With rich, imaginative stories in worlds where you can lose yourself easily, novels make for great material that can be adapted into films and TV shows, especially now that entertainment has gone largely digital. These movies and TV shows based on novels on the web are perfect to watch your favourite story come to life.
To see what changes the writers have made, and how the actors have chosen to breathe life into your favourite characters is rather compelling. Whether or not audiences love the adaptation, it is always great to see a novel being made into movies or long-format TV shows. Fantasy, history, drama, crime, nostalgia— you name it, they have it. While films are attempts at trying to fit an entire novel into a two-hour long saga, TV shows and web series provide the perfect canvas in terms of running time to makers to try and do justice to the original novel.
From the hugely popular Game of Thrones to the holy grail of romantics with Bridgerton, and even the thriller You, these are all adapted from literary works and have gone on to create a niche and a dedicated fanbase of their own. Today, we are going to look at some of the hugely popular movies and TV shows based on novels across all OTT platforms.
Movies and TV shows based adapted from novels on OTT platforms
Bridgerton, Netflix
Based on books The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, this is one of the first things that comes to mind when we say movies and TV shows based on novels. The first season of Bridgerton chronicles the oldest daughter in the family, Daphne Bridgerton who’s making her way into the marriage market of Regency London. The picturesque sets of a beautiful era and lavish costumes are nothing less than visual treats. The second season has been a major hit too, and the show is scheduled to come back for two more seasons.
Minhunter, Netflix
Next on the list of movies and TV shows based on novels, we have this gem. If there’s one TV show that glorifies the FBI and makes them look cool, Mindhunter will be one of the first. While we are not sure if the show will return for a third season, the first two do a great job at capturing some mindblowing and fascinating elements of a serial killer.
A great adaptation of the novel by the same name, this novel takes us through FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit and has been penned by real-life FBI agents John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, which has then been adapted for Netflix. The show centres around two FBI agents and a doctor who try to comprehensively understand the psychology of the most horrible serial killers in history.
The Night Manager, Amazon Prime
Based on the 1993 novel of the same name by John le Carré, The Night Manager is a six-part series that is nothing short of a rollercoaster. The show starts off in the chaotic city of Cairo where we see Pine working as the night shift manager of a luxury hotel. Directed by Susanne Bier, the series was nominated for a total of 36 awards. Out of that, it has three Golden Globes in its kitty, with Tom Hiddleston winning for Best Performance, Olivia Colman for Best Performance in a Supporting Role, and Hugh Laurie for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor.
The Handmaid’s Tale, Amazon Prime
If you are a fan of dystopian universes in movies and TV shows based on novels, you cannot give this show a miss. Based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood in 1985, this fierce and disturbing tale is the perfect on-screen adaptation of the novel. Set in a world with a totalitarian government of Gilead establishing its rule in the former United States. In a civil war, it subjects fertile women called ‘handmaids’ to child-bearing slavery and the entitlement of men over women’s bodies in society.
Lord of The Rings, Amazon Prime
Die-hard admirers would argue that this is the best film trilogy to have ever been made, and yes, they are not wrong. An epic fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien and directed by Peter Jackson, the trilogy is set in the fictional world of Middle earth. With an intricate world and dimensional characters, Peter Jackson breathed life into Tolkien’s fictional premise and how! The trilogy then went on to become one of the greatest of all time, in terms of revenue earned, critical acclaim and cinematic achievement.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Amazon Prime
A 2012 American drama written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, this movie is based on the novel of the same name, written by Chbosky hismelf. One of the most heartfelt movies based on novels out there, this movie has a fanbase of its own. It chronicles the life of Charlie, a socially awkward and withdrawn teenager, who writes to an unnamed friend about the challenges, trials and tribulations of his freshman year at high school. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that he is not aware of, his life starts gliding through like butter as he becomes friends with his seniors, portrayed by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, and a bunch of other people.
2 States, Disney + Hotstar
Based on the famous novel of the same name by Chetan Bhagat, 2 States is a story of love that culminates into marriage after going through its own share of hardships. Because marriages in India are as unique as the country itself. Written by Abhishek Varman and Bhagat and directed by Varman himself, this 2014 film stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who play lovers from two different states in India, set in the backdrop of IIM Ahmedabad.
Cobalt Blue, Netflix
Based on the 2006 Marathi novel by author Sachin Kundalkar, he gives a visual rendition of his own words in this delicately crafted film. An understated saga of love and loss, this is a refreshing, indie watch on Netflix amidst all its big-budget commercial movies. It follows the tale of a family who recently moved to Kerala and decided to rent out the spare room of their new house. And how the new paying guest turns the course of this conservative family upside down, unleashing a mess of emotions. Starring Prateik Babbar, Neelay Mehendale and Anjali Sivaraman, the Call Me By Your Name references are hard to miss.
Hero Image: Courtesy Screenshot from trailer on YouTube ; Featured Image: Courtesy LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX/LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX – © 2022 Netflix, Inc./IMDb
A journalism student who studied the subject only to meet SRK in person, she settled for the best way to meet him. Covering Entertainment throughout her career, and now Food, Health and Lifestyle as well, Sreetama is also a self-proclaimed plant mom. In love with all things slow and quiet, she can often be found hunting for quiet corners with a glass of wine in hand. Other loves include little, inconsequential things, like neatly tucked-in bedsheets and big, significant things, like whole cheesecakes. She dreams of being a baker and writing about food someday.
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