What book would you love to see dramatised in a film or serial?

I would love to see Robert Harris's wonderful Cicero Trilogy as a major television series. The books bring Ancient Rome to marvellous, believable life and Marcus Tullius Cicero himself (with whom I must confess to being rather in love!) is such a fascinating character, as is the narrator of the books, Cicero's secretary/companion Tiro. I think Kenneth Branagh would be superb as Cicero with perhaps John Simm as Tiro ....

I didn't know the BBC had the Shardlake rights Deeda wonder why they didn't go ahead with it. I agree about Branagh.

Trying to think - they seem to have done all my favourites.
Maybe some of Dostoevsky's novels - The Brothers Kalamazov?
Or Crime and Punishment?
As for those already done, we watched The CiderHouse Rules last night, brilliant. We were both in tears at the end.

Trying to think - they seem to have done all my favourites.
Maybe some of Dostoevsky's novels - The Brothers Kalamazov?
Or Crime and Punishment?
As for those already done, we watched The CiderHouse Rules last night, brilliant. We were both in tears at the end.

I completely agree about Tom Cruise and Jack Reacher, in fact his casting spoiled the books for me. I can't read them now because I keep picturing Cruise and I don't like him.

Another vote for both the Shardlake and Falco series. I wish Falco had been done years ago when Anton Lesser was young enough to play Falco because he was great in the audio adaptations.

None I'm afraid. Many years ago I read Watership Down and loved it, then they turned it into a film and made the trip to the new warren seem like an afternoon stroll! I agree with Terribull's husband, casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher was a huge mistake (Jack Reacher is described as 6'3" and 230 lbs!) not a description of Tom Cruise!!!

Anything at all by Anya Seton.
I have to say that I dreaded The Lord of the Rings being made into a film, but I was completely won over.

I would love to see C.J.Sansom's Shardlake books on TV but apparently the BBC have the rights and have never done anything with them. Rumour has it that they intended Kenneth Brannagh as Shardlake which would have been complete miscasting I think.

I was put on to The Shadow of The Wind by a total stranger on Facebook. I loved it once I got into it but I think it would be quite adifficult project.

'Our Best Attention' and 'Assured Attention' would make good soaps but I would say that!

Adaptations can be difficult but I suppose many of us have grown up with the classics being made into films so it's not that unusual.

I agree that All The Light would be a terrific book to make into film or tv. Also Small Great Things.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton is on tv around Christmas time.

I'm with Yggdrasil here, other people's interpretations can be disappointing when you have read and loved a book.

I thought 'Elizabeth is missing' would be great, as either a single film or serial.

I'd love to see an adaptation of the Shadow of the Wind as it's a book I attempted to read several times but couldn't get into so it's unfinished business.

I agree Lemongrove about character's thoughts not being conveyed and that special quality the reader find in the book can be lost.

On the theme of the Spanish Civil War, another book I read a while back by a Spanish writer, "Shadow of the Wind" I remember thinking this has a filmic quality about it. Similarly felt the same about "All The Light We Cannot See" surely a film to be made here. There is definitely a lot of material out there but once the reader has enjoyed a book the expectation is high.

C J Sansom’s book Winter In Madrid would make a wonderful film ( Spanish Civil War) again, a bit Le Carre like.

Yes TerriBull a book needs a certain amount of action and layers and plot to make a good film, too much ‘thoughts’ and narrative are not conducive to it.
The book you mention sounds a bit like Fire Down Below by William Golding (trilogy) which is excellent.

Dramatisations don't always live up to the book, the reader will have formed a vision of a character and when the casting doesn't tally with that image it can cause outrage My husband wasn't impressed that diminutive Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher who I gather is quite tall. Having said that, some books have a filmic quality about them. My favourite book from a while back was "Star of the Sea" the title referring to a ship that transported impoverished Irish during the Potato Famine to America, very multi layered plot which intertwined some of the first class passengers narratives with those in steerage who were fleeing a life of poverty and starvation. I read at the time that the film rights had been obtained, but often nothing comes of such a deal.

Another book that I read this year, which was very ‘visual’ ws called The Mandrake Assignment by Trevor Gibbons,a lot of it set in the middle east, a bit John Le Carre like.
Also the wonderful Roman series by Lindsey Davis, starting at the first book, The Silver Pigs, set partly in Rome and partly in Britain ( it has been done in serial form on radio but they would make good films or a tv series.)

I read somewhere that they were supposed to be making a tv adaptation of ‘Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand’ but I don’t think it got off the ground, unless it was on some obscure channel and I missed it.

Manda Scott’s ‘Boudicca’ series would be an absolute cracker.

D. K. Broster's Jacobite trilogy. The Flight of the Heron, Gleam in the North and Dark Mile. The BBC serialised The Flight of the Heron years ago, but they didn't do the following books. I would go to the cinema to see those. Richard Madden would make a great Ewan Cameron.

Any of the CJ Sansom books about Matthew Shardlake. So much historical detail and interesting sub plots.

I wouldn't. If I love a book, I know what I see in it, and I don't want someone else's ideas overwriting it.

I have had All the Light We Cannot See on my shelf for ages, must get round to reading it.
I was really looking forward to Birdsong being adapted by the BBC. A truly remarkable book. In the event I think it was ruined by the dreaded sound quality (or Eddie Redmayne’s diction). Will forever blame that actor for ruining something so wonderful.
Although I do think this is a good question bookaddict, it can be a case of be careful what you wish for.