When Robert Rodriguez’s film “Sin City” hit theaters in 2005, Hollywood was hopeful of the independent filmmaker’s ability to transfer the edgy nuances of the best-selling graphic novel to film form. In the past, trusting cult literature to Hollywood proved problematic for the studios, the directors, and audiences. Too often the studio machine dropped the ball regarding cinematic adaptation of books, novels, and comics and went for style over substance. Audiences are in a new era regarding cinematic adaptations of books. The future is uncertain.
Despite the lackluster success of “Sin City,” people still enjoy Frank Miller. “Sin City,” also known as “Frank Miller’s Sin City,” was a neo-noir film based on Miller’s graphic novel series of the same name . In fact, since 2005, the amount of cinematic adaptions of novels and graphic novels has increased. Although Superman and Batman (and, arguably, “Blade”) were the first comic books turned into superhero franchise films, since 2000 the number of comic book adaptations (including reboots) has increased tenfold.
The Beginnings
Hollywood has always found literature to be fertile ground for films, from the old Huckleberry Finn books to classics like “The Great Gatsby,” “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” or “Death of a Salesman.” Older audiences may more easily remember the onslaught of 1990s film adaptions like “Sense and Sensibility” or any of the John Grisham novels which were all the rage. Films like “The Firm,” “The Client,” and “The Pelican Brief” went on to achieve measurable success on the silver screen with A-list stars playing lead roles.
Adopting the Adaptation
Adapting books and comics is standard procedure now. In 2004, Mel Gibson adapted the New Testament of the Bible with “The Passion of the Christ.” With the success of hot properties like the pre-WWII “Lord of the Rings” book series and the current billion-dollar Harry Potter franchise, and Marvel Comics and DC Comics jumping into the fray with an endless array of cinematic superheroes translated for the big screen, there’s surely more to come.
The success of comic book superhero franchises like “Batman Begins” and the upcoming “The Amazing Spider-Man” mark an era when Hollywood can adapt itself. The Superman franchise has already been rebooted once. The second reboot, “Superman: Man of Steel,” is expected to be released in 2013.
Transmedia and Adaptation
Transmedia storytelling is a technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats, thus making it the perfect foundation of a cinematic adaptation. Transmedia is recognized for its use by mass media to develop media franchises . A successful book or graphic novel is generally a prerequisite in a transmedia campaign. The book develops a mainstream or cult following. The book is adapted into a film which attempts to tap into the existing audience. Then, the new film version is developed into a book and an online story.
Hollywood is not one to stand by and wait. As long as authors continue to write good books and transmedia continues to be fruitful, cinematic adaptations will continue.
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