The Fault In Our Stars
Young adult fiction adaptations have really been all the rage in the last few years, with some enjoying huge success, and others struggling at the box office.
The Fault In Our Stars is the latest YA book to get the silver screen treatment, and is one of many that we will be seeing over the course of this year.
We take a look at some of the YA adaptations that are on the horizon and not to miss.
- The Fault In Our Stars - out now
The Fault In Our Stars has hit the big screen this week, and is an adaptation of the much-loved John Green novel.
The movie follows Hazel & Gus, two teenagers who meet at a cancer support group. Their disdain for the conventional pulls them together, as this young love and friendship flourishes.
Shailene Woodley & Ansel Elgort reunite as Hazel & Gus, while Josh Boone returns to the director's chair for the film.
Boone has brought together a cast that is a mix of up and coming stars as well as established talent, as Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, and Willem Dafoe are also on board.
The Fault In Our Stars is a funny and uplifting novel and it not all about the doom and gloom of cancer.
It is about seizing the moment and living life to the full. You really should check the novel out as well as the movie.
- If I Stay - released 29th August
Chloe Grace Moretz is set to return to the big screen later this summer as she takes on the central role in If I Stay.
If I Stay is a big screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman, and sees R.J. Cutler in the director's chair.
Cutler is best known for his work in television and documentaries, but this will be his live action feature debut.
Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma.
During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined. What will she choose?
Moretz is one of the most exciting young actresses of her generation, and this is a young adult role that she can really get her teeth into.
She is joined on the cast list by Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley, Stacey Keach, and Liana Liberato.
The novel was met well when it was released; a follow-up Where She Went was released in 2011.
- The Giver
The Giver is one of the films that I am super excited about, as Lois Lowry's novel is brought to the big screen.
2014 has already been a good year for science fiction, and The Giver is going to be another standout film in this genre.
The movie marks the return of Phillip Noyce to the director's chair, in what is his first film project since the success of Salt back in 2010.
Brenton Thwaites is an actor to watch out for this year, and The Giver is set to be one of his big roles: he will play Jonas. He is joined by Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, & Alexander Skarsgård.
The Giver centres on Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colourless, world of conformity and contentment.
Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.
There are a whole host of sci-fi films on the horizon in 2014, but The Giver promises to be one of the most compelling.
- The Maze Runner - released 10th October
The Maze Runner is another film that I am looking forward to, as I can't wait to see how James Dashner's literary creation translates onto the big screen.
The Maze Runner marks the feature film directorial debut for Wes Ball, while Noah Oppenheim has penned the screenplay.
The Maze Runner follows Thomas, who finds himself in a community of boys after his memory has been erased.
He soon discovers that they are trapped in a maze and realises he will have to join forces with his fellow 'runners' if he is going to escape.
The movie sees Dylan O'Thomas take on the role of Thomas, while Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario, and Patricia Clarkson are also on board.
Dashner has also written two sequels: The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. 2012 saw him pen the prequel The Kill Order.
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - released 21st November
However, there is only one film in this genre that everyone is talking about, and that is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.
We may have to wait until November to see the next instalment of this fab film franchise, but the excitement around this film is already building.
Mockingjay is the most action packed and complex novel, and I am glad to see that it has been split into two films.
There is so much character story & development to get it, that it would be a major shame to see the book squeezed into a two-hour movie.
The movie picks up from the end of Catching Fire, as Katniss discovers that life will never be the same. She becomes a reluctant symbol of the rebellion, as the people of Panem rise up against the Capitol.
Julianne Moore and Natalie Dormer are two of the new faces to watch out for, as they take on the roles of President Alma Coin and Cressida.
Mockingjay - Part 1 looks set to not only be the most successful instalment of the franchise to date, but also one of the biggest films of the year.
Heading into 2015 and there are more YA adaptations on the horizon, including Seventh Son, Fallen, and Goosebumps.
The Fault In Our Stars is out now.