Modern adaptations of classic literature are a tried-and-true way to captivate an audience. Their formulaic blend of easily accessible IP alongside current settings and characters can lead to a more enjoyable, if at times unreliable, means of retelling revered literary staples. Still, modernizing the dialogue and re-framing an antiquated storyline within a modern context can do wonders toward revitalizing a piece.
Update August 16, 2023: If you're a fan of classic lit in movies, then you'll be glad to know that this list was recently expanded by fellow bookworm Amanda Minchin.
How they do so, however, is not quite as straightforward. Some adaptations are costume dramas with a modern twist, opting for costumes and settings accurate to the period while modernizing the dialogue. Others completely re-imagine every aspect of the story and characters to create a new fresh narrative that's rooted in the basic framework of a classic book. Audiences may be surprised to learn that some of their favorite films, from zombies to teen dramedies, are actually rooted in these classic works.
Here are some of the most popular films you may not have known were adapted from classic literature.
20 The Lion King - Hamlet
Let's start off with a rather well-known adaptation of a classic, Disney’s The Lion King. The Lion King is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Unlike the source material, which is a tale of royal turbulence, adultery, suicide, and vaguely incestuous undertones, the Disney adaptation keeps the story more palatable for family audiences while maintaining a layered and engaging storyline... if a somewhat unrealistic view of how lion prides act in real life.
Disney re-imagined Simba as Hamlet, a young lion cub set to inherit the Pridelands from his father, Mufasa, the Lion King. Soon after, Mufasa’s evil brother Scar murders the king and exiles Simba. Despite being an animated movie primarily marketed to children, The Lion King is an undisputed tear-jerker. The death of Mufasa, the grief of Simba, and the struggle of the latter to retake his place as king after grappling with feelings of guilt and inadequacy are both compelling and mature. These themes are further explored through epic animation and an unforgettable soundtrack.
19 The Last Voyage of the Demeter - Dracula
Bram Stoker's Dracula has been adapted and reimagined many times over the years. Many of them either tell close to direct adaptations of the original work like 1931's Dracula and Francis Ford Copploa's big-budget Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sometimes the character is spun off into an original story, like with Van Helsing or Hotel Transylvania. Yet The Last Voyage of the Demeter decides to adapt one specific section of the Dracula story.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter adapts one chapter from the novel, one based around Dracula being shipped from Transylvania to London. In fact, this is mainly glossed over in many of the other adaptations. Since the journey is a long one, it makes for an interesting premise for a film all its own. One doesn't need John Harker or Van Helsing. All one needs is Dracula on a bot. Most audiences just seeing the poster or seeing the title might not know this is a Dracula adaptation, but it is one of the most interesting takes on the material yet.
18 Clueless - Emma
Clueless stayed fairly true to the premise of Jane Austen's Emma while at the same time creating one of the most stylish teen movies of the 1990s.
The main character, Cher, is based on the titular character of Austen’s novel. Emma a well-to-do young woman living with her father and enjoying a good deal of local celebrity in her town. Her counterpart, Cher, is a Beverly Hills girl through and through. Her ravenous sense of fashion and rampant consumerism are proudly on display throughout. She, however, is well-meaning at heart. She strives to fix people's happily ever afters (or, as Austen would have put it, their 'match')... with often misguided and downright hilarious consequences.
17 Blade Runner - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Blade Runner and its follow-up, Blade Runner 2049 are two staples of the sci-fi genre that have gone on to inspire countless movies and TV shows. What is not so well known about them, however, is that they are based on the wonderfully titled Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Rick Deckard, who is played by Harrison Ford in the movie, takes on a starring role in both the book and the film, as does the dystopian world and the ethical nature of its androids. While the first of the series was more loosely inspired by the book, the second film used many of its elements and themes. Dick's revisionist history noir elements are on full display throughout.
