Atlas Shrugged, Slammerkin, and Sweet Valley High

Many of my favorite books have already been made into movies or television miniseries, but there are still a few that have yet to be touched by Hollywood. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue and Ayn Rand's epic, Atlas Shrugged are two novels that would make great movies. My third choice is Francine Pascal's teen series, Sweet Valley High, which would also be a good movie.
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

I love historical romances and when a historical romance is done well it can make for great entertainment. This novel by Emma Donoghue was published in 2002 and has received quite a few great reviews on Amazon.com. One of the reasons that this story would make an interesting movie is that the story itself is not too big to be made into a two-hour long movie. Many times, with historical novels, like for example The Thornbirds, the story is just too big to be told in a two to three hour long movie. In the case of The Thornbirds, Hollywood was able to turn the film into a three-day television miniseries. A two-hour movie could do justice to the compelling story that is at the heart of Donoghue's novel Slammerkin.

The Story of Slammerkin

Donoghue's Slammerkin is set in London in the mid 1700's. The main character is servant girl Mary Saunders. Mary Saunders is the child of poor parents whose yearning for the finer things in life leads her to a life as a prostitute. Not a particularly uncommon story, but Donoghue's Slammerkin offers several twists and the character of Mary Saunders is one of the more interesting and complex characters I have encountered in modern literature.

My Dream Cast for Slammerkin

I think that for a movie to do justice to this book it would require a director, with a proven track record of doing justice to historical novels. For that reason, I would like to see Stephen Frears, who directed the movie Dangerous Liaisons as director. The role of Mary Saunders would require a skilled actress, who is able to make the character of Mary Saunders sympathetic to the audience. Ellen Page, who showed her superb acting skills in the Indie film Juno would be an excellent choice.

The Sweet Valley High Series by Francine Pascal

Many years ago, this popular teen series was made into a television program. The television program was ok, but I would love to see a movie based on the series. This popular teen series would hit right at the heart of the desirable preteen and teenage girl market.

Dream Cast for Sweet Valley High Movie

The lead characters of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are twins but in Hollywood that does not mean that, twins need to be cast for the roles. The main character would need to be a young actress with blonde California good looks. This could be a good vehicle for the Hill's star, Kristin Cavallari, though I am not sure if she can act. There are a host of young Hollywood stars who could make a feature length film based on Pascal's Sweet Valley High a popular movie. I could see Twilight's Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart in the film.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Throughout the years, there has been talk of turning Ayn Rand's classic story of capitalism into a movie but it has yet to come to fruition. While I have come to believe that Rand's philosophy of objectivism is highly flawed, her book remains one of my favorite reads of all-time. This is a sweeping and powerful story that if done correctly could make an incredible movie. Ever since Barack Obama's election and the overhaul of the American healthcare system, Rand's novel has become a popular read once again.

Atlas Shrugged Dream Cast

I have heard talk of Angelina Jolie being cast in the lead role of Dagny Taggart. Jolie seems like a plausible choice for the role, though I could also see Julia Roberts playing Dagny. I think Brad Pitt would be an excellent choice for John Gault. I could also see George Clooney playing Hank Reardon, one of my favorite male heroes in literature. Martin Scorsese is the only director who comes to mind for an epic movie like Atlas Shrugged.

Sources:
www.amazon.com