12 Oscars Hopefuls That Began Life as Literature or Journalism

Some great films have come from original screenplays, but this year, the bulk of Best Picture nominees began life as books (or a book that also became a musical, in the case of Wicked), and films in other categories also started as a work of literature or journalism.

A Complete Unknown

Based on the book, Dylan Goes Electric! By Elijah Wald. The book leaned heavily upon music theory and serves as a must read for classically trained musicians. Watching the film, I couldn’t help but think of St. Paul: his evangelizing of Gentiles assured the Christian faith would grow from a few close Jewish followers into a truly global faith.

Dylan came out of the folk genre, when he started out as a musician. His decision to use electric guitars in a musical form usually ensconced in acoustics risked “heresy” at the time, yet brought folk music to a mainstream audience. Dylan is now known as one of the greatest poets and scripturally themed lyricists of our time.

Nominations include: Best Picture, Directing (James Mangold); Lead Actor (Timothée Chalamet); Supporting Actor (Edward Norton); Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro); Writing, Adapted Screenplay (James Mangold and Jay Cocks).

Conclave

Based on Robert Harris’ novel. I admit this papal election thriller novel was a page-turner. The film replicated the plot to a T, so nothing came as a surprise when I saw the movie (including its unfortunate twist ending).

Like the 1990s film The DaVinci Code, based on Dan Brown's pulp thriller, take the story as originally intended … mere escapist fiction and not representative of reality.

Nominations include: Best Picture; Lead Actor (Ralph Fiennes); Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini); Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Peter Straughan).

Dune: Part Two

Based on the Frank Herbert novel, first in a series of six. Quite simply, the Dune sequel was my favorite movie of 2024.

The original book was supremely religiously themed and the director, Denis Villeneuve delivers the sacramental goods, so to speak. Messianic overtones, “sister” orders, prophecy and crusades abound throughout the story.

Refer to my previous blog for deeper analysis.

Nominations include: Best Picture, Cinematography (Greig Fraser).

I’m Still Here

Based on the Brazilian Portuguese memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. I don’t understand Portuguese, so I haven’t read the book. The movie, however, falls most squarely in Family Theater Productions’ wheelhouse of uplifting stories, especially about families.

Despite living through a brutal military junta, the Catholic family members at the center of the story never loses their internal joy or their love for one another. over this decades-spanning family saga.

Nominations include: Best Picture; International Feature Film.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Based on the Planet of the Apes novels by Pierre Boulle. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I would look forward to Planet of the Apes week on WGN, where the original 1960s and early 1970s films would air, one per weekday.

I’ve watched all the reboots, but the plots seem to blur together at this point. Going back to the original novel reminded me how well thought out the “science” of the sci-fi was.

Nomination: Visual Effects (Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke).

Magic Candies

Based on the children’s book by Heena Baek. Japan made a short animated film based on the Korean children’s book. A shy boy who plays marbles by himself eats a piece of candy and later gains confidence to make friends at his school.

Nomination: Animated Short Film

Nickel Boys

Based on the Colson Whitehead historical fiction book. He's perhaps of the best novelists currently writing, and parishioners of mine remarked on the surrealistic feel of his stories.

Director RaMell Ross shoots nearly every shot from the point of view of the two protagonists, black teens relegated to an abusive reform school in Florida.

The viewer develops an empathy of what it feels like to walk in another person’s shoes: filled with awe as a young child, beaten down in a racist society as a teen and recovering hope as an adult.

Nominations include: Best Picture; Writing, Adapted Screenplay (RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes).

Nosferatu

Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. For a classic in the horror genre, I found less is better than more. The best part of the book is a brief interlude to an abandoned vessel, the Demeter (also the basis of a recent film). A tragic loss at sea case or something vampiric?

Mystery tends to stay with you more than the gore detailed in the rest of the book. Usually prone to bleak resolutions, director Robert Eggers’ film depicts good defeating evil, with a little bit of hope to boot.

Nominations include: Costume Design (Linda Muir); Production Design (Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová).

Sing Sing

Based on the “Sing Sing Follies” short story by John H. Richardson. The film fleshes out the short story, so the characters stay with you longer.

Only three actors were trained professionally, those playing two inmates (played by Colman Domingo and Sean San Jose), and their drama teacher (Paul Raci). The rest of the cast were once incarcerated and graduated from the New York State maximum-security prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program.

Domingo turns in a heart-wrenching performance for the ages.

Nominations include: Lead Actor (Colman Domingo); Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield).

The Six Triple Eight

Based on the article “Fighting a Two-Front War” by Kevin M. Hymel. The 6888^th Battalion consisted the only all-black, all-female unit in World War II.

Their task was to process two years’ worth of back-logged mail while stationed in England. Their assignment was more perilous than it sounds as many days they were attacked by German V-2 rockets.

Amidst the carnage of the Second World War, I appreciated this overlooked tale that helped boost the morale of our troops.

Nomination: Music, Original Song ("The Journey," Music and Lyric by Diane Warren).

Wicked

Based on Gregory Maguire's novel, inspired by characters from the Frank Baum The Wizard of Oz series of books. In the preface to his first novel, Baum lambasts the moralizing of Grimm’s fairy tales, opting for the relativistic escapism (literally) that eventually became the cherished 1939 film.

The film reimagines morality more objectively, asking a question at the top of the story, “Are we wicked because we’re born that way or society makes us so?” This first part of the story suggests wickedness arises out of a bit of both.

Editor's note: Maguire's novel is far darker and much more explicit than either the musical it inspired or the film. While the film is generally family-friendly (maybe except for those flying primates), the book is absolutely not (as we noted in our blog).

Nominations include: Best Picture; Lead Actress (Cynthia Erivo); Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande); Music, Original Score (John Powell and Stephen Schwartz).

The Wild Robot

Based on the Peter Brown novel. The book told the adventure and survival tale of a robot lost in the wilderness. I, like my editor note in her own blog, felt the animated film lacked a bit of the realism that was more expertly considered in the book.

But, overall, taken in the context of a fantasy film, this is a charming and uplifting effort.

Nominations include: Animated Feature Film; Music, Original Score (Kris Bowers).

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, with host Conan O'Brien, takes place on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET, and will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu (more info here).

Image: Adobe Stock

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