Hobbits, Dragons and Mysteries: Books that Need to Be Blockbusters

Many books have made successful transitions to the silver screen. Others have been massive disappointments and should be redone. Here are three movies that need to be created - or recreated - by Hollywood.

1. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkein)

I adore Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and watch the extended DVD version at least once a year. But ever since Jackson's project was first announced, I was puzzled over why he hadn't chosen to begin at the beginning.

"The Hobbit" is J.R.R. Tolkein's prequel to the LOTR books, and it first captivated my imagination when I was 8 years old. Since then, I've read the book several dozen times. If done right, the action- and adventure-packed story would translate well to a big-budget movie.

There is a 1977 animated movie version of "The Hobbit" that won a Peabody Award and was nominated for a Hugo Award. It shows up on cable TV once in a while and is fun to watch.

The big news, however, is that "The Hobbit" is finally headed for the big screen, as a two-part series, and is rumored to be including many of the actors from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy whose characters show up in "The Hobbit." Among those rumored to be reprising their LOTR roles for "The Hobbit," which could release as early as 2011, are Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

But, sadly, "The Hobbit" won't be directed by Jackson - who created a masterpiece with the three "Lord of the Rings" movies - but by Guillermo del Toro, who will be writing and directing the films.

Del Toro has done some good work - he wrote and directed the oddly fantastic and dream-like "Pan's Labyrinth," which won Oscars for Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Makeup, and was nominated for Oscars in Best Original Score, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay.

The fantasy aspect of "Pan's Labyrinth," and the level at which Del Toro pulled off the surreal world and characters he created, makes me think he could do "The Hobbit" justice.

But I would have loved to have seen Peter Jackson's version of one of my favorite books, and I would have loved to have seen it come out in proper chronological order; before the "Lord of the Rings" movies.

2. The Eragon Series (Christopher Paolini)

You might say: "but there WAS an Eragon movie!"

To which I will reply: "no, there wasn't."

Not really, anyway. Not one that did Christopher Paolini's novel any justice.

Furthermore, there are no plans in the works to create movies out of the subsequent books in the cycle, of which there are currently two with the fourth and final book in the cycle on the way.

I saw the 2006 "Eragon" movie before I'd ever read the books, and after watching the movie, I had no desire to read the books. It was horribly done - key development points were skimmed over or cut altogether, and the special effects were mostly awful.

Perhaps I was comparing director Stefen Fangmeier's effort to that of Peter Jackson with the "Lord of the Rings" movies, but it's a fair comparison, since Paolini's books deserve that level of quality in a film adaptation.

It was only after a chance conversation with a book store clerk that I opted to give Paolini's books - "Eragon," "Eldest" and "Brisingr" - a shot. After getting past the initial, inevitable comparison's to J.R.R. Tolkein's works (there are many similarities, and "Eragon" sounds a lot like "Aragorn," doesn't it?), I was completely sucked in by the story and by Paolini's writing. I was even more impressed when, after reading the first book, I learned that Paolini was only 14 when he began writing it. I read each of the three books twice in a span of three months, and I eagerly await the release of the fourth and final book.

After reading the series the first time, I decided to watch the movie again, since it hadn't really left an imprint on my memory when I saw it in the theater. The adaptation was so poor, I had trouble watching it all the way through.

Jeremy Irons does a nice job as Brom, and Ed Speleers plays a believable Eragon, but the inclusion of John Malkovich as Galbatorix was utterly forced and completely unnecessary, considering that three books into his cycle, Paolini has yet to actually write a scene that included Galbatorix. He is the yet-unseen villain whom we know only through third-hand accounts, and in this, Paolini has effectively created a mysterious monster whose absence has made him even more intriguing.

So, in short, I'd love to see "Eragon" remade as a movie - done right, this time - and the subsequent books filmed as sequels.

3. The Rule of Four (Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason)

I happened upon "The Rule of Four" after reading - and thoroughly enjoying - "The DaVinci Code" and subsequently searching for similar mystery stories.

"The Rule of Four" is rumored to be headed for the big screen, which is exciting for me, because I've wanted to see it made into a movie ever since I read the book.

Ivy League graduates Ian Caldwell (Princeton) and Dustin Thomason (Harvard) co-wrote "The Rule of Four" after finishing college. The story is set on the Princeton campus, with four friends who find a mysterious book called "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili," a real-life text that was published in 1499 in Venice.

In true "DaVinci Code" style, the "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili" turns out to contain codes and ciphers that lead the friends on a thrilling adventure.

"The Rule of Four" is smart yet engaging, and those who enjoyed "The DaVinci Code" will like this book. Although the film version of "The DaVinci Code" received mixed reviews, I enjoyed the movie, and I believe "The Rule of Four" will make a similar transition to the big screen, should it be developed.

Sources:
Guillermo del Toro, IMDB
The Hobbit, IMDB
Eragon, IMDB
The Rule of Four, IMDB