Popular Books with a screen adaptation from 1920 to 2020

 

Popular Books with a screen adaptation from 1920 to 2020

These are popular books published that have a screen adaption. It is based on the Popular books 1930-2015 article I wrote in 2017. This version has several changes such as more years included, all the books have a screen adaption. 

1920 The Man Of The Forest by Zane Gray [Firs Published in 1920] The Man Of The Forest (1921/1923/1926/1933)
A Mountain man overhears the plan to kidnap the daughter of a landowner in an attempt to gain control of the land. The mountain man decides to save the girl.

1921 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories by F Scott Fitzgerald [First Published in 1921] The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Benjamin Button was born as an old man and grows younger. He lives a full life participating in events and life milestones that are expected of men.  

1922 If Winter Comes by ASM Hutchinson [First Published in 1921] If Winter Comes (1923/1947)
Mark Sabre made poor choice with getting married. He tries to live well and keep his vows when WWI breaks out Mark gets injures and returns home. At this time a pregnant young woman Effie Bright seeks Mark’s help as everybody disowned her or turned her away. In helping her Mark ends up being punished by the town with rumors, divorce, loss of job, and a ruined reputation.

1923 Black Oxen by Gertrude Atherton [First Published in 1923] Black Oxen (1923)
Writer and playboy Lee Clavering falls for the mysterious Madame Zatianny that looks like the younger version of a 58-year-old Mary Ogden a famous socialite from Europe. The two start a romance however it becomes strained when it is revealed that Mary Ogden found a way to physically de age herself and her husband Prince Rohenhauer comes to find her.  

1924 So Big by Edna Ferber [First Published in 1924] So Big! (1932) So Big (1953)
After her father dies Selina becomes a schoolteacher, marries a farmer and gives birth to a son Dirk “So Big” De Jong. Determined that her son will have a better life she focuses on his education and getting him to college where he becomes an architect. When he pursues fast money and a decadent lifestyle it puts the two of them at odds.

1925 Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis [First Published in 1925] Arrowsmith (1931)
The life and career of Martin Arrowsmith MD. In the novel Arrowsmith attends medical college and explores the various avenues of the medicine at the time, while the movie cuts it down to just a few plot points.

1926 The Private Life of Helen of Troy by John Erskine [First Published in 1925] The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927) Helene ou La joie de Vivre (1968)
Helen of Troy runs away with Paris to Troy resulting in the famous war. When Helen is recovered by her husband Menelaus the story shifts focus on her life in Sparta and has moral discussions on the events and their aftermath.

1927 Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis [First Published in 1927] Elmer Gantry (1960)
An ambitious salesman law school and seminary dropout Elmer Gantry involves himself with a lay preacher Sharon Falconer and her tent revivalism road show. Together they become successful for events force him to face tragedy, sins and mistakes from the past.  

1928 The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder [First Published in 1927] The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929/1944/1958/2004)
On Friday July 20, 1714, an ancient rope bridge in Peru collapses killing five people. When this happened a monk witnesses the event and sets out to learn about the people that died. Over the next six years he travels the country learning about the people and what lead them to be on that bridge on that day and at that time.

1929 All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque [First Published in 1929] All Quiet On The Western Front (1930/1979/2022)
Paul starts as an idealistic young man with dreams of glory and romantic notations of war enlists with his classmates at the start of WWI. They are sent to the western front and quickly become disillusioned with war as comrades die and are confronted with the difficulties of going back to life outside of the war zone. 

1930 Cimarron by Edna Faber [First Published 1929] Cimarron (1931/1960)
The Cravet Family moves to Oklahoma during the land rush then they proceed to build a large business empire. 

1931 The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck [First Published in 1931] The Good Earth (1931)
Dramatized village life and more specifically, Wang Lung and his family in pre-WWI China as their fortunes rise and fall as the country changes. This is the first book in the House of Earth Trilogy. 
 
1932 The Fountain by Charles Morgan [1932] The Fountain (1934)
Set in Holland during WWI an interned British officer is paroled to a castle under the control of German married to his ex-girlfriend. The War and politics of the time are discussed. 

1933 Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen [First Published in 1933] Anthony Adverse (1936)
Left at a convent at birth Anthony Adverse seeks a life of adventure, and romance away from the convent. He travels the world doing business in Africa, The US, and Mexico.
 
1934 Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton [First Published in1934] Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939/1969/1984/2003)
A schoolteacher near his retirement reflects on his life teaching at the Brookfield School a public boarding for boys, his brief marriage that ended in tragedy and his fulfillment in being a teacher.
 
1935 Green Light by Lloyd C. Douglas [First Published in 1934] Green Light (1937)
Dr. Newell Paige is a young surgeon takes the blame for a blotched surgery for his mentor and resigns from his position. He goes to work at a wilderness research facility in Montana. At the facility he works to find a cure for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
 
1936 Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell [First Published in 1936] Gone With the Wind (1939)
Set in Atlanta from Pre-Civil War to the Reconstruction era in the south. Scarlet O’Hara labors to keep herself out of poverty, win the heart of the man she loves, and protect her beloved family home. 
 
1937 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck [First Published in 1937] Of Mice and Men (1939/1968/1981/1992)
Two drifters working the fields during The Great Depression George and Lennie work to achieve their dream of having their own land. Until an accidental murder kills the dream they have. 
 
1938 The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings [First Published in 1938] The Yearling (1946/1994)
A rural family allows their 12-year-old to adopt a fawn. Problems arise when the fawn matures into a destructive misbehaving adult deer.  
 
1939 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck [First Published in 1939] The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Set during the Great Depression in Oklahoma a poor family The Joads are hurt by the Dust Bowl, so they resolve to go to California with thousands of other Okies as they seek jobs, land, dignity, and a future.

