The best movie adaptations of books are never afraid to make some major changes to the source material. While some changes are often met with some frustration from fans, others result in vast improvements in the adaptation. If a film adaptation is too afraid to tweak anything from the original book, then there is not much of a point in telling the same story once again.
However, sometimes, fantastic characters from a book end up being mischaracterized or underrepresented as a result of these changes. Occasionally, a major character from the book might only be a minor character from the movie. Some characters also find themselves a little less morally sound for a big-screen adaptation, as they take unexpected heel turns. These ten fantastic book characters ended up with their reputations somewhat ruined in their movie adaptations.
The Princess Bride
One of the most entertaining characters from the novel The Princess Bride by William Goldman is… William Goldman himself. The book is presented as Goldman recounting a story that his father told him, only to discover that his father had been shortening the story from the (fictitious) original text, The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. Throughout the novel, Goldman alludes to several overly boring elements from Morgenstern’s work that he won’t subject his readers to, making for hilarious and clever interludes between plot points.
Book/Movie
The Princess Bride
Character
S. Morgenstern
Portrayed by
N/A
Book Written by
William Goldman
Movie Directed by
Rob Reiner
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This concept would have been nearly impossible to adapt to the big screen, so for the 1987 Princess Bride movie, Goldman and Morgenstern were replaced by the now-iconic grandfather and grandson duo, played by Peter Falk and Fred Savage, respectively. For the film, a sick little boy constantly interrupts his grandfather’s story, creating a framing device that relies less on the original novel’s format. Still, it’s a bit of a shame that the words “S. Morgenstern” are only spoken once, very quickly, in the film adaptation of “his” most notable work.
9
Boggis and Bunce Aren’t as Formidable Foes as Bean
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Image via 20th Century Fox
Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox follows the titular animal as he steals from three farmers, Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce, and Franklin Bean, in order to feed his family. Mr. Fox is portrayed as somewhat of a criminal mastermind, making the farmers come across as bumbling dolts next to him. The book ends with Boggis, Bunce, and Bean waiting outside a hole, waiting for Mr. Fox to emerge, and implies that they are still waiting to this day.
Book/Movie
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Characters
Farmer Boggis and Farmer Bunce
Portrayed by
Robin Hurlstone (Boggis), Hugo Guinness (Bunce)
Book Written by
Roald Dahl
Movie Directed by
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson amps up the threat of the farmers in his 2009 animated film adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox by turning one farmer, Bean, into a genuinely competent villain. As such, Boggis and Bunce seem even more pathetic by comparison when compared to Bean, and ultimately take a backseat to the cider farmer. While the book portrays all three farmers as equally incompetent threats, the film’s extra focus on Bean makes Boggis and Bunce seem like little more than afterthoughts.
8
Alia Atreides Isn’t Even Born Yet
Dune Franchise
Image via Warner Brothers
In Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel, Lady Jessica Atreides becomes a Reverend Mother by partaking in a special ritual which involves drinking the poisonous Water of Life. This causes her then-unborn daughter, Alia, to develop the same powers as Jessica once she is born. After a time-jump, the two-year-old Alia comes across as hyper-competent and intelligent, and even earns the honor of killing Baron Harkonnen herself.
Book/Movie
Dune/Dune: Part Two
Character
Alia Atreides
Portrayed by
Anya Taylor-Joy
Book Written by
Frank Herbert
Movie Directed by
Denis Villeneuve
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However, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films omit the two-year time-jump, meaning that by the end of Dune: Part Two, Alia hasn’t even been born yet. Instead, Jessica communicates with Alia from within the womb, and Paul has a brief vision of his sister as an adult, in which she is played by actress Anya Taylor-Joy. Despite these brief appearances, for the most part, the films transfer Alia’s role to other characters. While the (genuinely fantastic) Dune films do dirty by a handful of iconic book characters, including Thufir, who disappears in between installments, Alia takes the cake by not even being born yet at this point on screen. Though Alia may appear in Villeneuve’s forthcoming Dune: Part Three, set to adapt Herbert’s novel Dune Messiah, she has already lost out on the opportunity to kill Baron Harkonnen, the main antagonist of the first Dune novel and the first two installments of Villeneuve’s trilogy.
- Release Date
-
February 27, 2024
- Runtime
-
167 minutes
- Director
-
Denis Villeneuve
-
Timothée Chalamet
Paul Atreides
-
7
Kitty Pryde Fades Into the Background in Her Own Story
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Image via Disney
The list of iconic characters done dirty by the Fox X-Men films is arguably longer than the scripts for the Fox X-Men films. Beloved mutants such as Cyclops, Storm, Banshee, Colossus, Darwin, and more all feel pushed aside, mischaracterized, or otherwise butchered for the big screen. However, it’s Kitty Pryde who earns a spot on this list, especially after her treatment in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Book/Movie
X-Men Comics/X-Men: Days of Future Past
Character
Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
Portrayed by
Elliot Page
Book Written by
Chris Claremont and John Byrne (creators)
Movie Directed by
Brian Singer
After slipping in and out of the background throughout the first few X-Men films, Kitty finally plays a full role in X-Men: The Last Stand, where she is portrayed by actor Elliot Page. Page reprises his role in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, an adaptation of one of the most iconic storylines in the X-Men’s history. However, while Kitty serves as the lead in the original Days of Future Past comics, she takes a backseat to Wolverine, the movies’ favorite character by a mile, for the film adaptation. Instead of traveling back in time herself, Kitty uses her powers to send Wolverine back, allowing him to become the film’s protagonist. It’s frustrating how Days of Future Past had the chance to shift the focus to a different character for once and yet still opted to place Wolverine front and center yet again.
