17 movies you had no idea were based on books

MGM

You've probably walked out of a movie theater before to hear someone say, "The book was better," or "It wasn't as good as the book." And although you really shouldn't compare the vastly different medium, there are also probably a great deal of movies you've watched and walked away from, not knowing it was based on a book you could read as well.

Some of the original texts were created years — if not decades or centuries — before its movie counterpart. Authors like Shakespeare unfortunately don't get to see their creation take shape in various ways, but at least the rest of us get to enjoy the initial work in new ways.

Comparing the book to the movie is natural, and it's interesting to note what narrative creative liberties some filmmakers took when adapting the original work to film. Below you'll find movies that you had no clue were originally books.

1. André Aciman's 2007 novel "Call Me By Your Name" became a critically-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated mega-hit in 2017.

Sony Pictures Classics

The movie delves into a short period of time between Elio and Oliver during their summer in Italy, and shortly after during Hanukkah in the winter time. In the book, Aciman writes about the male leads both 15 and 20 years after the pair's initial summer.

2. "Forrest Gump" was originally a novel, written by Winston Groom, released in 1986. It became a film in 1994.

Paramount Pictures

The film went on to receive multiple Academy Awards in 1995. Its depiction of the main character Forrest departed from the novel in that the movie "took the rough edges off the character," according to an interview Groom did with The New York Times in 1994, noting his protagonist used more profanities in the novel.

3. Cult classic "Clueless," released in 1995, is loosely based off Jane Austen's 1815 novel "Emma."

Paramount Pictures

Main character Cher is based off the titular role of the novel it's based off, and the supporting characters also parallel Austen's novel.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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