1940 How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn [First Published in 1939] How Green Was My Valley (1941) How Green Was My Valley: Mini-Series (1960)(1975)
A chronicle of a Welsh family as seen through the eyes of the youngest son Huw Morgan. The story tells how his family and village and the mining community change and grows until Huw has a traumatic loss innocents. 
 
1941 For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway [First Published in 1940] For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)
A young American fighting in the Spanish Civil War is attached to a guerilla unit must blow up an important bridge. 
 
1942 The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel [First Published in 1941] The Song of Bernadette (1943)
Bernadette a Catholic girl at the age of 14 has a vision of the Virgin Mary, and performs tasks revealed by her visions. As she grows older she becomes a nun and is later recognized as a saint. 

1943 A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith [First Published in 1943] A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945/1974)
The story of an Irish American family living in Brooklyn, New York in the first two decades of the 20^th Century.  As seen through the eyes of the family's daughter. 
 
1944 GiGi and the Cat by Collette [First Published in 1944] GiGi (1949/1958)
Set in Paris, France in the early 1900’s GiGi is a 15-year-old girl being trained as a courtesan and her friendship with Gaston a wealthy family friend. As she grows up the two of them fall in love with each other.

            The Cat is a separate short story about a husband that likes his cat more than his wife.

1945 Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor [First Published in 1944] Forever Amber (1947)
In 17^th Century England a poor girl works her way up from peasant to nobility by marrying or seducing rich and powerful men. Only to lose the one man she ever truly loved.
 
1946 The Egyptian by Mika Waltari [First Published in 1945] The Egyptian (1964)
Set during the 18^th Dynasty in Egypt Orphan Sinuhe becomes a physician that rises to the position of Royal Physician. As a member of the court, he learns its secrets and is involved with politics and intrigue.
 
1947 Miracle of the Bells by Russell Janney [First Published in 1946] The Miracle of The Bells (1948)
An actress’s final request after making her first and final film is to be buried in her hometown. Her press agent asks a local priest to stop a studio executive from reshooting the film with another actress. 
 
1948 Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank [First Published in 1947] Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (1959); The Diary of Anne Frank (1980); The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988); Anne Frank the Whole Story (2001); The Diary of Anne Frank (2009)
The Diary of Anne Frank a young Jewish girl living and hiding with her family and a few other Jewish families from the Nazi’s during WWII Amsterdam.
 
1949 The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer [First Published in 1948] The Naked and The Dead (1958)
The novel focuses on a platoon taking a fictional island called Anopopei from Japanese control during WWII. So, the US military can advance into the Philippines. 
 
1950 The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson [First Published in 1950] The Cardinal (1963)
Stephen Fermoyle is an ambitious Irish Catholic Priest when it becomes a worrisome to his superiors, he is sent to a rural parish to learn humility. As he is on this journey his sister becomes pregnant and is in a situation that only one of them can live. He follows the Catholic teachings, and his sister dies resulting in a crisis of faith. After a break he returns to Rome and helps other priests in dealing with and opposing the KKK in the US South and Nazis in Europe thus earning him the rank of Cardinal.

1951 From Here to Eternity by James Jones [First Published in 1951] From Here to Eternity (1953/1979)
Just before Pearl Harbor a private is sent to a base in Hawaii where he punished for refusing to be in the units boxing unit. While this is going on his commanding officer is having an affair with their Captain’s wife. 
 
1952 Charlotte’s Web by E.B. Webb [First Published in 1952] Charlotte’s Webb (1973, 2006)
A piglet Wilber, a writing spider Charlotte and other farm animals work to save the pig from becoming food and foodstuffs. By writing messages on a spider web and winning the county fair.
 
1953 The Robe by Lloyd C, Douglas [First Published in 1942] The Robe (1953)
A Roman soldier wins Christ’s robe while gambling. He decides to set out on a quest to learn about the man who first owned the robe. 

1954 Not As A Stranger by Morton Thompson [First Published in 1954] Not As A Stranger (1955)
A young Doctor who lives for medicine and sacrifices everything for his medical career comes to terms with what he can do as a Medical Doctor and his life as a married man.
 
1955 The Man in The Grey Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson [First Published in 1954] The Man In The Grey Flannel Suit (1956)
A man’s personal quest for purpose in a culture dominated by business, success, consumerism and social status. 
 
1956 Eloise by Kay Thompson [First Published in 1955] Eloise at the Plaza (2003), Eloise at Christmastime (2003)
A girl that lives on the top floor in the Plaza Hotel with a nanny and various pets explores the building and the people who live there. 
 
1957 Peyton Place by Grace Metalious [First Published in 1956] Peyton Place (1957) Peyton Place (1964-1969)
The scandals, passions, secrets and lies of a picture-perfect town in New Hampshire. 
 
1958 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov [First Published in 1955] Lolita (1962/1997)
A man marries his landlady so he can be close to her underage daughter that he secretly desires. 
 
1959 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak [First Published in 1957] Doctor Zhivago (1965/2002)
A young married doctor falls in love with a married woman and faces hardship during WWI and The October Revolution.  
 
1960 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee [First Published in 1960] To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the depression era Deep South defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in court of law. While teaching his children about predigests. 
 
1961 Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller [First Published in 1934] Tropic Of Cancer (1970)
The story depicts the adventures and personal thoughts of the American writer Henry Miller and his friends while in France in the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

1962 One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey [First Published in 1962] One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) TV Series: Ratcheted (2020)
In an Oregon State Mental Hospital Nurse Ratched rules her ward with an iron fist. Until McMurphy a rebel is committed and starts a battle of wills between him and those in charge. 

