Adaptation 101: How to Turn Any Book, Game, or True Story into a Great Screenplay.

Introduction to Screenplay Adaptation

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Have you ever seen a movie and thought, "The book was better"? Or maybe you've played a video game and shouted, "This could totally be a movie"? These moments encapsulate the magic and difficulty of adaptation. Converting existing material into a screenplay is more than just cutting and pasting words into Final Draft; it is an art form that requires respect, strategy, and powerful storytelling abilities.

Hollywood productions are thriving. With so many bestselling books, viral video games, and gripping true crime stories, producers look for material that is complete with a devoted fan base and cinema graphic value. Yet there's a significant catch—successfully adapting a story calls for transformation, not transcription. It involves giving life to a story that was not necessarily intended for the screen.

How do you take a favorite book, a thrilling true story, or a shocking game and turn it into a script that producers will pay dearly for? Let's get to business.

What Is an Adaptation in Screenwriting?

An adaptation is when the screenwriter is using what already exists—either that's a book, video game, podcast, article, or true-story and adapting that into a script. Sure, the source material gets you a head start, but the work in itself is interpretation. You're not just interpreting scenes, you're interpreting them into a different format with different rules.

The challenge? Movies are visual and temporal. It might take a book five pages to convey a feeling. A screenplay must do it in five seconds—three times that often, in fact, through action, behavior, or sub texted dialogue.

Why Adaptations Are in Demand

Let's be business for a moment: Hollywood loves adaptations because they come with built-in audiences. A bestseller novel, a trending game, or a news-making event is already pre-loaded with buzz. And in an age where attention is currency, that's a huge plus.

But it's not merely about cash. Great adaptations are familiar but new. Consider The Last of Us or Little Women (the Greta Gerwig version). They respected the original but introduced fresh perspectives, themes, or aesthetics that made longtime fans cry and newcomers get on board.

Selecting the Proper Source Material

Not all books are meant to be adapted. The goodness of a book doesn't guarantee the success of the film adaptation. The best material has some definite key qualities:

Books That Beg to Be Movies

High-stakes conflict

Strong character development

Visual moments or "cinematic moments"

Emotional struggles and inner conflict

Books like Gone Girl, The Martian, or Room all had these and made smooth transitions to screen.

Actual events that are cinematically compelling.

True crime, survival stories, political scandals—actual events can fascinate, but you must discover the thread of the story.

Ask yourself: Who is the main character? What does he/she desire? What's the conflict?

Take Erin Brockovich, Hidden Figures, or Spotlight. These were not just headlines; they were human tales.

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Adapting Games: A Rising Wave in Hollywood

Games have dedicated audiences, deep lore, and beautiful worlds to explore. But there's a catch: games engage you, while films provide a passive experience. You must find a narrative spine—a narrative arc that stands on its own even without a controller.

Notable examples include The Last of Us, Detective Pikachu, and Arcane (League of Legends).

Legalities First: Buying Adaptation Rights

Ensure you are permitted to before you go ahead and write.

What are Adaptation Rights?

Derivative work rights are rights reserved by the copyright owner to create a derivative work, i.e., your work. They are:

Novels

Short stories

Video games.

News stories

Biographies/autobiographies

How to Option a Book or Life Story

An option is a temporary agreement that gives you the sole option of creating a work for an interval, typically 12-18 months. You do not own the book—you only rent sole rights to create it.

Pro tip: Many authors, particularly indie ones, remain receptive to all kinds of possibilities. You don't always require Hollywood dollars to make a deal.

Game Licensing and Intellectual Property Management Video games tend to be owned by big companies (consider: Nintendo, Rockstar, Ubisoft). Big companies hold their IP close to their chest. Need to borrow a game? You'll need: An official proposal. An entertainment lawyer A decent pitch that shows respect for the game's lore

Cracking the Core: Finding the Heart of the Story

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You’ve got the rights, you’ve picked your source… now what? Time to find the soul of the story—the emotional thread that’ll make it cinematic. This is where most adaptations either soar or completely flop. You’re not retelling the plot; you’re discovering the heartbeat.

Identifying the Central Conflict

Ask yourself:

Who’s the protagonist?

What do they want?

What’s standing in their way?

This is your dramatic engine. For example, in The Queen’s Gambit, the conflict isn’t just winning chess tournaments—it’s about a young woman battling addiction, abandonment, and the suffocating pressure of genius. That’s what hooks viewers.

Your job is to excavate that emotional core from the source and bring it forward on screen.

