MANILA, Philippines - Hot on the heels of the last Harry Potter movie is the first installment of Breaking Dawn, the much-anticipated adaptation of the final novel in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, which, like Deathly Hallows, also comes out as a two-part movie.
But bookworms have more to look forward to, with big-budget book to film releases lined up for the coming months, making up a veritable library on the silver screen.
The Manila International Book Fair lists upcoming movie adaptations no book lover should miss, as it celebrates its 32nd anniversary on Sept. 14 to 18 at the SMX Convention Center, and once again welcomes book lovers to celebrate the written word in all its forms.
Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman and James Gandolfini star in the adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s 9/11 novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
The Hollywood version of the literary sensation The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is David Fincher’s latest enterprise, with The Social Network’s Rooney Mara as the punk genius Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.
Fans of the legendary boy detective Tintin by cartoonist Herge are eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s CGI The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, voiced by a powerhouse cast of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig and Cary Elwes.
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road gets another adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart and Steve Buscemi.
Daniel Radcliffe returns to the spotlight in his first film role outside of Harry Potter, in Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, while Danny de Vito, Betty White and Zac Efron lend voices to Dr. Seuss’ environmental tale, The Lorax.
Fans are also holding their breath for Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen; the love triangle completed by Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.
Man Booker Prize winner The Life of Pi by Yann Martel will be brought to life by Ang Lee (of Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame); while Peter Jackson returns to Tolkien with the classic LOTR prequel The Hobbit.
Other film adaptations in the offing are Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (Parts 2 and 3); Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; The Bourne Legacy, penned by Eric Van Lustbader after creator Robert Ludlum’s death, and without Matt Damon in the fourth film in the franchise, too; Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law; Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower; Sylvia Path’s The Bell Jar featuring Julia Stiles; Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Lurhmann with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in tow; and Brad Pitt’s venture with Max Brook’s bestseller World War Z.
MIBF is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. in partnership with Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc., Book Development Association of the Philippines, Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc., and Publishers Representatives Organization of the Philippines.
For details, call 896-0661 or 896-0682, or e-mail bookfair@primetradeasia.com.