Movies Adapted from Novels That Ended up Being Better Than the Book

Adapting a book into a film is a tricky endeavor that often results in disappointment. Fortunately, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, Hollywood does right by fans of the original literature. Here are the most successful adaptations that manage not to butcher the original source material—and, in these cases, improve it substantially.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Lauren Wiesberger gained fame and notoriety for her debut novel, The Devil Wears Prada, chronicling a somewhat-fictional account of her time spent as an assistant to Anna Wintour. Weisberger’s plight is brought to life by Meryl Streep’s iconic performance as Miranda Priestly, who serves as the perfect counterpart to timid, sweater-wearing Anne Hathaway. Aline Brosh McKenna rounds out the screenplay by adding crucial depth and complexity to the characters—something they were desperately lacking.

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The More You Know

  • Agatha Christie said she came up with many of her book plots while sitting in her bathtub while eating apples.
  • The toilet is statistically the cleanest place in your home. Your desk, kitchen sink, and cellphone all have more bacteria.
  • There's a word for tapping someone on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them.
  • The 100 folds in a chef's hat represent 100 ways to cook an egg.
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