As one of the youngest art forms, cinema is also the most collaborative, uniting elements of photography, painting, music, theater, and literature. It comes as no surprise then that films often take inspiration from varied sources. A film adaptation is defined as the conversion of a story from books, plays, or even video games into a motion picture. The paying public has spoken: the people are ready and hungry for storytelling that goes beyond the page.

So what makes a book film-worthy? It starts with compelling, multi-dimensional characters that the audience can relate to or root for. Then, the story must contain easily identifiable plot points. If everything is happening as internal monologue in the protagonist’s head, it may be difficult to portray any action onscreen. Another important consideration is the possibility to expand the universe of the book. Books that possess these qualities usually transition well onscreen.

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Historically, genre-based books have always had the highest crossover potential. Bestsellers like the young adult dystopian trilogy The Hunger Games and fantasy epics like The Lord of the Rings are also box-office blockbusters. Besides these film adaptation examples, the culture of borrowing and reworking has extended to television, too. New media giants like Netflix and Hulu produce series like A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Handmaid’s Tale adapted from the written works of Lemony Snicket and Margaret Atwood.

Show business isn’t just ruled by creative decisions, though. Producers and studios are always looking to develop the next big goldmine franchise. For the sake of marketability, the source material is often modernized. While faithful adaptations exist, fresh takes on beloved classics have become the norm, enticing fans old and new. There’s an entire sub-category of book-based Hollywood movies that reimagine literary classics in high school settings, such as Clueless, from Jane Austen’s Emma, She’s The Man from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and so on.

Purists may insist that the original will always be superior. Still, what these book-based movies do is introduce the younger generation to timeless stories, encouraging them to seek what came first. In the end, it isn’t about which version is the best. The film adaptation celebrates one masterpiece and creates a new one out of it.