Films are often adapted by books that are written in that era or some even before it. What’s interesting is that a lot of these books are the original sources for some of the biggest blockbusters of all time and were unheard of before they were adapted into films. Here’s a look at some of the most widely acclaimed films that are derived from books.

Scarface
One of the most famous movie adaptations of all time, Scarface is based on the book of the same name written by Armitage Trail in 1929. The film, starring Al Pacino, was released in 1983 that is regarded as one of the best films in the genre. It was based on the life of American gangster Al Capone.

Pyscho
Who hasn’t seen the 1960 classic that redefined direction styles unimaginably? It is a suspense novel that was written by Robert Bloch in 1959. This book is a crime thriller that featured serial killer Norman Bates. The release of the movie generated a lot of interest in the book at the time.

Forrest Gump
The original novel was written by Winston Groom in 1986. In the book, the protagonist (played by Tom Hanks in the movie) is an overweight chap. Even though Hanks doesn’t justify the book character in this physical aspect, he fits into the role, ending up with infinite accolades for his portrayal of Forrest Gump. The movie became an instant hit when it was released and also make the book widely popular. Apart from this, there are several differences between the movie and the book plot, characters, etc.

Rambo
It’s a shock to most movie buffs when they discover that the Rambo films were based on books! First Blood written by David Morrell in 1972 was adapted into the first Rambo movie of the same name. The film got roaring reviews from cine goers and so the author decided to bring the character of Rambo back from the dead.

Million Dollar Baby
This film was the cynosure of all eyes in 2004. Some even said it’s the best sports drama film ever made with knockout performances by Swank, Eastwood and Freeman. It even bagged an Oscar for Best Picture and rightfully so. A lesser known fact about the film is that it initially started as a compilation of short stories by boxing trainer Jerry Boyd. The series was originally titled Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner. It was published in 2000.

Die Hard
Very few know that the action packed all time favourite Die Hard series starring Bruce Willis has been adapted from Roderick Thorp’s Nothing Lasts Forever. He wrote it in 1979 as a sequel to The Detective. The novel did not become a huge success and it still known through its film adaption. The characters and plots were tweaked noticeably but the film went on to become one of the most watched series in the action-thriller genre.

Slumdog Millionaire
Thanks to all the attention and accolades Slumdog Millionaire earned at the Academy Awards in 2009, the book was widely discussed as it inspired the Oscar winner and brought India to the limelight for all the right reasons. The plot of the film was mostly similar to that of the book but was changed slightly for the movie.