murakami's 1Q84, not done by Hollywood though (I already know they'd make some awful whitewashed version of it and I want to watch 1Q84 as it was intended, full Japanese cast and entirely in Japanese)!" –Sinead Buckley, Facebook
Sadly, there's no news of this happening...yet.
18. Mosquitoland by David Arnold
19. Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
"While reading it, I kept thinking, 'This would make a great, funny movie'." –randomperson17
"It's so funny and keeps you entertained. It's great!" –shannonh46f2db304
The book itself was actually self-published and there seems to be no plans at the moment to turn it into a movie. But we included it as several people mentioned it.
So let's see if it gets noticed by those in the know!
20. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
"I cannot stop thinking about this book. I loved it so much I finished it in a few hours. I would love to see it played out as a movie." –emmam42802bf22
"It's probably my favorite book ever." –gracej4f428db71
This was another popular Rainbow Rowell novel people want to see on screen. We'll just have to hope we get our way soon...
21. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
22. 1984 by George Orwell
"It's time for a remake of 1984. Still very relevant to today's world." –evansrhod
"I imagine it would be a lot like Handmaid's Tale. A movie adaptation of this novel was made a long time ago but it's definitely time for a newer version." –LunaMagnolia86
Yes, we know, we know – it's already been turned into a movie. In fact, it was in 1956 and 1984. But as some of these commenters point out, maybe it's time for an updated one. Apparently it's currently getting a rewrite and could even be on our screens by 2019. Watch this space.
We received SO many recommendations we couldn't possibly include them all, read the comments of this post to see more. Alternatively, if there's any you want to add, please feel free to add your own in the comments below.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.