inspired by

by kellie abrahamson
Before you settle down to check out these films and television shows, check out the books that inspired them.

big screen

cloudy with a chance of meatballs
(released September 18) Inspired by: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Barrett’s food fantasy has been a bedtime story staple since it was first published in 1982. In it, a doting grandfather tells his grandsons about the town of Chewandswallow, a community where food rains down from the sky just in time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At first, its citizens are thrilled with having an endless supply of food, but when the weather gets worse, resulting in school-engulfing pancakes and persistent fogs of pea soup, Chewandswallow becomes a dangerous place to live.
The movie version of this kid’s classic takes a look at how the town’s strange weather came to be. The flick has new characters, including a young inventor whose creations often turn out to be disappointments. When he decides to solve world hunger and his gadget turns out to be a success, the town is affected in ways no one can imagine.

the informant!
(released September 18) Inspired by: The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald
A non-fiction thriller, The Informant gives readers an inside look at the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid-90s, specifically whistleblower Mark Whitacre’s involvement.
Whitacre was a high ranking executive at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) who confessed that he and other execs met with competitors to fix the price of the food additive lysine. After years of working undercover for the FBI, Whitacre had a meltdown due to bipolar disorder. The book details Whitacre’s bizarre behavior and how the pressure of wearing a wire for three years resulted in his breakdown.
Steven Soderbergh is directing the film adaptation of Eichenwald’s story, with Matt Damon taking the lead role.

surrogates
(released September 25) Inspired by: The Surrogates five-part comic series by Robert Venditti
Venditti takes readers into a not-so-distant future that has people utilizing a new technology that allows them to experience the world without ever leaving their homes. Through a combination of virtual reality and cybernetics, machines called Surrogates live a human’s life for them, allowing people to be strong, attractive, ageless and resilient without ever needing to work for it. But when Surrogates around the city wind up “dead,” the police are called in to investigate the strange killings.
This intriguing premise has been turned into a feature film with Bruce Willis as an FBI agent in charge of tracking down the murderer. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines director Jonathan Mostow also helmed this potentially epic sci-fi tale.

whiteout
(released September 25) Inspired by: Whiteout comic series by Greg Rucka
In this award-winning series US Marshal Carrie Stetko is sent to Antarctica station to investigate a murder. As she goes from one station to another she discovers even more murders and a number of suspects. Thus far, the Whiteout series consists of two volumes, both of which are available in paperback form. A third installment is scheduled for release in the fall.
Rights to the story were acquired in 1999, but they changed hands three times before it finally ended up at Dark Castle Media, where Whiteout fanboy Dominic Sena was tapped to direct. The resulting flick earned a stamp of approval by Rucka, who applauded the film at Comic-Con in 2007.

small screen

accidentally on purpose
(CBS- September 21) Inspired by: Accidentally on Purpose by Mary F. Pols
Movie critic Mary Pols opens up about single-motherhood in this memoire, which chronicles her one night stand with a man ten years her junior, the subsequent pregnancy and how the two go about handling their Odd Couple-esque parenting situation.
CBS picked up the rights to Pols’ story with Jenna Elfman taking the lead. The show also stars Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, Nicholas Wright and Grant Show.

eastwick
(ABC- September 23) Inspired by: The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
Updike’s famed 1984 novel centers on three witches who are seduced by a mysterious stranger to stir up trouble in their small New England town by way of their magical powers. The story was adapted into a stage musical and, most famously, a film starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer. In addition, two television pilots have been created over the years but neither of which were picked up.
It seems the third time really is the charm for this tale. ABC has made room in its Wednesday night schedule for Eastwick, a drama based on Updike’s book. The show will star Lindsay Price, Jaime Ray Newman and Rebecca Romijn.

flashforward
(ABC- September 24) Inspired by: Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
First published in 1999, Sawyer’s sci-fi drama takes place in a futuristic 2009 (the near future at print time) where an experiment involving a particle accelerator causes the entire world to lose consciousness for two minutes. During the blackout each individual gets a glimpse of their life 21 years in the future. The novel follows the aftermath of the phenomenon, which resulted in numerous deaths due to humanity being asleep at the proverbial and literal wheel for two minutes. Much of the drama centers on Theo Procopides, a man who attempts to prevent his own death, foretold by the “flash forward.”
ABC’s version has different characters and centers on an FBI agent who is desperate to find out what caused the blackout and why. In addition, humanity sees visions 6 months in the future instead of the novel’s 21 years. Sawyer himself has apparently approved the direction of the series and will be writing one episode in FlashForward’s first season.

the vampire diaries
(CW- September 10) Inspired by: The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
This teen vampire series is about a girl who meets and falls for a vampire. But things get complicated when the vampire’s brother, also of the bloodsucking persuasion, comes to town and wants to claim the girl for himself. Originally intended as a trilogy, Smith’s series was so popular when it was released in 1991 that fan pressure forced her to write a fourth book. In February another Vampire Diaries book hit selves with two more scheduled for release next year.
The CW took a cue from the successes of other vampire books turned multi-million dollar film and TV franchises (Twilight and True Blood, anyone?) and picked up Smith’s series for the small screen treatment. The show stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder as the heroine and the fanged brothers respectively.