So, a person would have to be living under a rock these days not to have heard about the impending release of the film version of smash hit The Hunger Games. Though the film is not out until March 23 in most markets worldwide, there’s already a slew of raving reviews and talk of the movie being projected to top $140 million in its U.S. opening weekend. Wow.

The Hunger Games films are just the latest in what seems to be a rampant streak of middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) film adaptations. Sure, it’s not a completely new development, but it sure does feel like the percentage of young-adult targeted movies based on blockbuster books is at an all-time high. Framed differently, it also seems like almost every well-loved YA series gets optioned for film adaptation…sometimes immediately following its release. Not all are successful (critically or monetarily), but the fact remains that they keep a-comin’. The slew of film adaptations is not completely surprising, though, given the fact that YA lit in general seems at a high popularity-wise, with numerous titles finding near-universal praise in the mainstream. But is there any further explanation for it? Why are they popping up like flies?

And what makes them into mega-blockbusters? My thoughts on that last question are that the stories are universally appealing, and unencumbered by some of the complicated realities of adulthood. It’s no surprise that many of these Middle Grade and Young Adult adaptations have followings of people ranging from tween to senior citizen. Even when such stories tackle tough subjects like death, love, politics, and oppression (among many others), they focus on the most accesible aspects.

Furthermore, many of these adaptations are of books that have fairly rabid followings. And I mean in terms of strength, not necessarily number. When you have a group of dedicated fans that read and reread certain books and swear they’re the best thing evaarrrrr…well, those turn out to be the Twilights and Hungers Gameses.

And along the lines of garnering rabid fans, these film adaptations (and their source books) usually have strapping, heroic, and overall magnetic protagonists. Inevitably, the actors that play such parts are similarly magnetic.

Lastly, they’re often epic stories, perfectly suited to provide blockbuster thrills. It hasn’t escaped me that some of the most highly anticipated YA film adaptations are multi-part series. Nor am I surprised that we’re seeing some of those installments split into two films per book. There’s also usually a constellation of products that are released as well–guides, star-studded soundtracks, McDonald’s toys–to keep them ever-present in the minds of fans.

From Mortal Instruments to Caster Chronicles, Incarceron to Firelight, the franchises will keep on coming. Here are some random musings about some past, upcoming, and projected MG/YA film adaptations:

Which came first, the book or film?

What we’ve seen…

I Am Number Four (Feb. 18, 2011) – This film was actually optioned at the same time that the book was being written. How nuts is that? A made-to-order blockbuster.

Hugo (Nov. 23, 2011) – The directors, producers, and stars attached to some of these films are pretty impressive. It’s pretty amazing that one of the greatest directors in film history (that’d be Martin Scorcese–raise your wine glasses) chose to adapt this ole’ book.

Beastly (Mar. 4, 2011) – This may not have made a big splash in the box office, but the amount of press on this one before its release was interesting. I wonder if the belief was that it had the formula of a well-loved tale (Beauty and the Beast) made into YA, so therefore it was destined for success.  My take? A bad adaptation is a bad adaptation. ^_^

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (July 15, 2011) – Can you believe there was actually some Oscar talk about this film, right after its release? That is just astounding.

The stars of Warm Bodies

What’s around the bend (In Post-Production)…

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (March 23, 2012) – So not surprised that this book series is being made into a series of films. It has many of the aforementioned elements that blockbusters are made of. But what I will be interested in finding out is how faithful the film is to some of the brutal portrayals in the book. I mean, we’re talking about to-the-death battles between a bunch of kids aged 12 to 18. I think it’ll be much harder for the film to get away with showing kids basically off each other in cold blood, especially since it’s targeted to a similarly aged audience. We shall see. ^_^

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (Feb. 1, 2013) – I’m not surprised that a zombie YA adaptation made its way to film. Zombies are, after all, the “new hotness” in books; only a matter of time before YA got in on the action.  The original book features the undead and a teenage love story…the latter of which seems to be irresistible to rabid fan filmgoers.

Breaking Dawn (Part 2) by Stephenie Meyer (Nov. 16, 2012) – Ah, but what hasn’t already been said about this series of books and films? The Twilight series is arguably to blame for the current rash of YA adaptations. Sure, there was Harry Potter before it (which I guess qualifies as MG in early books and YA in later ones), but how many Harry Potter derivatives have seen as much popularity as the original? Twilight was like a YA earthquake, and we’ll be seeing aftershocks for a long time to come, in YA and beyond (yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, 50 Shades of Grey and Dante’s Inferno! lol).

The boy who would be Ender.... Asa Butterfield

What’s on the horizon (In Pre-Production)…

Divergent by Veronica Roth – Is it fair to say the Hunger Games is to blame for the popularity of dystopian YA? ^_^ In any case, this adaptation will be major. It’s being produced by the same studio that did Twilight, and is set to be released in 2015.

Matched by Ally Condie – And another dystopian YA. Currently in the early stages of production at Disney, with Adam Shankman directing (note: he directed A Walk to Remember).

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor – This book had so much hype around it, like many of the others, but it’s a weird and unique one in terms of theme and protagonist. It will be interesting to see how it fares once adapted. It’s being produced through Universal Pictures.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – I’ve long dreaded the news that this book would actually be adapted into a film. An emotionally powerful, brutally honest science fiction novel starring ruthless kids (pre-teen, even) that compete in war games just isn’t something that can, in my mind, be adapted without major adjustment for consumption in the mainstream. As it stands, this production is getting some top talent like Harrison Ford, Sir Ben Kingsley, Abigail Breslin, and Viola Davis. But the real question is how the final product will turn out  in relation to the original piece. Fingers crossed, ya’ll. This one’s set to be released March 15, 2013.

What are your feelings on the abundance of MG and YA film adaptations? Why do you think they’re so popular? Are there any that you’re looking forward to…or perhaps dreading?

About Alisha

Alisha, the bespectacled and ever nerdy California girl, simply won't leave home without a book in hand. She loves language learnin' and is working toward becoming a bonafide grammar ninja. On any given day you'll find her haunting local libraries or baking scores of cupcakes and sweet treats.

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