16 Revenge - Count of Monte Cristo
Alexander Dumas imagined The Count of Monte Cristo, a good-looking and fortunate young man enjoying the affections of his beloved girlfriend, Mercedes. Unbeknownst to Edmond Dantés, who would later become the vengeful count, his friend is plotting his downfall in order to steal away Mercedes for himself. Wrongful imprisonment and unforgivable betrayal lead Dantés on a personal warpath as he vows to avenge all that was taken from him.
Loosely inspired by the Dumas novel, Revenge ascribes much of Dantés’ story to the deceased father of the protagonist, with the characterization of Dantés and his quest for revenge bestowed upon daughter Emily Thorne instead. Given that this is a series rather than a film, the plot becomes increasingly complex as new developments foil Emily’s plans, but its inspiration still rings true. One of few television adaptations from modern literature on this list, Revenge successfully ran for four seasons on ABC.
15 Oliver & Company - Oliver Twist
Disney is well known for using existing IP to inspire their modern-day animation and live-action projects. Before there was The Lion King, Disney re-imagined Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist in the 1988 animated film Oliver & Company.
The film follows a mischievous and well-meaning kitten named Oliver, whose adventures throughout New York City led him to become embroiled in a criminal’s elaborate schemes. Oliver goes on to defeat the villainous Sykes alongside his rag-tag group of canine friends. With musical stylings by the likes of Billy Joel (instead of the usual musical numbers), this movie even gives little Oliver a happy ending in his new forever home.
14 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Pride and Prejudice
The road to modernizing Pride and Prejudice into the story of a modern woman named Bridget Jones was a bit different from that of other films on this list. Unlike the other films, Bridget Jones’s Diary was based on a novel of the same name, which in turn was largely inspired by Pride and Prejudice. In fact, author Helen Fielding jokes that she all but “stole” the premise of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel.
This modern retelling gives us the character of Bridget, a flawed woman on a quest for self-improvement as she attempts to stop dating “alcoholics, workaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional f**kwits, or perverts”. In doing so, she toes the line between the seemingly perfect gentleman and what, at first glance, is a snobbish, overly brooding man. Who she chooses seems almost predestined from the start!
Those looking for a slightly stricter retelling should look into films like Bride and Prejudice or the litany of Austen remakes instead.
13 Warm Bodies - Romeo & Juliet
Much Like Bridget Jones’s Diary, Warm Bodies is also based on a book inspired by a classic piece. Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet has inspired a plethora of film and television adaptations over the years, ranging from traditional script-adhering drama to creative and unorthodox interpretations... Warm Bodies, adapted from the novel by the same name, is definitely of the latter.
An offbeat comedy from the perspective of a zombie, Warm Bodies is a love story involving perhaps one of the most unappealing of supernatural creatures - the undead. Lacking the allure of a dashing but tortured vampire, or the rugged brawn of a werewolf (both creatures which are often featured front and center in supernatural romances), the lonely zombie has little to offer in comparison. The main character, R (for Romeo) is a rotting, flesh-eating, terrifying guy... that doesn’t stop Julie (aka Juliet) from somehow falling in love with him anyway.
While Julie and R's relationship has a much happier ending than the original (go figure), the power of love staving off a full-blown zombie apocalypse makes any family feud seem small in comparison.
12 Rent - Scenes of Bohemian Life
In yet another example of an iteration to the fourth degree, the movie adaptation of the popular musical Rent is loosely based on the opera La Bohème, which was in turn inspired by Henri Murger's 1851 novel Scenes of Bohemian Life. Scenes of Bohemian Life is, in actuality, is a collection of loosely related stories. Playful in nature, they've been known to inspire a practical litany of operas and even the blockbuster hit Moulin Rouge!, which was also later turned into a musical. What a tongue twister!
Featuring the original cast years after their initial performances, this on-screen adaptation received mixed reviews as a result. Still, to this day, it is considered well ahead of its time.
