Best movies based on books
Best movies based on books. The highly anticipated summer movie release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," and the upcoming movie releases of two best-selling book adaptations, "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Hunger Games," later in the year inspired this compilation of our favorite movies based on top-selling novels. Did your favorite read make the list?

Twilight'
Release date: Nov. 21, 2008

Director: Catherine Hardwick
Plot: The first of five films based on the best-selling teen novels by Stephenie Meyer chronicling the romantic relationship between teenager Bella Swan and vampire hunk Edward Cullen.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'
Release date: Nov. 16, 2001

Director: Chris Columbus
Plot: Based on the first book in the "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling, the movie is about a young orphaned boy who discovers he's a wizard and will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Shining
Release date: May 23, 1980

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Plot: Based on the Stephen King book by the same name,the film concerns a family that moves into a secluded hotel for the winter, where the father gradually goes insane.
127 Hours
Release date: Nov. 10, 2010

Director: Danny Boyle
Plot: A climber hiking alone in the mountains in Utah falls into a crevice, pinning his arm under a rock wall. Based on a true story by Aron Ralston, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place."
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Release date: June 30, 1971

Director: Mel Stuart
Plot: Based on the children's story "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl (read his bio), in which a boy finds a golden ticket and wins a visit to a magical chocolate factory.
The Notebook
Release date: June 25, 2004

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Plot: Based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, this is a romantic saga about a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who falls in love with a rich society girl
Eat Pray Love
Release date: Aug. 13, 2010

Director: Ryan Murphy
Plot: A true story of an unhappy housewife who divorces her husband and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Release date: 1962

Directors: Robert Mulligan and Alan J. Pakula
Plot: Set in a racially divided Alabama town in the '30s, the story follows a young girl named Scout, whose lawyer father, Atticus Finch, agrees to represent a black man accused of raping a white woman.Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical novel of the same name.
Apollo 13
Release date: June 30, 1995

Director: Ron Howard
Plot: An adaptation of a true story by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger, the movie dramatizes a lunar mission crisis and the courageous astronauts on Apollo 13.
Into the Wild
Release date: Sept. 21, 2007

Director: Sean Penn
Plot: Based on Jon Krakauer's novel by the same name, the story follows a recent college graduate who cuts his ties with family and friends and travels to Alaska seeking a greater understanding of and spiritual connection with nature.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Release date: Dec. 5, 2003

Director: Peter Jackson
Plot: The first in a three part epic tale and based on J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling novel, the movie concerns a young hobbit named Frodo who has been given a mysterious ring with dark powers.
Jurassic Park
Release date: June 11, 1993

Director: Steven Spielberg
Plot: A new theme park housing living dinosaurs suffers a power breakdown, putting two dinosaur experts on a preview tour in extreme danger. The movie is based on Michael Crichton's best-selling novel.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Release date: Dec. 9, 2005

Director: Andrew Adamson
Plot: The first book in the popular children's series by C.S. Lewis, the movie follows four siblings who find a magic wardrobe that transports them to the supernatural land of Narnia
P.S. I Love You
Release date: Dec. 21, 2007

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Plot: Based on the best-selling novel by Irish writer Cecelia Ahern, the movies is about a recently widowed woman who discovers that her late husband left her a series of letters to help her grieve and move forward with her life.
Gone With the Wind
Release date: Jan. 17, 1939

Director: Victor Fleming
Plot: A tumultuous love affair between willful Scarlett O'Hara and the dashing, no-nonsense Rhett Butler dominates this epic tale set in the South during the Civil War.The movie was adapted from the best-selling book by Margaret Mitchell.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Release date: Nov. 20, 2009

Director: Wes Anderson
Plot: A stop-motion animation filmbased on Roald Dahl's children's tale. A cunning fox continually outsmarts three chicken farmers, who go to extreme measures to protect their livestock.
The Godfather
Release date: March 15, 1972

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Plot: The head of an organized-crime family grooms his youngest and most independent son to take control of the family business. Based on the crime novel by Mario Puzo.
Bridget Jones's Diary
Release date: April 13, 2001

Director: Sharon Maguire
Plot: A young, neurotic British woman searches for love and weight loss in this romantic comedy based on the best-selling novel by Helen Fielding.
Schindler's List
Release date: Dec. 15, 1993

Director: Steven Spielberg
Plot: Based on a true story in the book by Thomas Keneally, the film concerns a German factory owner in Poland who becomes increasingly concerned about his Jewish workers' welfare.
The Shawshank Redemption
Release date: Sept. 23, 1994

Director: Frank Darabont
Plot: Despite his claims of innocence, a banker is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He meets a fellow prisoner, and together they seek solace within a brutal environment. Based on a short story by Stephen King.
The Da Vinci Code
Release date: May 19, 2006

Director: Ron Howard
Plot: After a murder at the Louvre museum in Paris, a policewoman and a symbolist specialist collaborate to solve a mystery involving ancient clues and secret societies. Based on Dan Brown's novel.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Release date: Nov. 28, 2008

Director: Mark Herman
Plot: Adapted from John Boyne's novel set during World War II, the film follows the young son of a prominent Nazi who, unbeknownst to his family, befriends a boy imprisoned in a concentration camp.

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