The account on classic and hit films. Details provided in our making of stories is direct from cast/crew or 3+ sources. Check out our podcast @ATRMPodcast 😁
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In 2005, American author Cormac McCarthy’s 9th novel – No Country For Old Men - published. The 1980-set story of a drug deal on the Mexico-US border that goes wrong, McCarthy had originally written the tale as a screenplay and, before long, Hollywood was interested.
In 1998, Ted Chiang’s novella Story Of Your Life published in science fiction series Starlight 2. Telling the tale of a linguist making first contact with an alien species and discovering she can see the future, the story soon attracted Hollywood attention.
In the mid-1990s, RoboCop co-writer Ed Neumeier came up with an idea for his next screenplay. A future-set science fiction action film, it pitched humans against an alien species from the other side of the galaxy and was called Bug Hunt At Outpost 9.
Having worked together in 1997 on science fiction drama Contact, producer Lynda Obst and theoretical physicist Kip Thorne came up with an idea for a movie about “the most exotic events in the universe” and wrote a treatment for a story called Interstellar.
In 1996, Chuck Palahniuk’s debut novel was published. The story of an unnamed protagonist who suffers severe insomnia, befriends the mysterious Tyler Duerden, and sets up an underground cult, the book was called Fight Club, and it was an instant hit.
In 1981, James Cameron was a former special effects artist who had been promoted to direct his first feature film – Piranha II: The Spawning. The young filmmaker didn’t last long, reportedly getting fired after just 2 weeks. It wasn’t a waste of time, though…
In 1965, Frank Herbert’ science fiction novel Dune was published. A future-set epic of interstellar travel and warfare, it became an instant, award-winning classic. Herbert considered his book unfilmable, but that didn’t stop film studios taking an interest.
In 2002, Hong Kong action thriller Infernal Affairs was released. Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, it is the story of two police officers – one a triad spy, the other undercover in the triads. It was a huge hit and spawned two sequels a year later.
In 1995, Christropher Priest’s novel The Prestige was published. Spanning the science fiction and horror genres, the book told the story of two rival magicians in Victorian-era London with themes of obsession and jealousy. It quickly drew attention from the film industry.
Following the success of his debut feature Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino decided to use the $50,000 he’d earned productively. He took himself on a 3-month trip to Amsterdam, the idea being it would be part-vacation, part-screenwriting session.
In 1830, Russian playwright Alexander Pushkin wrote a short called Mozart and Salieri, a tragedy based on the death of legendary Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Over a century later, English playwright Peter Shaffer was inspired by Pushkin’s work.
In the 1980s and 90s, thriller novelist James Ellroy wrote a 50s-set noir series known as the L.A. Quarter. The third entry – L.A. Confidential – published in 1990 and was bought immediately by Warner Bros to adapt into a movie.
In 2009, Ben Mezrich’s non-fiction book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal was published. It went on to be a huge seller, and studios were interested before it was even released.
As an 8-year-old, Alfonso Cuarón watched the Apollo 11 moon landing and dreamt of becoming an astronaut. Years later in 2008, when funding ran out on A Boy and His Shoe written by Cuarón and his son Jonás, they turned their attention to an idea for a space drama.
In the early 1990s, filmmaker Frank Darabont was in a rut of “horror movie after horror movie” having written A Nightmare on Elm St 3, The Blob remake, and The Fly 2. Looking for a different challenge, he came across King’s Different Seasons, a short story collection.
During production of The Color Of Money in 1985, Scorsese found himself reading Wise Guy, a non-fiction book about a real-life New York mobster named Henry Hill. Having grown up in Little Italy, Scorsese found the subject matter relatable.
Following a falling out with his regular studio partner Warner Bros in the early 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock was a director in demand. Paramount made a move, asking Hitchcock if he was interested in After Dinner Story, a short story collection they’d bought the rights to.
In 2007, aspiring screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski was looking for ideas. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short The Tell-Tale Heart, he conceived a tale involving a hit-and-run driver killing a child and being imprisoned by the child’s grieving father as punishment.
In 1934, Australian-British writer P. L. Travers published her latest novel. The first in a series of 8 children’s books, it was called Mary Poppins, and told the tale of a magical English nanny. The book was a roaring success, getting the attention of Hollywood studios.
After the success of World War II epic Dunkirk in 2017, Nolan was looking for a return to the kind of mind-bending science fiction film that helped make his name. The idea that intrigued him most was a time-travel concept he’d been grappling with for about 20 years.
In 1900, author L. Frank Baum published his latest book. A children’s fantasy called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it would sit at the top of best-seller lists for over two years, and spawn thirteen sequels. The film industry was in its infancy, but took notice.
