While the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga made a killing at the box office and delighted audiences and critics alike, we are left wondering who's next. Is there another lengthy book-to-series adaptation we can all get caught up in like Rowling's seven-part odyssey? Here are a couple of the heirs vying for the blockbuster book-to-film throne:
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
If The Hunger Games was in "Film Production High," it would be voted Most Likely to Succeed. The thing has moneymaker stamped all over it: it's written and directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), features leading lady Jennifer Lawrence (nominated for an Academy Award in last year's Winter's Bone) and boasts a knockout supporting cast including Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci. The film has the added benefit of thousands of salivating fans who have already finished the trilogy of books and are ready to see the story come to life before their eyes.
From what I understand, The Hunger Games takes place in a kind of post-apocalyptic world where, for whatever reason, people are competing in a kind of Battle Royale-esque fight to the death. Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, star of the upcoming Red Dawn remake) develop a kind of friendship during training, a friendship that may crumble under the weight of the violent games they're engaged in. The premise sounds interesting enough, and I'm a sucker for anything post-apocalyptic, so you can bet I'll be checking it out.
This is probably the series that will really blow up. The cast is impressive, Lawrence and Hutcherson are both relatively developed as young actors, and you can bet that Lionsgate will be throwing all their weight behind this one before its release on March 23, 2012.
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (Gideon Defoe)
On the polar opposite side of the spectrum from The Hunger Games is The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, which, oddly enough, is being adapted into The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Not quite sure what's going on with the title change, but Gideon Defoe's great sense of humor (suitably compared to that of Douglas Adams) looks like it will blend perfectly with the film's quirky animation. Aardman, the animation studio behind Chicken Run and the fantastic Wallace & Gromit series, is at the helm of this one and just one minute with the trailer will tell you how great this thing is gonna look come March 30, 2012. Featuring voice work from one of my personal favorites, Brendan Gleeson, as well as the likes of Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek and Hugh Grant, The Pirates! is shaping up to be one of the cooler adaptations of 2012.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)
You might have heard of it? Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy already has a set of film adaptations in Sweden, but since subtitles are a big no-no for us Americans, director David Fincher is slated to deliver a remake this holiday season. The trailer is a phenomenal mash-up of mysterious images and an awesome Trent Reznor/Karen O cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." YouTube it, seriously. Daniel Craig is attached as investigative journalist Blomkvist, who is hired by an elderly businessman in search of the truth about his missing niece. The real question is whether or not Rooney Mara has the chops to take on the role of Lisbeth Salander, the girl with "¦ you guessed it. Noomi Rapace's portrayal of Salander was incredible in the original Swedish films and easily the most intriguing part of the series. I have the tendency to trust Fincher's direction since the guy's responsible for The Social Network, Zodiac and Fight Club. If it's anything like the original, it will be quite the little thrill-ride.
A couple other upcoming book-to-film adaptations, though not necessarily a part of any series:
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John le Carre)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Herge)
The Lorax (Dr. Seuss)
Breaking Dawn (Stephanie Meyer)