1963 The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West [First Published in 1963] The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
Set during The Cold War Ukrainian Catholic Priest Kiril Pavlovich Lakota is set free from a labor camp and is sent to Rome. Where is made a Cardinal. The Pope dies shortly after that and Kiril is elected as the Pope. In this new position he must deal with Vatican politics, the troubles of the world and moral choices. 
 
1964 You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming [First Published in 1964] You Only Live Twice (1967)
The 12^th 007 novel by Ian Fleming his last novel published in his lifetime. James Bond agent 007 must find a space capsule and stop WWIII. 
 
1965 The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carre [First Published in 1963] The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)
British Intelligence Agent Alec Leamas is sent assigned to be a double agent in East Germany and sell disinformation. In performing his mission, he discovers how little value he is to both sides and has to learn to deal with this knowledge personally and professionally.

1966 Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann [First Published in 1966] Valley of the Dolls (1967)/Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981)
Three women in show business become friends and have success until amphetamines and barbiturates lead to their downfall.  

1967 Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin [First Published in 1967] Rosemary’s Baby (1968/2014)
Rosemary and her husband move into a new apartment she comes to believe her neighbors and later her husband are members of a Satanic Cult; That want her to give birth to the Anti-Christ. 

1968 Airport by Arthur Hailey [First Published in 1968] Airport (1970)
In a busy airport during an epic blizzard at The Lincoln Airport personal, professional, and life and death issues affect and are dealt with airport personal, pilots, flight attendants as well as the passengers. 

1969 Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth [First Published in 1969] Portnoy’s Complaint (1972)
The novel is a humorous semi-monolog of a kinky bachelor who confesses his sexual escapades to his psychoanalyst.  

1970 Love Story by Erich Segal [First Published in 1970] Love Story (1970)
A rich boy with a bright future and girl from a working-class background fall in love, marry and are happy until tragedy strikes. 
 
1971 The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty [First Published in 1971] The Exorcist (1973) The Exorcist: The Series (2016 - 2017)
The book and film details the demonic position of a 12-year-old girl, Regan MacNeil who gets possessed after playing with a Ouija board. After series of strange supernatural things happen around the house as Regan’s starts to withdrawal and her behavior, mental, and physical wellbeing gets worse. Regan’s Mother Chris MacNeil a famous film actress who also an atheist has exhausted all of the medical options; turns to the Catholic Church which sends two priests to exorcise the demon. The TV series expands on the original story.
 
1972 Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach [First Published in 1970] Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
A rebellious young seagull is kicked out of his tribe, so he works on improving himself exploring his freedom. 
 
1973 Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco [First Published in 1973] Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Rolf family rent a large house for a very low price for the summer. There are a few details the house needs some work and upkeep as well as an older family member will be staying in her wing of the house and will need to be checked on and feed. Once the family settles the condition is slowly reveled. 

1974 Jaws by Peter Benchley [First Published in 1973] Jaws (1975)
A Great White Shark preys on a small coastal resort town. Three men the Sheriff, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter mount an expedition to remove the shark one way or another. 
 
1975 Black Sunday by Thomas Harris [First Published in 1975] Black Sunday (1977)
Blimp Piolet Michael Lander is resentful against society and suicidal. Dhalia Iyad a member of Black September a Palestinian Terrorist Group is manipulating Michael to carry out an attack on Super Bowl Sunday as punishment against Israel and its allies. Working to stop them is Israeli Mossad Agent David Kabakov and FBI Agent Sam Corley who have learned of the plan. 

1976 The Omen by Davis Seltzer [First Published in 1976] The Omen (1976) Damien (2016)
The US Ambassador to England Robert Thorn and his wife Katherine lost their child in birth. Robert decides to secretly adopt a child whose mother died about the same time with the help of the hospitals Catholic Chaplin Father Spiletto. The child is names Damien. About five years later strange, deadly, and horrifying events centered around Damien occur.  After receiving a warning about Damien from Father Brennan; Robert Thorn and a photographer Keith Jennings (who has witnessed strange events centered around Damien) investigate the boy's birth and heritage. Only to learn that he is the Anti-Christ. The pair try to stop the Anti-Christ and prevent the coming Apocalypse.  

1977 The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough [First Published in 1977] The Thorn Birds (1983)
The story is about the struggle of three generations of the Cleary family in Australian Sheep Country and a forbidden love between a priest and a young woman in the Cleary family. 

1978 The Stand by Stephen King [First Published in 1978] The Stand (1994) (2020) 
A man-made plague gets out of the lab and quickly spreads and kills most of the world’s population. Then the story takes a supernatural turn with most of the remaining population from North America go to Las Vegas, NV or Boulder, CO.
 
1979 Sophie’s Choice by William Styron [First Published in 1979] Sophie’s Choice (1982)
A writer befriends a couple that are in a love hate relationship and are haunted by the choice that Sophie made while trying to survive in a Nazi concentration camp.  
 
1980 The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum [First Published in 1980] The Bourne Identity (1988/2002)
An injured man wakes up with retro grade amnesia and several shadow groups, assassins, the CIA, are after him. He wants to know why.  

1981 Cujo by Stephen King [First Published in 1981] Cujo (1983)
A Saint Bernard is infected with rabies. Goes crazy from the disease and attacks and kills his family and other people around him.
 
1982 The Running Man by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman [First Published in 1982] The Running Man (1987)
Set in the future Ben Richards becomes a member of a popular death game show called the Running Man. The objective is to run and stay alive while on the run from people that are hunting him to the death. If he can survive to the end, he will have the good life. However, the game is rigged against the running man. 
 
1983 The Color Purple by Alice Walker [First Published in 1982] The Color Purple (1985/2023)
Set in Georgia during the 1930’s the story is about a black woman of low social status, suffers abuse from her father and others over four decades.
 
