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In an overcrowded market with the proliferation of streaming platforms alongside the traditional broadcaster, creating content based on previous IP is an ever-growing trend.
In an overcrowded market with the proliferation of streaming platforms alongside the traditional broadcaster, creating content based on previous IP is an ever-growing trend (see the recent news story on Netflix). Not that it wasn’t a trend before, it’s just that IP generation (writing a book, creating a podcast, a YouTube series) has never been as accessible or opportunity-filled as it is today. Books still have the lion’s share of the source material market for TV and cinema adaptation. But not all books are created equal when it comes to adaptability.
Some genres are more easily transferrable to the screen and tend to create a better connection between the source audience and the series viewers. Classics of world literature still retain the trophy when it comes to literary adaptations.
Across genres, from Jane Austen to Bram Stoker, these stories have been revisited time and time again in the visual medium, allowing younger generations to discover them anew.
Every time a new "Dracula", a new "Pride and Prejudice", a new "Frankenstein" or "Sherlock" hit the screen, the original texts are looked at with fresh eyes, as curiosity around the source material is reinvigorated, and audiences revisit the original books to discover those nuances that can only exist in the written form. It is definitely true that you can make one book from a series, but a thousand series from a book.
When it comes to new titles, thrillers reliably make promising adaptation fuel. The booming of new authors in the thriller space and the insatiable global appetite for crime stories that has always characterized fans of television series are a match made in heaven. From the most established and well-recognised IP to the newcomers, content providers have always been eager to turn a “page-turner” into a bingeable series. From HBO’s "Sharp Objects" (Gillian Flynn) or "Big Little Lies" (Liane Moriarty), to "The Haunting of Hill House" (Shirley Jackson), from "Hannibal" (Thomas Harris) to "The Alienist" (Caleb Carr), watching a series based on a thriller novel has never been so satisfying.
Fantasy, however, is probably the genre that benefits the most when it comes to screen adaptation. From the gothic saga of "The Originals" to the modern tale of "Discovery of Witches", from the epic battles of "Game of Thrones" to the generational conflicts of "His Dark Materials, thanks to the evolving world of CGI and special effects, it’s become increasingly possible to bring to life with staggering precision and realism the worlds we imagined in the page. But the bigger the book, the bigger the responsibility of those who adapt it: for if a book has managed to captivate thousands of fans around the world, one needs to be very cautious and respectful when it comes to translating onto the screen, so as not to lose the connection that the readers have with the original story. It also of course comes with the unique opportunity of attracting a completely new pool of fans, and producers should be equal parts thrilled and humbled by the prospect of transforming a beloved fantasy book into something that can grace screens the world over.
This year will be another great year for literary adaptations on TV. Some of the most eagerly awaited series on many streamer platforms will be coming from books, from "Anatomy of the Scandal" for Netflix to the (needless to say) highly anticipated "The Lord of the Rings" series, and we will see the main broadcasters competing for each minute of our time… page after page. The natural way forward is for the film and TV industry to work hand in hand with the publishing world even further in the future. If the potential for adaptation is at the forefront of authors’ and editors’ minds when starting a project, then opportunities will undoubtedly be waiting at the end. Producers and audiences alike are hungry for the next big "book to screen" hit and, as the industry continues to prove, that appetite shows no sign of stopping.
Giuliano Papadia is c.e.o. and creative director at Blackbox Multimedia.