# Novelization of a movie that was based on a book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434 "2011-09-15T20:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/21 "2011-09-16T04:08:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There have been other cases of “novelizations” of movies for which perfectly sefviceably novels already exist. I hate to keep going on about one movie (but it is my favorite movie), but I hope they to that for Let Me In. I would love to read more details of the events in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/22 "2011-09-16T04:17:23Z")
I wish I could read one of the Witches of Eastwick. I read the book after getting into the movie and it was so incredibly different. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/23 "2011-09-16T04:32:42Z")
For the 1962 film FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON Gardner Fox did the novelization of the film based on the novel by Jules Verne. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/24 "2011-09-16T04:55:50Z")
There was a novelization of the Winona Ryder film of **Little Women**. That puzzled me… ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/25 "2011-09-16T06:36:19Z")
_ **There Will Be Blood** _ would be a good candidate for “renovelization”. The film was based on _Oil!_ by Upton Sinclair, but apparently the screenwriter read only the first 150 pages, and so the rest of the movie is quite a radical departure. In fact, even in the remaining elements of the adaptation, the movie focusses on the oil tycoon, whereas the book is supposedly more about the child. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/26 "2011-09-16T08:17:59Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Had anyone made a movie using as source material the novelization of a movie that was based on a book? 😉 Rambo started as a novel by David Morrell, which inspired two movies, which inspired Morrell to write a novelization of **Rambo: First Blood Part 2** (where Rambo is inexplicably alive, having died at the end of the first novel), and anyway two more Rambo movies came out long afterward. This might be the closest to what you describe. The Shadow and the Cisco Kid come close to the pattern you describe, but not quite. Also, these both involve comic book/strip treatments as well. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/27 "2011-09-16T08:21:33Z")
If I recall correctly, the 2001 _Planet of the Apes_ got a novelization, and so did the 2004 _I, Robot_. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/28 "2011-09-16T08:50:28Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Had anyone made a movie using as source material the novelization of a movie that was based on a book? 😉 Substitute “theatrical adaptation” for “novelization” and there are at least a couple works that fit the bill: _ **The Producers** _ and _ **Hairspray** _ were originally movies, then got adapted into stage musicals, which in turn got adapted back into movies (that is, the second pair of movies were based on the stage musicals; they weren’t simply reworkings of the original movies). ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/29 "2011-09-16T08:55:13Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I had a similar item, based on The Wizard of Oz. Some novelizations of Oz movies were written by L. Frank Baum himself. Quoth Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > L. Frank Baum’s _Tik-Tok of Oz_ (1914) and _The Scarecrow of Oz_ (1915) might be deemed novelizations, as they are based on the musical play _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_ (1913) and the feature film, _His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz_ (1915), respectively, which were adaptations of earlier Oz books, _Ozma of Oz_ (1907) and _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ (1900), respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/30 "2011-09-16T12:22:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If I recall correctly, the 2001 _Planet of the Apes_ got a novelization, and so did the 2004 _I, Robot_. There have been separate novelizations, but I remember seeing both in the library as “movie poster cover” versions of the original novels. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/31 "2011-09-16T12:32:06Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Rambo started as a novel by David Morrell, which inspired two movies, which inspired Morrell to write a novelization of **Rambo: First Blood Part 2** (where Rambo is inexplicably alive, having died at the end of the first novel), and anyway two more Rambo movies came out long afterward. This might be the closest to what you describe. Somewhat similar, when Michael Crichton wrote _The Lost World_ he wrote it as a sequel to the movie version, not the novel version of _Jurassic Park_. IIRC, the novel of _2010_ also follows from the movie version of _2001_, not the novel. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/32 "2011-09-16T12:35:58Z")
There was a novelization of _Jumanji_, which was based on a very short story, I think. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/33 "2011-09-16T13:04:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Such novelizations are published all the time: > > **The Island of Doctor Moreau** , to coincide with the 1976 movie, even though H.G. Wells’ book was available… I got that at a library sale a few years ago. It’s HB & actually has both the novelization AND the Wells novel. I also have the Branaugh/Coppola MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN mentioned above as well as the Coppola BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA novelization. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/34 "2011-09-16T13:16:42Z")
> [@Damfino](#): > > You may be talking about the Photonovel/Fotonovel of Bakshi’s _Lord of the Rings_ which I have. It was entirely illustrated with film stills and most of the dialogue was incorporated within. [This is the book I received.](http://rarelibrary.com/book/TOL-B/129/FILM+BOOK+OF+J.R.R.+TOLKIEN%27S+THE+LORD+OF+THE+RINGS,+THE.html) I see that bookseller is flogging his copy for nearly $230; if that’s anywhere near market value then perhaps I should see if I still have my copy and sell it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/35 "2011-09-16T13:20:10Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > I saw “Let Me In”, which is the Hammer one. Hammer is from the UK, so I don;t see the Hollywood connection. I was thinking of [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In_%28film%29#American_version), made by Matt Reeves (who did Cloverfield). Had no idea they made this into so many different movies! Why do we need 2 different English language versions? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/36 "2011-09-16T13:32:55Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > I was thinking of [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In_%28film%29#American_version), made by Matt Reeves (who did Cloverfield). Had no idea they made this into so many different movies! Why do we need 2 different English language versions? We don’t and there isn’t. There’s only the one English language version, directed by Reeves and produced by Hammer. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/37 "2011-09-16T13:36:20Z")
The sentence "Hammer Films producer Simon Oakes has referred to the project as a remake of the film and later not as a remake, but just as “Reeves’ version” made me think there was a Hammer version and a separate Reeves version. Never mind, ignore me. Must need more coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/38 "2011-09-16T15:48:51Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > There was a novelization of _Jumanji_, which was based on a very short story, I think. Jumanji was based on an [illustrated children’s book by Chris van Allsburg](http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/jumanji.html). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/39 "2011-09-16T16:53:23Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I got that at a library sale a few years ago. It’s HB & actually has both the novelization AND the Wells novel. > > I also have the Branaugh/Coppola MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN mentioned above as well as the Coppola BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA novelization. I’ve never seen a hardcover copy. The paperback edition, IIRC, only had the “modern” novelization. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434/40 "2011-09-16T16:54:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If I recall correctly, the 2001 _Planet of the Apes_ got a novelization, and so did the 2004 _I, Robot_. The editions of **I, Robot** with the movie cover that I saw were simply Asimov’s book. If there was a different novelization based on the screenplay, I never saw it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelization-of-a-movie-that-was-based-on-a-book/596434.md?page=3)