1984 Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney [First Published in 1984] Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
Jamie Conway 24 years old is an aspiring writer and fact checker for a high-end New York magazine. He is out every night partying, heavily drinking, using cocaine, and about to lose his job, and his 
wife has left him. After Jamie makes a last attempt to win back his wife. He starts to examine his life, connects with the sister of his best friend and resolves to change his life.  

1985 Secrets by Danielle Steel [First Published in 1985] Secrets (1992)
A producer making a new nighttime drama has a cast that has secrets worth of any TV drama. As the series starts shooting all of the tensions, and secrets come to a head. 
 
1986 The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy [First Published in 1986] The Prince of Tides (1991)
 A man who has taken responsibility of his family from a young age; talks with his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history. The man and the psychiatrist fall in love. 
 
1987 Patriot Games by Tom Clancy (Jack Ryan #2) [First Published in 1987] Patriot Games (1992)
C.I.A. researcher Jack Ryan intervenes in an assignation marking him and his family as targets for revenge.  
 
1988 The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice [First Published in 1988] The Queen of the Damned (2002)
Book three in the Vampire Chronicles: The Vampire Lestat becomes a rock star waking the first vampire from her slumber resulting in a confrontation between the vampire queen who wishes to conquer the world and those who stop her.  
 
1989 War of the Roses by Warren Adler [First Published in 1981] The War of the Roses (1989)
The Roses are getting a divorce. The big problem is that they both want the house. As they try to get the other to leave the hate, humiliation, and violence between them grows until everybody loses. 
 
1990 The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos [First Published in 1989] The Mambo Kings (1992)
In the 1950’s two musician brothers escape Cuba for the US. Once in the US they work to fulfill their dreams in the new world. 

1991 The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien [First Published in 1990] A Soldier’s Sweetheart (1998)
A set of connected short stories about US soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War.
 
1992 Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan [First Published in 1992] Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Friendship between four different African-American women as men, careers, and families take them in different directions in life. 
 
1993 The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller [First Published in 1992] The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
A photographer creating a photo essay of the covered bridges of Madison County has an affair with a lonely farmer’s wife over four days in the 1960’s. 

1994 One for the Money by Janet Evanovich [First Published in 1994] One for the Money (2012)
This is First novel in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie Plum is divorced, has lost her job, had her car repossessed and is broke. Not wanting to move back in with her family she forces her cousin Vinnie to give her a job as a bail bondsman with his company. Her first big assessment is to find her ex-boyfriend Joseph Morelli.

1995 High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby [First Published in 1995] High Fidelity (2000/2020)
A record shop owner/music expert, DJ, and compulsive list maker is going through a bad breakup. He decides to reexamine his top five breakups so he can move on with his life. 
 
1996 The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard [First Published in 1996] The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
This is about a suburban family’s reaction when their kidnapped son is discovered nine years later alive and well living in the town they just moved to. 
 
1997 Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier [First Published in 1997] Cold Mountain (2003)
Near the end on the US Civil War W. P. Inman a wounded Confederate Soldier walks for months to his home in Cold Mountain, North Carolina and the love of his life Ada Monroe. 
 
1998 Holes by Louis Sachar [First Published in 1998] Holes (2003)
Unlucky/cursed teenager Stanley Yelnats is sent to a desert detention camp after being for arrested for crime he did not commit. At the camp the juvenile inmates are required to dig holes 5 by 5 by 5 every day for mysterious reasons. Stanley discovers the reason why. 
 
1999 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling [First Published in 1998] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
The second book in the Harry Potter series; Harry is warned to stay away from Hogwarts because the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Harry ignores the warnings (of course) and finds the school plagued by a series of mysterious attacks. 

2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling [First Published in 2000] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The fourth book in the Harry Potter series Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters announce their return creating debate and panic within the Wizard World. While this is happening The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is hosting a Magic Competition with two other magic schools. Due to interference by Harry’s enemies he has to compete and try and win. 

2001 The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen [First Published in 2001] The Corrections (2012)
A Midwestern couple and their three adult children gather together at the family home for one last Christmas together. 
 
2002 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold [First Published in 2002] The Lovely Bones (2009)
A teenage girl is raped and murdered then watches from her personal heaven as her family and friends deal with moving on while she comes to terms with her death. 

2003 The Da Vinci Code (Book 2 in the Robert Langdon series) by Dan Brown [First Published in 2003] The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Harvard symbologist Professor Robert Langdon is pulled into a religious mystery involving the Catholic Church and the Holy Grail after a curator is murdered in the Louvre. 
 
2004 The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom [First Published in 2003] The Five People You Meet In Heaven (2004)
After an elderly man dies trying to save a child he is sent to heaven where he meets with five people that help him learn the impact they had his life had and to help him find peace and happiness. 

2005 The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd [First Published in 2004] The Mermaid Chair (2006)
A middle-aged married woman falls in love with a monk that help her while caring for her dying mother. 

2006 Marley& Me by John Grogan [First Published in 2005] Marley & Me (2008)
An autobiographical book about the Grogan family its destructive, wild, pet labor retriever. 
 
2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling [First Published in 2007] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), Part 2 (2011)
The seventh novel in the Harry Potter series; Harry has his final battle with his arch enemy Lord Voldemort. 
 
2008 Twilight by Stephanie Meyer [First Published in 2005] Twilight (2008)
The first book in the Twilight saga A girl and a vampire fall in love. They face obstacles from other vampires, vampire leadership, coming from different worlds and supernatural dangers.
 
2009 My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult [First Published in 2004] My Sisters Keeper (2009)
Anna Fitzgerald sues for emancipation from her parents. Due to the fact she has been used to keep her older leukemia-stricken sister alive but has come to point of wanting to make her own choices. 
 
