Famous Contemporary Authors With Legendary Contributions to the Fantasy Movie Genre

Hollywood often finds literary sources ideal material for movies. Apart from the already established market of best-selling novels and esteemed authors, many tried-and-tested literary stories already became successful motion pictures. Some of these successful contemporary writers earned international fame not only in the literary world, but also in cinema.

As the visual grandeur that fantasy movies provide on the big screen allows varying imaginative interpretations of original material, these book sources became film franchises spawning sequels, prequels, and remakes that raked in millions, sometimes even billions, at the box office.

J.K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling, is the acclaimed British author of the "Harry Potter" series. After receiving worldwide attention and selling millions of copies of her books, it wasn't a surprise when interest in making a film out of the first "Harry Potter" book came. This further expanded the "Harry Potter" canon from books to movies and video games.

This franchise led Rowling from rags to riches, from living on welfare to a multi-millionaire in a matter of five years. After her seven "Harry Potter" fantasy novels were completed as eight films over a period of 10 years, her 2011 net worth has already reached $1 billion, according to Forbes.

Stephen King

Stephen King is a multi-awarded American writer of contemporary horror, fantasy, suspense, and science-fiction novels and short stories. Often described as the "Master of Horror," his extensive body of work already sold over 300 million copies. Through the years, dozens of his books have already been made into movies.

Some of the most notable ones include "The Shining," "Carrie," "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Mist," "1408," "Misery," and "It." Many of these works show his distinctive flair for horror, gothic, dark fantasy, and science fiction. Often times the main characters in his stories are male writers. He also usually makes cameos in the movies, TV movies, and miniseries based on his works.

Frank Miller

Known for his trademark dark, film noir-style works, American comic book artist and writer Frank Miller has already produced a decent share of comic books and graphic novels adapted into movies. The fame he received at DC Comics , Marvel Comics , Valiant Comics , Dark Horse , and other publishers led to his movie stints in "Sin City," "300," "RoboCop 2," "RoboCop 3," and "Elektra." Most of the cinematic adaptations of his action and fantasy works became critically acclaimed blockbuster hits. "Sin City" won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for Cannes' Palme d'Or.

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is a prominent English author known for the supernatural and occult themes in his novels, comic books, graphic novels, and short fiction works. Some of his most notable novels were already turned into movies, such as "Coraline," "Stardust," and "Mirror Mask." His other famous literary works include "The Sandman," "Neverwhere," "American Gods," "Good Omens," and "Graveyard Book." He also collaborated with screenwriter Roger Avary for the script of the animated film "Beowulf."

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