15 Incredible Movies That Started As Books

With a star-studded cast—including Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Costner—it’s no wonder “Hidden Figures” is getting Oscar buzz months before its release. Margot Lee Shetterly’s bestselling book on which the film is based tells the incredible true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.

Before it was a Sean Penn–directed, Oscar-nominated movie, INTO THE WILD was Jon Krakauer’s astounding work of nonfiction. This mesmerizing and heartbreaking narrative reassembles the disquieting facts of the short life of Christopher Johnson McCandless, who died after walking alone into the wilderness north of Alaska’s Mt. McKinley.

In 1960s South Carolina, Lily Owens confronts the trauma of her mother’s death with the help of her “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, and an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters. This remarkable novel of healing and perseverance is the basis of the Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning movie.

Will Smith delivered a buzzworthy performance as Chris Gardner in the 2006 film “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Gardner’s memoir chronicles his days as a homeless single father while he pursued a career in finance at a prestigious firm. Read his astonishing rags-to-riches story, then look out for his profoundly symbolic cameo in the film.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich with her accordion-playing foster father in 1939’s Nazi Germany. As she scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing, she encounters something she can’t resist—books! Geoffrey Rush stars in the heart-stirring movie adaptation book lovers won’t want to miss.

After getting lost on a train at age 5, Saroo Brierley was adopted by a couple in Australia. But Brierley always wondered about his origins. And with the advent of Google Earth, an opportunity to rediscover his childhood was finally within reach. Catch Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman in the film adaptation, “Lion,” now in theaters.

Ben Stiller directs and stars in an exhilarating adaptation of James Thurber’s short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” in which Walter Mitty escapes his mundane life by retreating into his vivid imagination. Classic movie fans will want to check out the 1949 Danny Kaye adaptation, too.

The 2013 film “Pitch Perfect” starring Anna Kendrick hilariously illuminates the fascinating world of collegiate a capella competitions. But before it hit the big screen, it was an “aca-perfect” examination of a captivating university subculture in book form.

The day after the first anniversary of his girlfriend’s murder, Ig wakes up with a thunderous hangover . . . and horns growing from his temples. Along with his terrible new look, Ig possesses a new macabre gift he intends to use to find the monster who killed his one true love. Daniel Radcliffe stars in the thrilling movie adaptation.

Who could forget John Cusack as the compulsive, list-making record-store owner Rob in “High Fidelity?” The novel shows bestselling author Nick Hornby at his quintessential best. This wise and hilarious novel about love, heartbreak, and rock and roll is a must-read for the nostalgic souls of Gen X.

We’ll always look fondly on Robin Williams’s performance as the swashbuckling Alan Parrish. With the saga continuing in a 2017 film—starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart—there is no better time to revisit Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book about siblings who discover a board game that plunges them into the most exciting and bizarre adventure of their lives.

On September 23, 1939, Władysław Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor live on the radio as shells exploded outside in the city of Warsaw. THE PIANIST is his extraordinary tale of survival in Nazi-occupied Poland—from living in a ghetto to losing his entire family. Three years after Szpilman’s death in 2000, Adrien Brody took home the Oscar for his heartrending performance as the pianist.

In this tender, bittersweet, full-color graphic novel, a young woman named Clementine discovers herself, and the elusive magic of love, when she meets a confident blue-haired girl named Emma. The film adaptation earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

Precious Jones is 16 years old and pregnant by her father with her second child. When she meets a determined and highly radical teacher, Precious embarks on a journey of transformation and redemption. Gabourey Sidibe plays the unforgettable teen in the Oscar-winning film adaptation, “Precious.”

Actress Katie Holmes’s anticipated directorial debut (in which she also stars) is an adaptation of Annie Weatherwax’s stirring debut novel, ALL WE HAD. Rita Carmichael is a single mother raising her teenage daughter, Ruthie, as they teeter on the edge of poverty. Faced with the prospect of homelessness, Rita is forced to make tough decisions that will change their lives forever.