Top 3 Fantasy Books I Want Turned into Movies

Books being turned into movies is not an uncommon practice. Many books that become popular nowadays are almost immediately snapped up by film makers and changed into a feature film. Sometimes the films are wonderful and do the books justice and at other times the film just does not live up to the book. Some of my favorite books like J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings turned out brilliantly when Peter Jackson converted it to film. While some of my other favorite books, The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory and P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern, bombed when they made the transition to the big screen. However, I still appreciate the attempts of film makers to cross the threshold of media platforms. Here are my choices for 3 books I would love to see made into movies, who I'd like to make the movies and who I think should be cast as the lead characters.

Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches Trilogy

Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches trilogy consists of three books, The Witching Hour, Lasher and Taltos. There are witches, ghosts and otherworldly creatures met through out the tale as it continues. I would love to see the story come to life on the big screen and I think that Rob Zombie would be able to do it justice. Although Rob Zombie is most known for his gory, horror films like House of 1000 Corpses, I still think he could bring the characters of Anne Rice's novel to the big screen well. Personally, I'd like to see Mona Mayfair played by Molly Quinn (Castle), Rowan Mayfair played by Cate Blanchett (Lord of the Rings), Carlotta Mayfair played by Maggie Smith (Harry Potter), and Julien Mayfair played by George Clooney (Men Who Stare at Goats). The list wouldn't stop there though as there are so many characters through out the three books. I'd like to see Rob Zombie play Lasher, Sir Ian McClellan play Aaron Lightner and Gerard Butler as Michael Curry. Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera) would make an excellent Ashlar.

Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time Series

Robert Jordan's novels would make excellent movies if they were made by Peter Jackson. I believe he could do the films as much justice as he did for Lord of the Rings. The series would have to be separated into several movies just like LOTR's was. This is another set of books that has many characters. Just a few of the actors and actresses I would have cast in the movies would be Julianna Margulies (Mists of Avalon) as Nynaeve al'Mera, Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera) as Egwene al'Vere, Oded Fehr (The Mummy) as al'Lan Mandragoran, Linda Hardy (Immortal) as Moiraine Damodred, Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown) as Cadsuane Melaidhrin and the main boy characters would be played by Kyle Lowder for Rand al'Thor, with Mat Cauthon played by Shai LaBeouf (Disturbia), and Perrin Aybarra would be played well by Vin Diesel (Chronicles of Riddick).
(Side Note: According to Variety Magazine, In 2008 Universal Pictures bought optional rights to make the first book in the Wheel of Time Series, The Eye of the World, into a film.)

And the last book on my list that I would like to see made into a movie is....

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The only one who could bring this to film in the way it should be brought to film would be Tim Burton. I would love to see Anthony Hopkins as Mr. Wednesday, Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) as Shadow, Jeremy Irons as Mr. Nancy, Steve Buccemi as Low Key Lyesmith, Helena Bonham Carter as Mama Ji, and Graham Green would be perfect as Whiskey Jack. If Tim Burton, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro could work together on the film adaptation of American Gods, I would be in heaven.