Adapting Screenplays from Books...Pros and Cons

I adapted Jack London's book, Martin Eden for a few reasons, with the foremost reason being that I believe this to be a great story and that a faithful film version needs to be produced to do it justice. There was a film version produced in 1942 starring Glenn Ford. The film was poorly done and bore little resemblance to London's 1909 novel. 

Another reason that I chose this book is the fact that it is now in the public domain. As of January 2012, any copyright material published before 1923 is considered public domain, unless the copyright is renewed. This means that the rights to borrow from that material are fair game and you do not need to purchase said rights. Once I discovered that I could use Martin Eden without having o purchase the rights, I Googled to see if there were any screenplay versions currently existing of this novel or plans already in the works for production.


I could find no plans for any future productions and I could find only one screenplay in existence by Hollywood writer, David Michael O'Neill and partner with Carolina Films. I actually contacted Mr. O'Neill regarding his script. It seems he too had made a great effort some years ago to shop his screenplay around. He did get as far as getting an option and as I understand it, there were even some actors in place. Charlie Sheen in the title role? It's a little hard to imagine now.

There are some benefits to adapting an already existing book. The crux of your story is already in place, it is then a matter of finding creative ways to transfer it to a visual medium. This is not as easy at it sounds. With Martin Eden, I read through the book several times. The first time, I read simply for enjoyment, though I had read the book some years earlier and a big fan of London. I then purchased an old copy that I could mark up and make notes. All-in-all I probably read through the book a half dozen times or more. The big problem that I struggled with was that much of what Martin Eden experiences is processed in his own mind. And being that the novel is also a semi-autobiographical account of Jack London's own life and times, it is written with an introspective viewpoint.  I think that I handled these challenges very well. I am very pleased with the outcome of the script, as apparently are some of the contest judges that awarded me various placement in their contests.

This brings me to some of the cons of adapting. Many of the competitions that I looked to enter have rules that preclude any screenplay submissions that are not original works, that is to say that they will not accept any screenplays based on another author's material. This was a little disappointing as some of the highest profile competitions, such as the Nicholl Fellowship, a very prestigious flagship in the contest realm, will never get this script. A placement in Nicholl is a huge deal and garners much attention from film industry giants.

Of course, there are many competitions that do accept adapted works (see previous blogpost), so be sure to read the contest rules of any competition that you are considering. I like the idea of adapting and I'm considering a another project for the new year. I think it's always a good idea to have more than one iron in the fire.