You guys, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is going to become a live-action TV show. And on Netflix, no less. My 9-year-old heart is squealing.
While I am so, so stoked for this to hit Netflix, even though it will be targeted toward kids and their families, I am actually quite surprised A Series of Unfortunate Events is getting another shot at a screen adaptation. I actually enjoyed the 2004 film based on the first three books of the series that starred Jim Carrey as the treacherous Count Olaf. It was creepy and weird and irreverent. It was almost like a kiddie version of a Tim Burton movie.
However, it wasn't the resounding success that many had hoped given how well the Harry Potter films took off before. Still, Netflix is certainly on a roll with its original programming, and I only have high hopes for what it can do with this beloved book series.
Though the Series of Unfortunate Events TV show is being fast tracked, Netflix is currently in search of a director to take the helm. So it's going to be some time before we're actually able to see this show. Luckily, books provide inspiration for movies and TV shows all the time, so Netflix already has a wealth of content to satisfy your literary needs. Here are five of the best to stream right now.
1. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Though Silence of the Lambs has taken on a life of its own, becoming an iconic movie in its own right, it was based off of a 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. Reading about jailed psychopathic cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter is even scarier than watching Anthony Hopkins' chilling performance.
2. Forrest Gump (1994)
Who doesn't love Forrest Gump, the man who somehow seemed to be a star college football player, fight in the Vietnam War, run across America and still only care about what his childhood crush Jenny thought about him? Winston Groom's 1986 novel on which the movie is based is just as epic.
3. There Will Be Blood (2007)
When Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood hit theaters in 2007, it was unlike any other movie in Hollywood. However, it obviously shared some similarities with the 1927 novella on which it is loosely based, Oil! by Upton Sinclair. Unlike many film adaptations though, Oil! acts more like a "really good collaborator" than source material, Anderson told The A.V. Club in a 2008 interview. There Will Be Blood is so rich, I think it would be worth it to make a book adaptation of it.
4. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
With stellar performances by the entire cast and an honest look at not-often-talked-about mental health issues, Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best films of the 21st century so far. Matthew Quick's 2008 novel of the same name is just as riveting.
5. Orange is the New Black (2013 to 2014)
Netflix is no stranger to using books as inspiration. One of its first original series was Orange is the New Black, based on the 2010 memoir of Piper Kerman, whose real-life experience in a women's prison is shown through the protagonist of the series Piper Chapman. Though some of the characters and events from the book made their way into the series, Netflix really infused the show with a lot more drama, and we're thankful for that.
Image: Netflix