11 The Dark Knight Rises - A Tale of Two Cities
The Dark Knight Rises was loosely based on none other than A Tale of Two Cities. Christopher Nolan's blockbuster aptly draws a comparison between the fictional Gotham City and the turbulence of European cities before and during the French Revolution.
Notoriously corrupt and bleak, Gotham serves as a fitting mirror to the conditions of a war-torn Paris, a city then haunted by the infamous Reign of Terror. The prominence of a myriad of fictional villains has created a sort of Reign of Terror for Gotham, but luckily, the perpetually chaotic city benefits from the protection of the elusive superhero Batman. The classic inspiration for the 2012 film proved a good choice, with The Dark Knight Rises raking in more than one billion dollars worldwide.
10 10 Things I Hate About You - The Taming of the Shrew
Romantic comedy adaptations of classic literature are by no means exclusive to 90s cinema... In fact, William Shakespeare himself penned a few himself. They are, however, a mainstay of that time. In a period already rife with similar material, 10 Things I Hate About You is arguably one of the most popular classic lit adaptations of the 90s, with its memorable cast, witty dialogue, and occasional nods to its Shakespearean inspiration.
Based loosely on The Taming of the Shrew, in this film, a rather rough-around-the-edges Patrick Verona is paid to win over the affections of the high school “shrew” Kat Stratford. His efforts are financed by some boys looking to date Kat’s little sister, Bianca. The younger Stratford sister is forbidden from dating until her older sister does. Kat, however, is notoriously difficult to please. Efforts to manipulate the situation prove rather difficult as Kat exhibits a fervent disinterest in her peers. Julia Stiles breathed new life into the character of Kat while her compatriot, played by the late Heath Ledger in one of his earlier roles, proved difficult to deny. 10 Things I Hate About You is a standout rom-com that has proven to be a timeless teen classic in its own right.
9 She’s All That - Pygmalion
She’s All That stands out as one of the more loose interpretations of classic literature in the form of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Shaw's classic has gone on to inspire many an adaptation over the years, from the classic My Fair Lady to the infamous Pretty Woman, but She's All That is perhaps the quirkiest adaptation of them all. This teen comedy-dramas adolescent characters evoked the essence of 90s rom-com culture, a mix of equal parts grunge and prep. Its soundtrack even featured the classic hit 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None The Richer.
While the film itself opened to mixed reviews, it is arguably a classic of the time. Between its eye-candy leads, its comfortably predictable romance, and its upbeat tone, She’s All That has enjoyed prolonged popularity as a successful teen flick.
8 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - On Stranger Tides
While Pirates of the Caribbean is based on a popular Disney ride, the original three films were all original stories. For the fourth film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the first with Jack Sparrow as the solo protagonist without Will Turner or Elizabeth Swan, the franchises decided to incorporate Jack Sparrow into a pre-existing story. The producers opted for the rights to the 1987 historical fantasy novel On Stranger Tides by author Tim Powers.
It was also a story that involved a mythic quest for the Fountain Youth, featuring voodoo zombies and mermaids, and Blackbeard. The filmmakers just adapted the novel to make it work without the pre-existing world of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The film was a box office hit, grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office but was seen as a step down from the prior entries.
7 She’s the Man - Twelfth Night
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
2006's She’s the Man explored the gender-bending shenanigans of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night for a whole new generation. While the original featured a set of twins, this iteration saw Amanda Bynes' Viola playing double duty by impersonating her older brother after her school's soccer team gets cut. Determined to continue to play, she takes on the role of her brother in order to join another team.
While the film forgoes shipwrecks and medieval nobility for rebellious teen adventures and high school social hierarchy, it still manages to stay as true as possible to the source material while modernizing it. In fact, the names of most of the characters and the general progression of the infamous story are still intact, which is no mean feat!
