The Time Traveler's Wife
2009 really has been the year of the book adaptation, with varying degrees of success and this trend looks set to continue this week.
The Time Traveler's Wife is released starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams and is an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's debut novel.
The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six.
The pair were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one.
Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and future.
So FemaleFirst takes a look at some of the book adaptations that have hit screens so far this year.
Of course we can't talk about this genre of film without talking about the Best Picture Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. This film, as you can imagine as been the most successful book adaptation of the year following in the footsteps of fellow Oscar winner No Country For Old Men.
An adaptation of the 2005 novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup and it was the toast of the awards season, hard to believe it almost went straight to DVD, as it picked up eight Oscars.
Another adaptation that has faired very well this year is The Reader, which saw Kate Winslet finally get her hand on the Best Actress Oscar that has eluded her.
Based on Bernhard Schlink's novel the movie followed the love affair between Hanna and a teenage boy and the terrible secret that she kept.
Most recent books to make it to the big screen, and enjoy success include Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, the second book by the author to be adapted for the big screen, topping the box office it has so far and grossed over $479 million since it's release.
My Sister's Keeper is the most recent to put in a good box office performance. Starring Cameron Diaz the movie is an adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel.
As you would expect there have also been a couple of graphic novel adaptations this yeah as well in the form of Watchmen and The Spirit.
Watchmen was the first big event movie of 2009 and was directed by Zack Snyder. Often regarded as the graphic novel that could never be adapted for the big screen the movie, which sticks to the novel, was a critical hit.
Snyder brought together a lesser known cast for the roles of Night Owl, Dr Manhattan and so on and it topped the box office.
But the same cannot be said of Frank Miller's first attempt in the director's chair for The Spirit released back in February.
The film was universally panned by the critics and it grossed just over $38 million at the box office, failing to make back it's $53 million budget.
Other book adaptations that have graced the screen so far this year include Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Public Enemies, both which did well at the box office in recent weeks, Che and Inkheart.
The Time Traveler's Wife is released 14th August.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Slumdog Millionaire