RTW: Movies first

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What movie do you wish had been a book first? (And who should have written it?)


If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion...
love actually is all around.

There are so many books that have been adapted into amazing (and not-so-amazing) films. The film versions of GONE WITH THE WIND and the HARRY POTTER series are among my favorite films. Brad Pitt's Plan B Productions has acquired the rights to WORLD WAR Z, and I'm hoping it'll be another terrifying awesome addition to my favorites list.

People across the blogosphere and beyond are breathlessly awaiting the big screen adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES. There's the LOTR series. THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. All books before they were movies.

But the movie I most wish was a book (though I don't necessarily care if it was a book first) is LOVE, ACTUALLY*.

It's got all the makings of an intricate, un-put-downable book, plot threads weaving in and out among a group of loosely (and not-so-loosely) connected individuals. There's comedy, action, romance, mystery, a cranky old man who learns the true meaning of Christmas... Oh, yeah, did I mention it's a Christmas movie? Beloved characters and beloved moments abound.

Even minus all the awesome stars (Hugh Grant! Liam Neeson! Laura Linney! Emma Thompson! Colin Firth! Snape himself, Alan Rickman! Mr. Bean!), it's such a gush-inducing awe-fest, I'd snap it up in a second. The novelization of the movie would allow for more in-depth portraits of each character, allowing greater exploration of their motivations and glimpses into their pasts - or maybe even futures - that the film format simply can't explore.

It would be the kind of novel you'd read curled up in your favorite chair on a cold night sometime in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a cup of hot chocolate in your hand and a kitty (or dog, as the case may be) at your feet. Heart-warming, funny, and good for the spirit.

As for the author, it'd have to be somebody with heart, someone who could maintain the British-ness of it (otherwise, it'd basically be a novelization of VALENTINE'S DAY, which is a cute movie, but not in the same realm as LOVE, ACTUALLY), as well as providing keen observation without being cynical.

Ahem.

Is it cheating if I say JK Rowling?

(While we're at it, I'd like to request JKR write the novelization of LOVE, ACTUALLY, as well as a loose adaptation set in the Wizarding World.)

Care to join us on our Road Trip? What movie do you wish had been a book first?

*The film is awesome, but has quite a bit of nudity, so if you are offended by nudity, it's probably not for you.