What to Keep, Cut, or Change from the Original

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Not every subplot or character deserves screen time. You have roughly 90–120 minutes to work with. Here’s what to do:

Keep what moves the plot and develops the lead.

Cut what drags or complicates the arc unnecessarily.

Change only when necessary to streamline or enhance the narrative.

And don’t be afraid to reframe scenes. A first-person memory in a novel might become a flashback in your script—or a look exchanged across a crowded room.

Translating Nonlinear Narratives into Screenplay Form

Books can jump through time and POVs. Films can too, but you need to make it clear and visual.

Use title cards (e.g., "3 Years Earlier").

Anchor flashbacks in an object, sound, or visual motif.

Maintain emotional continuity between jumps.

Think of Slumdog Millionaire—it’s wildly nonlinear, yet emotionally linear. Each flashback connects directly to the protagonist’s current state.

Structure and Style for Adaptations

Now that you’ve mapped out the essence of your story, let’s talk about putting it on the screen the right way.

Applying the 3-Act Structure to Adaptations

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Whether it’s Save the Cat, Hero’s Journey, or Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, structure is non-negotiable in film. Your adaptation should:

Set up the world and stakes (Act I)

Introduce the major turning point (Act IIa)

Create conflict, failure, and dark night of the soul (Act IIb)

Resolve in a satisfying (or subversive) conclusion (Act III)

Adaptations often live or die on structure. You’re distilling hundreds of pages or hours of gameplay into an arc that must make sense in under two hours.

Scenes vs Chapters: Building Cinematic Moments

Chapters don’t always translate to scenes. Sometimes one chapter becomes a quick cutaway. Other times, a single line in a book could inspire an entire sequence.

Ask yourself:

Is this visual?

Does it advance the plot or reveal character?

Will this feel cinematic?

A great example? In The Hunger Games, Katniss’s internal monologue about rebellion is shown through powerful, wordless moments—her defiance during ceremonies, the silent salute, her facial expressions. Show, don’t tell.

Dialogue Adaptation—From Page to Screen

Book dialogue can be verbose and poetic. Movie dialogue? Needs to be sharp, clean, and subtext-heavy.

Tips:

Keep it real and relevant—don’t info-dump.

Use silence or action when possible.

Let characters talk like themselves, not like the author.

Watch Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) or Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) for masterclasses in adapting natural yet stylized dialogue.

Adapting Real-Life Events with Integrity

Writing a screenplay based on real people or events? You’ve got extra homework—and extra responsibility.

Balancing Fact and Creative License

Your task is to respect the integrity of the story while interpreting it cinematically. That could involve cutting down timelines, merging characters, or fabricating composite events. 

What matters is that you do not contort the facts so that you harm or mislead—particularly when dealing with sensitive topics.

Sensitivity Around Real People and Trauma

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If your story involves:

Survivors of abuse

Marginalized communities

Public tragedies

You owe it to those involved to write with empathy, not exploitation. Do your research. Talk to real people. Hire sensitivity readers or consultants.

Think of Spotlight—it portrayed victims of abuse with respect and dignity, while still driving a narrative.

Legal Risks and Ethical Storytelling

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Even if someone is a public figure, that doesn’t mean you can portray them however you like. You might need:

Life rights

Legal clearances

Name changes and disclaimers ("Based on true events")

Also: avoid defamation traps. Don’t assume “changing the name” is enough if the person is clearly identifiable.

Game to Screen: Crafting Playable Worlds into Plots

Adapting a game is like adapting a lifestyle. You’re turning interactivity into narrative—a totally different beast.

Turning Gameplay into a Narrative Arc

Games don’t always follow traditional structure. Your job is to extract:

Key events or quests

The character’s internal journey

Emotional consequences of player actions

Your script should answer: What was the player feeling—and why? Then build your plot from that emotion.

Character-Driven vs World-Driven Adaptations

Some games have deep plots (The Last of Us), others are sandbox-style (Minecraft). Choose your focus:

Character-driven: Tell a deeply personal story in a familiar world.

World-driven: Build an original story using the game’s lore, setting, and style.

Think: Arcane for League of Legends fans. It built a rich, character-focused saga within an established fantasy universe.

Successful Case Studies

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The Last of Us – Emotional core and faithfulness to source.

Detective Pikachu – Built a buddy-cop plot using nostalgic visuals.

Tomb Raider (2018) – Balanced action with a personal revenge arc.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Adapting a story isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about what you don’t. Many adaptations tank because they cling too tightly to the source or miss what made it magical in the first place.