2010 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [First Published in 2005] The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2010/2011)
A journalist and a hacker search for a woman that has been missing presumed dead for forty years. 
 
2011 The Help by Kathryn Stockett [First Published in 2009] The Help (2011)
During the 1960’s A young college graduate and aspiring author writes a book detailing African American maids' point of view on the families they work for and their daily.
 
2012 Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James [First Published in 2011] Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
A literature student meets billionaire Christian Grey a man with specific sexual and romantic tastes. Together they pursue a relationship. 
 
2013 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn [First Published in 2012] Gone Girl (2014)
When a man’s wife goes missing, he becomes the prime suspect and is tried in the court of public opinion and the media. 
 
2014 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green [First Published in 2012] The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Two cancer patients that meet and fall in love at a cancer support group. Go on a journey to Amsterdam to meet with a retired, reclusive author. 
 
2015 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins [First Published in 2015] The Girl on the Train (2016)(2021)
An alcoholic Rachel Watson sees something strange on her daily train ride. She decides to get involved which results with her becoming entangled in a missing persons/murder investigation.

2016 The Hating Game by Sally Thorne [First Published in 2016] The Hating Game (2021)
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman work as assistants for co-CEOs for a publishing house and they hate each other. Every day they try and outdo each other in everything. When a promotion opens things grow more heated and their feelings, they discover their feelings for each other are more complicated than they thought.

2017  IT by Stephen King [First Published in 1986] Stephen King’s IT (1990) Woh (1998) IT (2017) IT: Chapter 2 (2019)
Depending on the version the decade it starts in vary taking place in Derry Maine children are haunted by a monster that appears as a clown called Pennywise. Seven of these children form a group called the Losers Club for protection and to fight IT. After their first attempt fails, they meet again as adults to end it once and for all.
Who (1998) is an Indian TV series based in the novel.
 
2018 Normal People by Sally Rooney [First Published in 2018] Normal People (2020)
Connell and Marianne attend high school together and develop a romantic relationship that they keep secret because they belong to different social and economic status groups.   After breaking up before college they end up attending the same university. Where they stay involved in each other lives and must decide what kind of future they want after university. 
 
2019 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens [First Published in 2018] Where The Crawdads Sing (2022)
Set in North Carolina marsh Catherine Kay Clark is abandoned by her family at a young age. However, she is able to survive off the land and by selling mussels to a local store becoming known as the Marsh Girl. As she grows, she learns to read and write with the help of her first love Tate Walker.  After he leaves for college, she enters into another romance with a popular local boy Chase Andrews. When he is found dead Kay is charged with the crime and put o trail. Being found not guilty she reunites with Tate. 
 
2020 News of the World by Paulette Jiles [first Published in 2016] News of the World (2020)
Set Five years after the Civil War Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd a veteran of several wars; now travels from town to town with several newspapers reading the news to people eager to hear news of the world. On his way west he is paid to escort Johanna a girl that had been taken by the Kiowa after they killed the rest of her family. He is to take to her remaining family in Texas. Along the way they have to face many dangers. 

55 Films/TV Shows with an Educator as the Protagonist

Abbott Elementary (2021-?)
Comedy series is about the lives of a group of dedicated teachers that work at Abbott Elementary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania one of the worst public schools in the country. 

Anne of Avonlea (1975/1987)
Based on the second book in the Anne of Green Gables series Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery [First Published in 1909] Anne Shirley is 16 and has graduated from high school. She starts her first job as a teacher facing the challenges of new career. 

A.P. Bio (2018-2021) 
Harvard Graduate Jack Griffen is a professor at Stanford College when he loses his job due to social media. Having few choices, he moves back to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. He takes a job as a teacher for A.P. Biology at his old high school. Hating his life, he seeks revenge on the people he blames for current situation with the help of his students. 

Bad Teacher (2011/2014)
Middle school teacher that hates her job, coworkers, and students is about to leave teaching when she dumped by her wealthy fiancé; Forcing her to return to the classroom. Not happy with this she sets out to find a husband and earn money. 

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945/1959)
Catholic Father Charles O'Malley is sent to St. Mary's an old inner city parochial school in in on the verge of being shut down. He is there to help run the school and church with a group of nuns lead by Sister Mary Benedict. They have different ideas on running the school, taking care of children, and saving the parish. 

Beyond The Blackboard (2011) 
Inspired by the book Nobody Don't Love Nobody by Stacey Bess [First Published in 1994] Stacey Bess is a 24-year-old teacher just out of college and her first job is at a school within a homeless shelter for families in Utah. She changes the life of the children she teaches. 

The Bionic Woman (1976-1978)
Spinoff of The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) After Tennis Pro Jamie Sommers is injured in a freak skydiving accident, she is made into a cyborg by the US Government. Having to give up her sports career she becomes a schoolteacher and secret agent for the Office of Scientific Investigation battling spies, robots, aliens, and injustice. 

Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Based on the novel Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter [First Published in 1954]. Taking place in North Manual High School an all-boys school in New York City. Idealistic new English teacher Richard Dadier starts quickly clashes with the trouble making leaders in the school. As he tries to bring discipline to the school troubles escalate and he must decide to stay or take another job at a different school. 

Boston Public (2000-2004)
Set in a public high school in Boston, Massachusetts the series revolves around a group of teachers and their students as they try to get through the school year. 

Children of a Lesser God (1986)
James Leeds is hired to teach speech class for the school of the deaf. At the school he becomes interested in 25-year-old Sarah Norman former student and current custodian of the school. He peruses her and they start dating. They fall in love, but they have trouble with commutating and knowing what the other wants. After a breakup they reconcile and agree to find a way to make the relationship work. Based on the play Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff [First Published in 1980]. 

