More movies based on children's and young adult books are headed to theaters in 2013. Will your favorite fictional character be brought to life by movie studios in the upcoming year?
Hollywood is continuously churning out new films. Some are based on original ideas, while other movies are based on books. Novels of all genres are a plentiful source of inspiration for production companies and movie studios looking to cash in on the popularity of bestsellers. "The Hobbit" based on the novel of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien is currently in theaters and "The Great Gatsby" based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel will hit theaters in May 2013. Children's picture books like "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick have inspired award-winning films and 2013 is sure to be no different.
Now that the "Twilight" films based on the young adult series by Stephanie Meyer have come to an end, what other movies based on popular kids' book titles can families expect in 2013? Here are just a few of the projects currently in the works. While some would rather see the story brought to life on the silver screen, the San Francisco Children's Fiction Examiner believes it's always better to read the book first.
"Beautiful Creatures" is a supernatural teen love story scheduled to open in theaters Feb. 13, 2013. Based on a series of books by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this film could become a franchise like "Twilight" did. It will appeal to the same fans, most likely. Lena Duchannes and Ethan Wate are two teens living in Gatlin, a small Southern town. Lena has inherited powers she doesn't want anyone to know about and Ethan can't wait to be free of his small-town life. Alice Englert stars as Lena and Ethan is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich.
"Romeo and Juliet" comes to the big screen, again, this time starring Hailee Steinfeld from "True Grit" as Juliet. Her Romeo is played by Douglas Booth. This timeless tale of star-crossed lovers also stars Paul Giamatti as Friar Laurence and Stellan Skarsgård as the Prince of Verona. No exact date for release had been set yet for this film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy.
"Oz: The Great and Powerful" is scheduled to be released in theaters March 8, 2013. Starring James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz, the film is based on "The Wizard of Oz." by L. Frank Baum. The story explains how small-time magician lands in Oz and becomes the wizard.
"The Host" by Stephanie Meyer proves that this young adult fiction author isn't done turning books into movies. Although her "Twilight" series may have wrapped up with the fourth film starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles, she is taking on another story with this film. Set to open in theaters March 29, 2013, this movie about an alien living in a human body stars Saoirse Ronan from "The Lovely Bones," "Atonement" and "Hanna." It also stars Diane Kruger and William Hurt.
"The Leaf Men" by William Joyce will appear in theaters as the animated film "Epic." Full of brave good bugs, an evil Spider Queen and helpful Leaf Men, this movie from the creators of "Ice Age" and "Rio" stars the voice talents of Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Amanda Seyfried, Pitbull and Beyoncé.
Other books being adapted for film are "World War Z" by Max Brooks, "R.I.P.D." by Peter Lenkov, "Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan, "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare, "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins.
What film based on a book are you most anxious to see?
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Source: Squidoo
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