Being Too Loyal to the Source

Loyalty is noble… until it becomes a creative trap. You might love every subplot, monologue, and line—but audiences won’t. Films are lean storytelling machines. If your adaptation reads like a book in disguise, it’ll feel sluggish.

Takeaway: Be willing to kill your darlings. If it doesn’t work on screen, it doesn’t belong in your script.

Losing the Audience in Fan Service

This one’s for the game and fantasy fans: adding Easter eggs and references is fun, but too much of it alienates new viewers.

Your adaptation needs to work on its own. Think of it this way: would someone with zero knowledge of the original enjoy your film?

Balance is key. Give nods to superfans, but make sure the core story stands strong without them.

Rushed or Bloated Adaptations

Trying to cram too much into 120 minutes? That’s the fast track to chaos.

If the source material is too dense:

Consider turning it into a limited series instead of a film.

Focus on one arc or time period, rather than the whole universe.

Ask: What’s the ONE story here that must be told?

Remember: depth beats breadth every time.

Polishing Your Adapted Screenplay

Once the first draft is down, your real work begins. This is where you move from a decent draft to a dazzling, market-ready script.

Rewrites, Table Reads, and Feedback Loops

Never submit a first draft—ever. Here’s a pro-level polishing workflow:

Do a self-rewrite after 1-2 weeks away from the script.

Host a table read with actors or screenwriters.

Collect notes and spot dialogue that drags or scenes that confuse.

Revise again with fresh clarity.

Also: use screenplay coverage services or workshop groups. Outside perspective is pure gold.

Getting Input from Original Creators (If Possible)

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If you’re adapting a book or collaborating with a real-life figure:

Invite their feedback (within limits).

Show them respect but don’t be afraid to make screen-centric decisions.

If they trust you with their story, honor it—while still steering it into cinematic form.

Formatting and Submission Tips

Use industry-standard software (Final Draft, Celtx, WriterDuet).

Keep your script under 120 pages.

Follow correct formatting for slug lines, dialogue, and transitions.

Include a title page with “based on” credits (e.g., “Based on the novel by…”).

Want to impress producers? Make it look like it’s ready to shoot.

Marketing Your Adapted Screenplay

Even a perfect adaptation needs to find its home. And the key to that? A killer pitch and some smart strategy.

How to Pitch an Adaptation Effectively

Highlight three things:

The source material’s fanbase or media footprint.

What makes your adaptation unique.

Why it works now (timeliness, themes, audience).

Craft an elevator pitch that shows passion, confidence, and market awareness.

Creating a Killer Logline for an Existing Story

This is trickier than it sounds. You need to distill someone else’s complex world into one sentence—while showing your own voice.

Formula: “When [protagonist] must [central action], they face [obstacle], risking [stakes].”

Example:

“When a brilliant teen orphan becomes a chess prodigy, she must battle addiction, loneliness, and global competitors to prove a woman’s mind can rule a man’s game.”

—That’s The Queen’s Gambit.

Which Producers Love Adaptations?

Look for:

Studios that option IP regularly (e.g., Netflix, Amazon, A24, HBO).

Producers with a track record of working on adapted material.

Literary agents and managers who specialize in IP packaging.

Platforms like Coverfly, Stage 32, and InkTip often have open calls specifically for adaptation-based screenplays.

Conclusion: Adapt With Passion and Precision

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Adapting a story—whether it’s a dusty novel, a viral game, or someone’s real-life journey—is like remixing a classic song. You honor the original melody… but you bring your own beat. The best adaptations capture the soul of the source while shaping it into something brand new, something unmistakably cinematic.

So be bold. Be brave. Be respectful. And write your adaptation like it’s the version the world has been waiting for.

FAQs

1. Can I adapt a public domain book without permission?

Yes! Works in the public domain (like Shakespeare or Jane Austen) are free to use. Just double-check that the version you’re using isn’t copyrighted.

2. What are the best books to be adapted into screenplays?

Strong plot conflicts, rich character trajectories, and visual storytelling opportunities are what books can handle best—consider Where the Crawdads Sing or The Night Circus.

3. How do I pitch a game adaptation to studios?

You’ll need a strong concept, visual references, and ideally a rights agreement or collaboration with the game’s creators. Also, focus on narrative—not just visuals.

4. How much can I change in a real-life adaptation?

You can change timelines or merge characters for clarity, but always be respectful of real people’s experiences and legal rights.

5. Is adapting a book easier than writing an original script?

Not necessarily. Adaptations give you material to work with, but they also come with legal, creative, and structural challenges. Both require serious storytelling skill.