6 Notes From the New World - Notes From the Underground
Notes From the Underground is a unique philosophical fiction in which the narrator, a curmudgeonly retired civil service worker in Russia, recounts his life as he unravels the philosophies of the era. In the process, the narrator, who is never given a name, grips the reader in the highly intimate first-hand narrative of a nihilist.
The film adaptation, Notes From the New World is very loosely inspired by the aforementioned novel. While it seems near impossible to translate a contemplative, philosophical piece into an engaging film, this 2011 indie project took one heck of a stab at it. In it, the mysterious “Underground Man” takes on new life as a young Los Angeles actor starring in a low-budget stage production of the Dostoyevsky classic. While the film did not garner much critical acclaim upon its release (in fact, it was a moderate failure by independent film standards), it should still be commended for its interpretative attempt at a classic.
5 O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Odyssey
O Brother, Where Art Thou? might be set in Mississippi in the 1930s, but there's no doubt that it's a dead ringer for Homer's Greek Epic, The Odyssey. This 2000 musical is written, directed, and produced by the impeccable Coen Brothers and features an all-star cast, including John Goodman and George Clooney. From the invocation of the Muse to the Siren's call, there are far too many Easter Eggs to count! The dour setting of the Great Depression in the deep South settles this film in our reality, with this version of the story following a group of escaped convicts on their way back home. While the characters in this retelling don't quite live up to the standards of the lead of a Hero's journey, they are nonetheless utterly enjoyable to watch.
4 Cruel Intentions - Les Liasons Dangerouses
The sinister schemers of the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont hit the silver screen as Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmonti in 1999's Cruel Intentions. The step-siblings are equal parts privileged and conniving as they orchestrate cruel seductions and mind games for personal enjoyment.
The teens are unbelievably sinister for their age, but their plots stay true to the devious minds of their literary counterparts. Les Liasons Dangerouses tells a very similar story to the film, only with the stakes further heightened by the confines and expectations of eighteenth-century French society. Cruel Intentions is every bit as seductive and malicious as the Pierre Choderlos de Laclos novel, making it a worthy and acclaimed modern adaptation.
3 A Knight’s Tale - Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is a series of twenty-four stories written in Middle English. The stories are told by various narrators as a group of pilgrims travels to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. A Knight’s Tale is the upbeat comedy retelling of Chaucer’s contemplative story, which itself was based on a fourteenth-century poem.
The 2001 film starring Heath Ledger is actually based on the second of these two dozen tales. The film revamps the medieval telling by adding several new characters and a modernized plot while still borrowing the name of a renowned piece of literature. Its costumes are also a funky mix of classic and modern. Despite mixed reviews, A Knight’s Tale was actually a moderate box office success, one that was propelled to popularity in large part to the allure of its leading man and its stellar supporting cast.
2 Empire - King Lear
Although a wholly different story and a singularly innovative adaptation, the drama series Empire stays true to the bones of Shakespeare's King Lear. Rather than a King dividing up his kingdom to his daughters based on which shows him the most love, Empire gives us a terminally-ill music mogul and CEO struggling to decide which of his sons should inherit Empire Entertainment. That being said, the best part of the show is arguably Cookie Lyon, the fiercely loyal ex-wife to the dying CEO and mother to his sons.
With layered family drama and complex business entanglements, Empire holds its own alongside its inspiration. This innovative take went on to enjoy six whole seasons, earning various awards and acclaim in the process.
1 John Tucker Must Die - The Merry Wives of Windsor
John Tucker Must Die was refreshing in that it held its male antagonist accountable for his duplicitous romantic ventures without pitting the women of the film against each other. Instead, the women that have been deceived by the aforementioned Tucker wind up banding together to get revenge against this womanizing jock.
In reality, the film also mirrors the plot of yet another Shakespearean comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, a play that was perhaps equally innovative for its time. This classic follows a group of women who receive identical letters from the undesirable bachelor Sir John Falstaff. His intentions, of course, are far from pure. The women likewise decide to play a series of pranks on the gentleman in question, with interesting results.