Besides the Presidential Election and the Leap Year, what do we have to look forward to in 2012? How about some great book-to-movie adaptations! Three movies in particular will be hitting theaters in 2012 that are sure to make a cinematic splash. Let’s take a look:
Title: One for the Money
From Book: One for the Money (Book 1 in the Stephanie Plum Series), Janet Evanovich, 2002
Release Date: 27 January 2012
Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) is a Jersey girl who has just been fired from her job as a lingerie buyer. Determined not to live off the charity of her overwrought parents and adorably quirky Grandma Mazur (Debbie Reynolds), Stephanie takes the only job she can find: working for her cousin as a bail bondswoman, or a bounty hunter. Stephanie’s adventures bring her in contact with a colorful cast of characters, including a sassy ex-prostitute named Lula (Sherri Shepherd), a super-smooth bounty hunter extraordinaire Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), and the man she’s trying to track down… who happens to be her ex-boyfriend, the Italian Stallion, Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara).
Having read this book (and the next eleven in the series), I can safely say that there is enough hilarious material in Evanovich’s writing for a script that is nothing short of side-splitting. The Stephanie Plum series has been around for almost a decade and has achieved such fame in that amount of time that it’s a little surprising this movie wasn’t made sooner. The casting looks pretty good to me, and since the books are so fast-paced that they read like movies anyway, I have a feeling that this adaptation will be pretty true to the novel.
Title: Hunger Games
From Book: Hunger Games (Book 1 in the Hunger Games Trilogy), Suzanne Collins, 2008
Release Date: 23 March 2012
In the dystopian future, the planet is divided into 13 districts, most of which are dreadfully impoverished. But every year, the districts have a lottery to choose one male and one female teenage ‘tribute’ to send to a gruesome fight to the death known as the Hunger Games. The last one standing wins food, supplies, and honor from the Capitol for his or her district. District 12’s tributes are rough-around-the-edges Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who takes the place of her little sister, and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the shy baker’s son who has always loved Katniss. After massive makeovers, rapid training sessions, and a media blitz, Katniss and Peeta are ready to take on the other twenty-two tributes…
But when it comes down to it, there can only be one left standing at the end of the Hunger Games. Do they have it in them to kill each other?
The Hunger Games, although a young adult book, truly holds appeal for anyone. I adored this novel and the next two in the trilogy, and its potential to be made into a movie is evident in its action-packed plot and descriptions of all the interesting scenery in the giant arena of the Hunger Games. The dark undertones of the premise should make for a suspenseful movie. After looking through pictures of the cast, I’m thrilled to see what this group of talented actors has in store for us this March.
Title: Breaking Dawn (Part II)
From Book: Breaking Dawn (Book 4 in the Twilight Saga), Stephanie Meyer, 2008
Release Date: 16 November 2012
This is the much-anticipated final chapter (well, half a chapter) in the Twilight Saga. At the end of the last movie, Bella (Kristen Stewart), now turned into a vampire, had just given birth to her daughter Renesmee. But now the Volturi, the high council of vampires in Rome, are determined to put an end to the Cullen clan. Edward (Robert Pattinson) must protect his wife, while werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) is determined to protect Renesmee, on whom he has ‘imprinted’ – kind of like love at first sight, although the love isn’t necessarily romantic. For the ensuing final showdown, the Cullens will need to call on all the vampire contacts they have around the world as they go up against some of the most powerful vampires in the world – a little girl who can inflict excruciating pain with her mind, a vampire who can know everything about you from a single touch, a sanguine hunter with lethal tracking skills.
Having read all the books and seen all the movies, I’m excited to see this series through to the end. The last book, on the whole, was much darker and more mature than the others. This seemed to translate quite well into part one, but I wonder how they’re going to pull off this second half. While I feel that the last movie ended on a suspenseful note, I’m hoping that the entirety of part two won’t be focused only on the final battle. It’ll be nice if there is some room for plot. Either way, audiences will surely pack into theaters in November to see the epic conclusion of the Twilight Saga.
Happy New Year and happy movie-going, Pawling!
