Adapted screenplays, which interpret another source such as a novel or play, are more common than original screenplays. The process can be challenging, as the writer may need to balance faithfulness to the source material with the demands of the film medium. Some adaptations are better known and loved than their source material, while others disappoint fans. When adapting a work, it is important to consider whether the source material is in the public domain or requires the author’s consent.
When the Academy Awards are presented each year, there are two screenplay awards. One is for Best Original Screenplay, which is a screenplay written from no source other than the writer’s imagination. The other category is reserved for the best adapted screenplay. Typically, this is a script that interprets another source, such as a novel, short story, play, or even another film.
Adapted screenplays are actually more common than originals. Many screenwriters draw inspiration from a variety of sources, and some of this century’s most celebrated films have been adapted from other sources. These include the following films:
Brokeback Mountain
Sideways
Million Dollar Baby
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers and The Return of the King
The Departed
Traffic
Chicago
Il Constant Gardener
The pianist
Creating an adapted screenplay is a challenging process. A writer may or may not be concerned with being faithful to an original work, and sometimes, the author of the original work has enough power to exert considerable influence over the screenwriting process. For example, JK Rowling has been granted editorial control over all Harry Potter films based on her popular book series.
Sometimes there is a schism between the devoted readers of a book and the writer or writers who adapt it for film. Hugely popular novels have often fallen short of expectations when made into a screenplay because, often, books cannot be easily converted into film form. Such was the case with the highly anticipated adapted screenplay of The Da Vinci Code and, in the 1980s, with Bonfire of the Vanities and The Witches of Eastwick.
Other times, an adapted screenplay becomes better known and loved than its source material. Many know Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Wizard of Oz far better from the film versions than from the books that produced them, though it should be noted that they were all popular books. Sometimes avid readers are disgusted by film versions that change the essential elements of a beloved novel. Many die-hard Jane Austen fans found Keira Knightly’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice disappointing, and express concern that a mediocre film will be better known than its infinitely preferable source material.
The writer of the screenplay adaptation, however, is trying to turn one art form into another. Peter Jackson and his wife offered many explanations for dropping some characters and making minor changes to The Lord of the Rings because they had to “sell” the film’s concept to a studio. Not all book fans accepted their argument. This turns out to be one of the essential push and pull aspects of adaptation. Film is a different medium than a play, novel, or short story, and what works in a particular source may not translate well into a film. Consequently, the adapted screenplay is always a critical interpretation of the play, rather than an exact copy. Indeed, sometimes the most faithful copies of a work make poor films.
If a writer is considering trying his hand at adapting another work into a screenplay, a few things are worth noting. When the original work is not in the public domain and is still the intellectual property of the author or the author’s heirs, the adapter cannot sell the script to others. New writers who want to try the adaptation should consider working only with public domain material, unless they can get the writer’s consent to adapt the work. In many screenwriting competitions, the rules specify that the adaptation can only come from works in the public domain.
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