"A Dirty Job," "The House of Thunder," and "The Ignored": 3 Books that Should Become Movies

Books often become movies, and although some do well at the box office, others aren't as popular. It can be hard to predict whether a book will do well when played out on the big screen, but having the right story, cast, and director are all important. With that in mind, my choices for three books that should become movies have great potential for success.

A Dirty Job

In this novel by Christopher Moore, Charlie Asher has some big problems. For starters, he's a beta male, but that's nothing new. He's also a recent widower, a new dad, and a new Death Merchant.

Although Charlie was with his wife when she died in the hospital shortly after giving birth to their baby, they weren't alone in the room; Charlie also saw an extremely tall black man in a mint green suit standing near her, and he was holding one of her favorite music CDs. The problem is that no one else could see the guy, and he didn't show up on the security cameras.

After things start getting really weird, Charlie learns from Minty Fresh, the man in the mint green suit, that they are both Death Merchants who must gather and redistribute souls before the Forces of Darkness can get hold of them.

A Dirty Job would make a fantastic Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) movie. Ideally, Misha Collins would play Charlie. His work on Supernatural is brilliant, and he would do a wonderful job in this role as well. A Dirty Job could be an animated film, but if so, it definitely wouldn't be suitable for children.

The House of Thunder

Dean Koontz originally published The House of Thunder in 1982 as Leigh Nichols. In this novel, Susan Thornton wakes up in a hospital one day to find that she has selective amnesia. Although she doesn't remember anything about her job, hearing the name of her employer terrifies her. Equally disturbing, the same men who killed her college boyfriend years ago work at the hospital, and they don't seem to have aged. Understandably frightened and confused, she tries desperately to sort everything out.

This thriller would play out well in a movie, as long as it's still set in the early 1980s. Miracle Laurie, whose portrayal of Mellie/November/Madeline on Dollhouse was engaging and sympathetic, would be a good choice to play Susan. Other cast members would include Adam Baldwin (Chuck, Firefly) and Nicholas Brendan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) should be the director.

The Ignored

In this compelling tale from Bentley Little, some people are so average--so ordinary--that they are ignored practically out of existence. That's what happens to Bob Jones, an average, ordinary guy. He still exists, but no one ever notices him anymore, no matter what he does to try to draw attention to himself. Then, one day, someone notices.

The Ignored would make an excellent suspense movie, especially with M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) as the director. I would cast John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks, Bones) as Bob Jones. Although he is most noted for comedic roles, I believe he would bring the necessary intensity to the role of Bob. I would also cast Hayden Panetierre (Heroes) as his girlfriend and Peter Gallagher (The O.C., Sex, Lies, and Videotape) as his boss.

For all three books that should become movies, I would cast actors that I believe have the ability to bring their characters to life. This is more important than physical resemblance to the characters as originally written. As for the directors, experience with the same genre is crucial.

Sources:

Dean Koontz
Personal knowledge and opinions