Christy (1994-1995)
Based on the novel Christy by Catherine Marshall [First Published in 1967] In 1912 nineteen-year-old Christy Huddleston leaves her well to do home in Ashville North Carolina to teach the children of Cutter Gap, Tennessee.  A place of impoverished people, Folk beliefs, and moonshiners that are not eager for changes she brings. 

Class of 1984 (1982)
Music teacher Andrew Norris is starting a new job at Lincoln High School. He clashes with Peter Stegman the leader of a criminal organization that operates within and out of the school resulting in a battle of wills that will only end when one of them is dead. 

Class of 1999 (1990)
In a high school that the police have given up on the new principal has decided to take part in a government experiment that uses reprogramed military robots as teachers. However, the robots malfunction and start using extreme methods to deal with problem students. 

Cooties (2014)
Chicken Nuggets that have been contaminated with a strange new virus are sent to an elementary school cafeteria in Illinois the children that eat them mutate into savage cannibals. A group of teachers discover what has happened and try to escape. 

Dangerous Minds (1995)/(1996-1997)
Based on the memoir My Posse Don't Do Homework by LouAnne Johnson [First Published in 1992] Former journalist and an officer in the US Marines LouAnne Johnson becomes a teacher for an inner-city school with a difficult class. She uses music, poetry, and other unconventional teaching methods to connect with her students and help them advance through the educational system. 

Dead Poets Society (1989)
Set in 1959 at a private all boys school in New England the new English professor John Keating encourages his students to find inspiration through poetry and to think for themselves rather than fall into conformity and group thinking. Changing his students lives. 

The Emperor's Club (2002)
Inspired by the short story The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin [First Published in 1994] Set in the 1970's History teacher William Hundert is a dedicated educator that that gets a Sedgewick Bell a rebel and non-conformer. William Hundert tries to install morals, ethics, and discipline into the boy even giving extra help and privileges only to fail in that goal. This leads him to regretting putting so much time and energy on the boy while other students did not get the time or extra help became men that he could be proud of. 

Fist Fight (2017) 
Roosevelt High School is going through a period of layoffs English Andy Campbell is on the short list to be laid off when he gets the history teacher Ron Strickland fired. Ron Challenges Andy to a schoolyard fist fight after school. Andy wanting to get out of it tries a lot of unsuccessful antics and has to go through with it. 

Front of the Class (2008)
Based on the memoir Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen [First Published in 2005]. Brad Cohen grows up with difficulties because of Tourette's. With the help of his mother, he is able to learn about his condition and reach his goal of becoming a teacher. 

Freedom Writers (2007)
Based on the book The Freedom Writers Dairy by Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writers [First Published in 1999].   Set in 1994 Erin Gruwell starts her first teaching job at Woodrow Willson High School in Long Beach, California. She learns about the students and uses unusual teaching techniques to help the students. 

Gods Not Dead 2 (2016)
Sequel to Gods Not Dead (2014) High school history teacher Grace Wesley (A Christian) is asked by a about Jesus Christ she answers the question. When the students' parents hear of this, they get an ACLU lawyer seek to have the teacher punished. Grace Wesley fights back in court and setting things up for the sequel. 

Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939/1969/1984/2003)
Based on the book Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton [First Published in1934] A schoolteacher near his retirement reflects on his life teaching at the Brookfield School a public boarding for boys, his brief marriage that ended in tragedy and his fulfillment in being a teacher.

Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)
Based on the novel Good Morning, Miss Dove by Frances Grey Patton [First Published in 1947]. Miss Dove is a Geography teacher for Ceder Grove School one day she feels debilitating pain and sends for the Doctor and is hospitalized. s she is being treated she thinks back on her life with taking a teaching position to repay her father's debts and the students she taught that became successful productive members of society. 

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (1998) (1999-2000) (2012) GTO: The Movie (1999)
Former juvenal delinquent and biker gang leader becomes a high school teacher with the goal of becoming the greatest teacher ever and make school fun. His first assignment is to a class of students that were as bad as him. Through some wild antics and sincerity, he gets his students to trust him as he helps them with their problems. 

Hangin’ With Mr. Copper (1992-1997)
Teacher and Basketball Coach Mark Cooper works at an Oakland High School where he lives with two female roommates helps his students and tries to renter professional basketball. 

Head of the Class (1986-1991) (2021)
A teacher is hired to head a class of gifted prodigy students that are to win awards, raise the prestige and GPA of the school. The teacher helps the students with academic and personal problems. 

High School High (1996)
Spoof of the high school movies with somebody coming in and making things better. Richard Clark leaves his wealthy school to teach at a poor inner-city school where he can make a difference. By reaching some of the students, helping them graduate and fighting a dangerous criminal organization he really makes a difference. 

Hoosiers (1986)
Based on a true story Coach Norman Dale is hired by a small rural town in Indiana and takes the team to the state championships. 

Kindergarten Cop (1990)
LAPD Detective John Kimble is after dangerous criminal Cullen Crisp. Believing that he can find him through his ex-wife and son he goes undercover as a Kindergarten teacher. Out of his element he struggles with handling a class of five- and six-year old's. And when Cullen Crisp comes can he keep everybody safe.  

Lean On Me (1989)
Based on a true story East Side High has become a failing school full of violence, gangs, and drug use former teacher Joe Clark is brought back as the principal. With a combination of orthodox and unorthodox policies he turns the school around. However, when city officials object to how he has been running the school, they hold an investigation and may destroy the progress he has made.   

The Legend of Sleepy Hallow (1922, 1954, 1980, 1999) 
Based on The Legend of Sleepy Hallow and Other Stories by Washington Irving [First Published in 1820]. Ichabod Crane a schoolteacher in the town of Sleepy Hallow is in a courtship battle with the local blacksmith Abraham Brom Bones Van Brunt for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel the only daughter of a wealthy landowner.  On Halloween night at a party Ichabod is attending the town’s ghost stories are told including the Tale of the Headless Horseman. After the party has ended runs into the horseman and tries to escape only to never be heard from again.  

