Adaptations

151 voters

The Best Film Franchises Based on Books

Updated May 13, 2019 1.6k votes 151 voters 2.0k views22 items

List RulesVote up your favorite film franchises that are based on or inspired by literature, even if it is just the first film.

From stories that jump off the page to slow burners that make you contemplate the great beyond, this list includes information about the best movie franchises based on books. Some film franchises based on novels stay true to the source material while other film franchises adapted from books create new storylines. Some of the best movie series based on books have even won Academy Awards.

What sagas will you find on this best movie franchises based on books list? Jurassic Park has to be near the top. Michael Crichton's 1990 book Jurassic Park provided the source material for Steven Spielberg's 1993 film of the same name. Four additional movies have already been produced in the franchise with more slated to be released. The Godfather Trilogy is another good film franchise based on a book.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most successful franchise adaptations both critically and at the box office. Other good film franchises adapted from books include the Die Hard, Harry Potter, and the Bourne series.

How will we ever determine which franchise adaptation is the best? Help us decide by voting up your favorites and please add any good movie series based on books we may have missed.

Photo:

1
104
31
Harry Potter Franchise
Danielle Radcliffe, Rupert Grint
Released: 2001 - 2011
Directed by: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, David Yates
Harry Potter is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by author J.... more
More Harry Potter Franchise
#1 of 95 The Best Film Adaptations Of Young Adult Novels#16 of 65 The Best Adventure Movies for Kids
2
101
34
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan
Released: 2001 - 2003
Directed by: Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three epic fantasy adventure films... more
More The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
'Lord Of The Rings' Cast Interviews Funny Enough To Rule Them All#21 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies
3
73
38
The Hunger Games Franchise
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
Released: 2012 - 2015
Directed by: Gary Ross, Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games film series consists of four science fiction dystopian adventure films based... more
More
Fan Theories About 'The Hunger Games' That Prove It's Darker Than We RememberInteresting 'Hunger Games' Details To Look Out For On Your Next Rewatch
4
54
31
Jurassic Park Franchise
Richard Attenborough, Sam Neill
Released: 1993 - Present
Directed by: Steven Spielberg, Joe Johnston, Colin Trevorrow, J.A. Bayona
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science-fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg.... more
More Jurassic Park Franchise
Small Details From The 'Jurassic Park' Films That Fans Somehow Noticed19 Weird Jurassic Park Thoughts That Actually Make A Lot Of Sense
5
54
40
The Hobbit trilogy
Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace
Released: 2012
Directed by: Peter Jackson
The Hobbit is a film series consisting of three epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter... more
More The Hobbit trilogy
13 Unexpected Details In 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' That Are Worth Their Weight In Gold#172 of 557 The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
6
45
34
The Chronicles of Narnia Franchise
Will Poulter, Tilda Swinton
Released: 2005 - Present
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Michael Apted
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy films from Walden Media, based on The... more
More The Chronicles of Narnia Franchise
The Best Characters in the Chronicles of Narnia, Ranked#4 of 74 The Best Fantasy Worlds
7
37
30
Divergent Franchise
Shailene Woodley, Theo James
Released: 2014 - Present
Directed by: Neil Burger, Robert Schwentke
The Divergent Series is a feature film series based on the Divergent novels by the American... more
8
34
28
Maze Runner Franchise
Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario
Released: 2014 - 2018
Directed by: Wes Ball
The Maze Runner film series consists of science-fiction dystopian action adventure films based... more
More Maze Runner Franchise
The Best Movies In The 'Maze Runner' Franchise#419 of 524 The Best Fantasy Movies
9
38
37
Shrek Franchise
Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers
Released: 2001 - Present
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
The Shrek franchise from DreamWorks Animation, based on William Steig's picture book Shrek!,... more
More Shrek Franchise
30 'Shrek' Memes For Fans Who Love The Ogre Movies More Than Life#51 of 80 Animated Movies That Make You Cry The Most
10
31
30
The Godfather Saga
John Cazale, Al Pacino
Released: 1977
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
The Godfather Saga is a TV miniseries that combines The Godfather and The Godfather Part II... more
11
32
33
James Bond Franchise
Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan
Released: 1962 - Present
Directed by: Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Lewis Gilbert, Sam Mendes, Peter R. Hunt
The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character... more
More James Bond Franchise
#8 of 382 The Greatest Movie Themes#6 of 20 Movie Franchises You Need To Stop Watching
12
26
31
Die Hard Franchise
The Die Hard series is an American action film series that began in 1988 with Die Hard, based... more
More Die Hard Franchise
23 Small Details From The 'Die Hard' Movies That Made Us Say 'Yippie Ki Yay!'#144 of 246 The Best Rainy Day Movies
13
27
33
Bourne Franchise
Matt Damon, Brian Cox
Released: 2002 - Present
Directed by: Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass
The Bourne films are a series of action/thriller spy films based on the character Jason... more
More Bourne Franchise
The Best Movies And Series In The 'Bourne' Franchise#3 of 13 13 Great Movie Franchises That Should Have Ended Earlier

14
24
30
The Da Vinci Code
Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen
Released: 2006
Directed by: Ron Howard
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery-thriller film produced by John Calley and Brian... more
More The Da Vinci Code
The Real Inspiration For The Da Vinci Code Wasn't Jesus – It Was A Notorious Hoax From The 1950s#72 of 369 The Best Movies Based On Books
15
25
32
Hannibal Lecter Franchise
The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise that features the titular... more
16
34
47
Twilight Saga Franchise
The Twilight Saga is a series of five romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on... more
17
18
27
Blade Runner
Harrison Ford, Daryl Hannah
Released: 1982
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley... more
More Blade Runner
25 'Blade Runner' Fan Theories That'll Have You Dreaming Of Electric Sheep#60 of 230 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time
18
22
33
Planet of the Apes Franchise
Andy Serkis, James Franco
Released: 2001 - Present
Directed by: Rupert Wyatt, Matt Reeves, Tim Burton
Planet of the Apes is a 2001 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and starring... more
More Planet of the Apes Franchise
#95 of 625 The Greatest Action Movies Of All Time#25 of 102 The Highest Grossing Movie Franchises of All Time
19
19
31
Rambo Franchise
Rambo is a film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester... more
More Rambo Franchise
All 5 Rambo Movies, Ranked Best to Worst#17 of 45 The Greatest Action Film Franchises, Ranked
20
14
34
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Franchise
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of films based on the series of books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid,... more
21
8
28
Bridget Jones Franchise
Bridget Jones is a British-American romantic comedy film series based on Helen Fielding novels... more
22
9
42
Fifty Shades of Grey
Rita Ora, Dakota Johnson
Released: 2015
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Sam... more
More Fifty Shades of Grey
#595 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made#461 of 541 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies

The Hunger Games Franchise