I've never watched any of the adaptations of my books. I've never wanted to, and there's absolutely no chance of me doing so in the future.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Sometimes I get to see a movie that's adapted from a book that I haven't heard about or that I love the movie so much that I will, of course, read the book.
Oftentimes when you see adaptations of books you like, you're let down. As an author, you assume that they are going to suck. A little bit of hope is dangerous.
Most films are rooted in a book or a comic strip, but I don't go out there saying I want to do adaptations.
Some writers get snooty about what happens when their books are adapted to film, but I don't feel that way.
I adore doing classic adaptations, but I also feel their frustrations and their limitations.
Since my adaptation of Ian McEwan's 'Atonement,' I get sent a lot of novels that people think will work as movies. So every now and then I make a point of sitting down and reading a couple of them.
I think my background in film taught me that a great book adaptation is not always slavishly faithful to the source material.
There are scenes from books I'm happy with. I tend to think my books are all broken. But then my favourite reads are almost always books that don't, in the end, pull off what they set out to do.
Adaptations are fun for me because they connect to the idea of filmmaking I had when I was a kid. I would see a movie and think: 'I'm gonna make that movie.'
I firmly believe that you can't get a good movie without risking a bad movie. A good adaptation of your book is worth it because it is such a wonderful experience to see your world translated onto the screen.