Mr. Hollands Opus (1995)
Mr. Holland is a musician and composer whose dream is to create a symphony. Not making much with music he takes a temporary job as a music teacher at a high school. Finding that the students are engaging with classic music he incorporates modern and pop music into his class to the annoyance of the administration. As the years pass comes to love teaching and does create his masterpiece. 

Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher (1996-1998)
Teacher Nick Freno works at Gerald R Ford Middle School while trying to get his big break as an actor. After the first season the middle school is turned into a high school by the district. 

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) (1978) 
Based on the novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark [First Published in 1961]. Set in the 1930's Jean Brodie is a teacher at Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh, Scotland.  At the school she teaches her students her ideas/ideals about romance, art, culture, politics, and philosophy rather than the official conservative syllabus. When her mistakes catch up to her, she loses her position while one of her top students loses the idealized image Jean Brodie works to create. 

The Principal (1987) 
When teacher Rick Latimer is arrested for vandalism and fighting, he is punished incentivized to resign by being appointed the principal of Brandel High School a school where the teens from other schools do not want, a place of violence, and drugs. Rick Latimer unwilling to quit makes changes to the school and enters into a battle to the death with the high school drug lord.  

Rachel, Rachel (1968)
Inspired the novel A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence [First Published in 1966]    A schoolteacher in Connecticut reunites with a friend from her younger days and decides to make changes to her before it is too late. 

Rita (2012-2020)
TV series from Denmark; Rita Madsen is a good teach that has problems when it comes to her personal life. 

The Ron Clark Story (2006)
Based on the true story Ron Clark goes to teach at an inner-city elementary school with a difficult class in New York where his innovative teaching methods change the kids' lives. 

School of Life (2005)
History teacher Norman Warner has won the teacher of the year award for 43 years at Fallbrook Middle School when he passes. His less popular but dedicated son Biology teacher Matt Warner dreams of winning this award when new history teacher Michael D'Angelo becomes the new favorite of the school, he tries to sabotage the new teacher. Until he learns that winning the award will not help him surpass father, he works on changing his teaching style and being more flexible.  

School of Rock (2003) (2016-2018) 
After Musician Dewey Finn gets kicked out of his rock band, he pretends to be a substitute teacher where he is hired for teach a class of high achieving students at a private school. Learning how musically talented his students are he teaches then to love and play rock and roll with the goal of winning a battle of the bands contest.

Servant of the People (2015-2019)
Ukrainian High School history teacher Vasiliy Petrovich Goloborodko is elected the President of Ukrainian after he is seen venting his frustrations about the government on social media. The main actor actually became the President of Ukrainian in 2019. 

Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
Based on the short story; Sometimes They Come Back by Steven King [First Published in 1974]. Jim Norman takes a job teaching at the high school in his hometown where he witnessed his brother getting killed by a local gang and then the gang in a train accident. When students start dying in his class only to be replaced with teens that look like his brothers' killers, he must face the traumas of his past and send the ghosts back to where they belong. 

Stand and Deliver (1989)
Based on a true story Math teacher Jamie Escalante who used a variety of teaching techniques to prepare a bunch of poor, unmotivated students at Garfield High School in California to take and pass an advanced placement Calculus Exam.

The Steve Harvey Show (1996-2002)
Musician turned music teacher Steve Hightower works at the Booker T Washington high school in Chicago, Illinois. At the school he tries to win his long-lost love Regina Grier, help his friend get out of trouble because of his schemes, and help his students. 

The Substitute (1996)
When Mercenary Shale fiancé is attacked and injured by gang members connected to her students at Columbus High School in Miami, Florida. He goes in as a substitute teacher to investigate. He finds a drug distribution network run by a drug kingpin that he vows to take down with the help of his squad. 

Summer School (1987)
Freddy Shoop a PE teacher is forced to teach high school remedial English if he wants to gain tenure. Not taking it seriously both he and the student's goof off most of the summer. Until he is threatened with being fired unless his students pass the final exam. 

Teachers (1984)
John F. Kennedy High School in Columbus, Ohio is facing various lawsuits. So, the administration is removing problem facility. Social studies teacher Alex Jurel a frustrated burned-out teacher is on their list. They set him up to be fired when he starts to overcome his burnout by trying to help his students and new love interest with a fellow teacher and by taking on the school administration.  

Teachers (2001-2004)
British comedy series about a group of teachers going about their daily lives at a rundown public school.

This is My Land (1943)
Set during WWII in Europe the Nazi's invade and occupy a town where the people choose to cooperate or resist. Albert Lorey the school master is neutral until a resistor sabotages a train and kills two soldiers. When one of the resentence is caught and Lorey is implicated he put on trial where he calls for resistance and faces bravely faces what is to come. 

To Sir, with Love (1967)
Based on the novel To Sir, With Love by E.R, Braithwaite [First Published in 1959]. Engineer Mark Thackeray takes a temporary job as a teacher in a high school located in London's East End. He handles the class with strict discipline and teaches them how to behave, about art culture and life.  

Up The Down Staircase (1967)
Based on the novel Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman [First Published in 1964]. Sylvia Barrett is a new idealistic English teacher at Calvin College High school in New York. She quickly gets frustrated with the paperwork, the bureaucrats, and the burned-out teachers that disagree with teaching. By the end of the year, she will decide to stay or resign. 

The Wave (1981) (2008)
Based on a true story a history teacher starts a classroom experiment called the Wave.  He announces himself as the leader and instructs the students to follow his rules and philosophy. The experiment takes on a life of its own.
The 2008 version changes the setting to Germany and escalates on what actually happened. 

