Book To Movie Adaptations

It may be because The Hunger Games movie is fast approaching (YES!), but I've been reading about movie adaptions everywhere. Not too shocking (in fact, I've already written a post about different adaptions I like/dislike). But, what did surprise me were all the negative things I'd seen. I've come across a ton of discussions on Goodreads where people hope their favorite books don't get turned into movies and I've even seen authors blog about being annoyed that their novel is being optioned for film rights. If something I write is ever even in discussion to become a movie I would be singing from the rooftops and walking on sunshine and any other cheesy image I can conjure! Let's face it, I would be freaking thrilled!

But maybe it's because I'm just an all-media kind of girl. Books definitely take top rank, but I absolutely love television shows and movies, and I LOVE when one of my favorite books gets turned into something else. A few examples of my favorites are Harry Potter, Vampire Diaries, Lord of the Rings and The Notebook. I can't wait for The Hunger Games to be released and I've heard talk that some of my other favorite series, like Vampire Academy or The Mortal Instruments, are in the works to become films too.

For me, it's just more ways to interact with characters I love. I hate when a series ends and you have to say goodbye. Movies or TV shows are just something else to look forward to. Sometimes the scripts follow the books really well and sometimes they don't, either way I usually still enjoy it. Something like Harry Potter is somewhat sacred, so I loved that the movies followed the books almost to a T. But I still enjoyed Blood and Chocolate, which completely changed the story from the book, but I just took it as sort of an alternate reality featuring characters I liked.

I'm a little worried they'll change The Hunger Games to make it more commercial (making some of the characters that die seem older or making the romance take a much bigger role), which would be a shame, but I'm pretty confident I'll still love the films. I'm going into it with an open mind, not expecting a rehash of the book. After all, when an author signs over the rights to his or her book, the director gets control and it becomes a whole different story. Maybe the same plot, but seen through new eyes.

What do you guys think? Do you love when your favorite books get turned into movies? Hate it? Worried about The Hunger Games adaptation or just annoyed that we can't watch it yet?

In honor of my movie love, here are some trailers for movies I am really (really!) excited for:

The Hunger Games Trailer

Snow White & The Huntsman Trailer

Mirror Mirror Trailer

The Avengers Trailer

Gone Trailer