These six authors all hated adaptations of their works (Image: Getty)
While many writers dream of their works being adapted for film and TV, there have been some who have left rather disappointed with the result. From TV shows making dramatic changes to rather bizarre casting decisions, there are plenty of issues authors have had when their books have been adapted.
Stephen King has been particularly vocal about his dislike of The Shining and Graveyard Shift, both adaptations of stories he wrote. And just a few months ago, George R.R. Martin wrote a blog post complaining about changes made to the plot in House of the Dragon. But these aren’t the only authors who have been left disappointed after the works were adapted for TV or film.
READ MORE: Stephen King’s top 10 books – and you’re going to want to read them all
Rick Riordan says his life’s work was put through a “meat grinder” (Image: Getty)
Authors who hated adaptations of their works
Rick Riordan
When Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief hit cinema screens back in 2010, among the critics was the author of the book series, Rick Riordan. Although he never watched the film, he did read the script, which he says was like watching his life’s work “going through a meat grinder.”
Taking to Twitter, now X, a couple of years ago, he wrote: “I still have not seen the movies, and don’t plan on ever doing so. I judge them from having read the scripts because I care most about the story. I certainly have nothing against the very talented actors. Not their fault. I’m just sorry they got dragged into that mess.”
Luckily for Rick, however, he’s been much happier with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show that dropped on Disney+ back in 2023.
George R.R. Martin
While George R.R. Martin has remained relatively quiet about the controversial ending of Game of Thrones, only saying that it’s not necessarily the exact ending he has in mind for the books, he has spoken out about the prequel House of the Dragon. Based on Fire and Blood, the House of the Dragon tells of a rather dramatic period in the history of the Targaryen dynasty.
George R.R. Martin has complained about changes made in the House of the Dragon TV show (Image: Getty)
In a now-deleted blog post, George complained of the removal of the character of Maelor from the story, and the butterfly effect this will create going forward.
He also hinted and other changes that could come in future seasons of the show, ending his post with: “And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4….”
Stephen King
Having published over 50 books, with many of these being adapted for big screen, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Stephen King would be unhappy with at least some of these – and there are three he’s vocally shared his dislike of.
The first of which, The Shining, may surprise horror fans with this widely being considered one of the best horror films of all time, however, Stephen felt it was “maddening, perverse, and disappointing.”
Anne Rice told fans to “simply forget” the Queen of the Damned film (Image: Getty)
Stephen later explained: “I think The Shining is a beautiful film and it looks terrific and, as I’ve said before, it’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it.” He even created his own version of The Shining to address the problems he found in the film – although it was not as well received by viewers.
He also disliked the 1990 adaptation of Graveyard Shift, based on one of his short stories, which he described as a “quick exploitation picture.” And while he has praised the Children of the Corn movie, Stephen has admitted that he “could do without” the sequels.
Anne Rice
Following the success of the 1994 Interview with the Vampire, which The Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice had originally been sceptical of, the third novel of the series was adapted in 2002. Queen of the Damned, title of both the book and movie proved controversial from the get-go.
Anne first complained that the film studio had opted against adapting the second of the series, The Vampire Lestat, instead going straight to the third. Ahead of the film’s release, she had referred to this as a “doomed project.”
While she mellowed this stance ahead of the film’s release, saying she couldn’t wait to see it, her doubts appeared to be proved correct and she later told fans to “simply forget” about the movie, adding that it hurt to see her work “mutilated”.
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P.L. Travers is said to have wept through the premiere of Mary Poppins (Image: Getty)
P.L. Travers
While Mary Poppins is certainly a cherished childhood film for many of us, it wasn’t quite so well received by the author of the book, P.L. Travers. Travers and Walt Disney had rather differing ideas for the film, with the writer objecting to the decision to make the movie a musical.
She is said to have hated the film so much that she wept through its premiere. The difficult working relationship between Travers and Disney was turned into its own film with 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks. However, fans of Travers have also criticised this flick, saying that it was rather biased towards Disney.
Lois Duncan
Fans of the teen slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer, may be disappointed to find that Lois Duncan, who wrote the book on which the movie is based, hated the popular film. After reading the script, Lois declined to visit the set, or attend the film premiere.
At the time of the film’s release in 1997, she told the press: “They optioned my story, not my soul. There is no way I want to be part of desensitizing kids to violence and turning murder into a game to see who can scream the loudest.”
Referencing the murder of her daughter, which wasn’t solved until 2022, six years after Lois’s death, she added: “As the mother of a murdered child, I don’t find violent death something to squeal and giggle about.”