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)
Gabe Kotter is a high school teacher that returns to his old inner city New York City high school to teach a new generation of teens from a similar background. 

When Calls the Heart (2013) (2014-?)
When Calls the Heart by Janet Oke [First Published in 1983] Elizabeth Thatcher a teacher leaves her comfortable life with her wealthy family to teach in a rural coal mining town.  Elizabeth finds a community she treasures, a fulfilling career and falls in love with a Canadian Mountie.  

World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Lance Clayton is a writer and teacher with a life that is not going well. When his son dies in an embarrassing accident, he covers it up and writes a suicide journal. When it gets published and becomes a best seller. Lance finds keeping up with the lies and success difficult to handle.

Films about a Second US Civil War - Updated

There are a lot of articles about the US splitting and becoming two countries and how Democrats and or Republicans or some other group, faction, organization is dangerous, evil and must be delt with by any means possible. With the end result most likely resulting in a second Civil War. So, I created a list of movies that explore a Second Civil War within the US. - 2021

With the new Civil War movie, I updated a few things. With a civil war the other side is always scary while your side is the oppressed victims. - 2024.   

One day I expect somebody will create a film that really explores a Second US Civil War. Which is a subject that has a lot of interest. Until then this is what I could find which includes a few kind of related or symbolic works with varied degrees of relevance. I hope that Hollywood creates a film or TV series that gives you what you really want. Until then this is what is available.   

The Second Civil War (1997)
After skirmish creates orphan refuges; an NGO decides to send them to Idaho however the Governor closes his state. The US President chooses to reopen the state by any means necessary. Resulting in a civil war. While this is happening the media feeds and helps escalate tensions.   

Civil War (2024) 
When 19 US States succeed from the US this sparks a new Civil War. A group of journalists from different parts of the country travel report and document what is happening with glimpses of the major urban battle fronts to the rural, and refugee areas. 

Barb Wire (1996) 
Inspired by Casablanca (1942) The basic plots of the story are the same. During a second US Civil War a woman going by the name Barb Wire owns and operates a politically natural night club in the last free city state in the US. While also operating as a soldier of fortune. One day her married ex comes to ask for help getting his wife and some plans and information out of the country. 

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
After a series of tragic disasters as seen in the earlier movies. The US, and other Government have creating laws to oversee and control The Avengers, superhumans/superheroes. This splits the team into two groups one that believes that government oversite and control is for the public good while the other group believes that personal freedom less government involvement is for the greater good. 

Jerrico (2006-2008) 
After 23 major cities in the US are destroyed the town of Jericho, Kansas is largely unaffected due to it isolated location, small size and its location near natural resources. The series mainly focus on the town and the people that live there. Various groups, and factions are fighting over who is in control of the country. 

Bushwick (2017)
Texas along with several other states decide to succeed from the union. In doing this a war breaks out with New York becoming a battlefield.  The story is told from the point of view of a college student and a janitor/former military veteran try to survive and make it so safety. 

The Purge (2013), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Purge: Election Year (2016), The First Purge (2018), The Purge (TV series) (2018-2019), The Forever Purge (2021) 
Set in the future has the US has been taken over by a group called The New Founding Fathers. To cut down on crime, poverty and those that need/use social services. All crime is legal for 12 hours. The movies and TV series show various people of different backgrounds, status, and classes deal with and are affected by the events of that night.  

Hoover Vs The Kennedy’s: The Second Civil War (1987) Miniseries on the feud between FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and the Kennedy Family. Starting at the 1960 Democratic Convention and ending with the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968. 

The Patriot (1998) 
Inspired by the novel The Last Canadian by William C. Heine [First Published in 1974]. A leader of a militia group is put on trial by the US government. Wanting revenge, he infects the judge presiding over the case with a manmade virus. The virus ends up spreading quickly causing the town to be quarantined. A local immunologist races to find the cure.

The Park is Mine (1985)
Based on the novel The Park is Mine by Stephen Peters [First Published in 1981] Before Veterans Day Mitch Garnett a Vietnam Veteran takes control of Central Park in New York City, New York with mines, guns and booby traps. He has done this to call attention to Veterans Issues. In his demonstration a hostage reporter taken along to document his side of the standoff.

The Chocolate War (1988)
Based on The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier [First published in 1974]. One boy takes on a secret society at a Catholic School by not selling chocolate in the annual chocolate sale. A secret society of students seeks to punish and put the boy back into his place.

Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
A Soviet backed group start to attack and terrorize the US to turn is against each other. However, they failed to kill Chuck Norris and just pissed him off instead. 

Messiah of Evil (1977)
After receiving a letter from her artist father to stay away and that the town of Point Doom, California and that there is a spreading evil in the town. Arletty travels to his house only to find it empty with strange paintings of grey people. She searches for information about her father's whereabouts. While searching she meets other people from out of town that have also heard warnings of a spreading evil. After being kicked out of the hotel they were at they stay at the house as well. The group starts seeing more strange things until the affected people over run the town. Arletty is spared and told to tell the world that they are coming from the small town to the large cities. She does as she is told only to be locked up waiting for them to reach her. 

1984 (1956/1984)                                                     
Based on the novel 1984 by George Orwell [First Published in 1949]. In a future the Earth has been split into Empires. In Oceania one of these three Empires, Winston Smith a man that works for the Ministry of Truth rewriting history, and news to fit the government narrative. One day he meets Julia a woman and falls in love an act of rebellion in itself.  This leads him to become an enemy of the State. 

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) (2018)

Based on Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury [First published in 1953]. Set in the future where books are outlawed a fireman one who sets fire to books and houses that they are hidden in. Rebels and joins a resentence groups who memorize and share the world’s great literature.