Books. Movies. Books Made Into Movies: Don't Read? Then Watch

Looks like television and the silver screen is the next natural progression for literary classics of yore and the popular fiction of today. While the trend itself isn't new, it seems to have caught the fancy of both bookworms and non-readers for its melodrama, and perhaps the desire to see one's favourite characters come alive on 70 mm. Be it BBC, HBO or our very own Bollywood, novels and novellas have arguably inspired more producers than writers.
Here's a listing of some of the most popular page-to-screen series that have caught on in a big way, maybe even more so than the books themselves.

Movies first, TV series to follow:

1. Harry Potter series: Whether or not you have read the Potter series is immaterial. Whether or not you have read and loved/hated (say what again?) the Potter series is also immaterial. What matters is that just the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, reportedly sold around 107 million copies across the global village that is the world while the movie series grossed $7 billion worldwide.

So before you shrug your sorry Muggle shoulders at absurdity (please stop talking) of wizards and witches, or Hogwarts (shut up) and declare it to be a series solely for kids, remember the stats. Harry Potter be seriously cool. Even after all this time, did you say? Always!

   Why didn't they give me a nose, Harry? WHY.

2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy: Not many have been able to plough through the healthy-looking (as the Delhi lingo goes) three-book series that is The Lord of the Rings, but plenty have seen and loved and worshipped the movies. The adventures of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), the absolute magnificence of Gandalf (Ian Mckellen), the majesty of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and the creepy eye of Sauron are now etched into the minds so much so that while reading, the characters in the books now take the shape of the movie actors.

  Excuse me. You want me to leave The Burrow?!

3. The Hunger Games: Relatively new to the bandwagon, The Hunger Games stars the effervescent Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth and has already released two films: The Hunger Games (2012) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) . The last book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay will be released in two parts (in 2014 and 2015 respectively) and is being eagerly awaited by the Katniss Everdeen- Peeta Mallark fandom. 

   Was that Superman?

4. Bond. James Bond: The legendary Ian Fleming series, which was later taken over by a slew of other writers, is by far the most popular spy series in print and in the movies. Suave, charismatic, gadget-friendly, and, of course, licensed to kill, James Bond is one of those super spies that never seem to go out of fashion. While it was the alluring Sean Connery in the '60s, the current flavour is Daniel Craig, whose last Bond flick, Skyfall, grossed $ 1 billion worldwide.

                            Sean Connery in the (1964) Goldfinger                         

5. The Twilight Saga: There is a sparkling 'vegetarian' vampire (Edward) who is in love with a human girl (Bella) who ALSO wants to become a sparkling vegetarian vampire to be with her soul mate (Quick question: Do dead people have souls?).

Anyway. Thrown into this completely sane scenario is a teenaged werewolf (Jacob) with anger management issues, who (wait for it..) first falls in love with Bella, and then later with Bella's half-vampire, half-human daughter, Renesmee. So basically, just another love story. As for the obscene amount of money this series made, we will not get into that. No. We won't.

                          Family portrait. Proud parents, daughter and future son-in-law


Part 2, with a listing of famous television series based on popular fiction shall follow soon!