- Release Date
-
May 15, 2014
- Runtime
-
132 minutes
- Director
-
Bryan Singer
-
Hugh Jackman
Logan / Wolverine
-
James McAvoy
Charles Xavier
6
The People of Oz Don’t Actually Exist
The Wizard of Oz
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
L. Frank Baum’s iconic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, plops Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale in the middle of the magical world of Oz. On her journey home, Dorothy makes some larger-than-life friends, including the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. The book ends with Dorothy finally landing back in Kansas, happy to be home, yet still fondly remembering her adventure in Oz. She even returns to the magical land in some of Baum’s sequels.
Book/Movie
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz/The Wizard of Oz
Characters
The People of Oz
Portrayed by
Various actors, including Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), and Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion)
Book Written by
L. Frank Baum
Movie Directed by
Victor Fleming
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The book’s equally iconic film adaptation, The Wizard of Oz, changes the ending. Now, when Dorothy arrives back in Kansas, it’s implied that her adventures in Oz were just a dream. This means that everyone Dorothy encountered on her adventure doesn’t actually exist, even in a far-off fantasy land, as evidenced by the fact that she wakes up surrounded by farmhands played by the same actors who brought the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion to life.
- Release Date
-
August 25, 1939
- Runtime
-
102 minutes
- Director
-
Victor Fleming
5
The Characters From My Pafology Don’t Get the Chance to Shine
American Fiction
Image via Orion Pictures
Percival Everett’s novel Erasure focuses on writer Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (played by Jeffrey Wright), who, sick of being labeled as only a Black author, writes a parody of the successful Black American novels he despises. At first, the book is titled My Pafology, but Monk later changes the novel’s title to something that cannot be published on CBR. When Monk’s publishers don’t understand that My Pafology is a joke, he has an accidental hit on his hands.
Book/Movie
Erasure/American Fiction
Characters
Van Go Jenkins and Willie the Wonker
Portrayed by
Okieriete Onaodowan (Van Go), Keith David (Willie)
Book Written by
Percival Everett
Movie Directed by
Cord Jefferson
The entirety of My Pafology is contained in the pages of Erasure, with a large portion of the real book dedicated to writing out the fake book in its entirety. However, the 2023 Oscar-winning film adaptation of Erasure, American Fiction, doesn’t have as much time to devote to My Pafology as the book does. As such, the characters from My Pafology, Van Go Jenkins, and Willie the Wonker only appear in one brief scene of American Fiction.
- Release Date
-
September 8, 2023
- Runtime
-
117 Minutes
- Director
-
Cord Jefferson
4
Fishlegs Isn’t as Close to Hiccup on Screen
How to Train Your Dragon
Image via Universal Pictures
It’s no secret that the film adaptations of How to Train Your Dragon don’t resemble Cressida Cowell’s book series of the same name in the slightest. While the original 2010 animated How to Train Your Dragon movie and the 2025 live-action remake are practically the same film, both films are far cries from Cowell’s first novel in the series. Among the major changes in the adaptation is the portrayal of Hiccup’s friend Fishlegs.
Book/Movie
How to Train Your Dragon
Character
Fishlegs
Portrayed by
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (animation), Julian Dennison (live-action)
Book Written by
Cressida Cowell
Movies Directed by
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (2009), Dean DeBlois (all subsequent sequels and 2025 live-action remake)
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In Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon novels, Fishlegs and Hiccup are two of the only Viking runts in the group. The two smallest boys naturally gravitate towards each other, becoming close enough friends at the start of the first book that Hiccup gives Fishlegs the first dragon he captures. While Hiccup and Fishlegs eventually become good friends in the films, it takes much longer, with Fishlegs blending in with the rest of the teenage dragon-slaying cohort for most of the movie’s runtime.
3
Cardinal Bellini Is far Less Corrupt in the Book
Conclave
Image via Focus Features
Robert Harris’s 2016 novel Conclave has a strange relationship with its Oscar-winning 2024 film adaptation of the same name. While both versions of Conclave essentially tell the same story, many characters undergo huge changes when making the jump from page to screen. The elderly Italian book protagonist, Jacobo Lomelli, becomes the much younger British cardinal Thomas Lawrence, and Filipino Cardinal Vincent Benitez is from Mexico in the film. However, the character that undergoes arguably the biggest change from page to screen is Stanley Tucci’s Cardinal Aldo Bellini.
Book/Movie
Conclave
Character
Cardinal Aldo Bellini
Portrayed by
Stanley Tucci
Book Written by
Robert Harris
Movie Directed by
Edward Berger
In both the film and the book, the protagonist learns that Cardinal Tremblay, a papal candidate, has committed the sin of simony, or the act of buying and selling certain spiritual privileges. This causes the lead character to discuss what he has learned with Bellini, encouraging him to resume his candidacy for pope in order to defeat Tremblay, but both versions of Bellini refuse. While the book version of Bellini does not view himself as a strong candidate anymore, the film implies that Bellini has been bribed by Tremblay, making the character far more corrupt in the eyes of Conclave movie fans.
- Release Date
-
October 25, 2024
- Runtime
-
120 Minutes
- Director
-
Edward Berger
-
Ralph Fiennes
Cardinal Lawrence
-
Stanley Tucci
Cardinal Bellini
2
The MCU Barely Utilized a Founding Avenger
MCU
Image via Marvel Studios
Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp, is one of the most important figures in the history of the Avengers comics. A founding member of the team, Jan actually came up with the name “the Avengers” in the comics, and she and her partner, Hank Pym/Ant-Man, suggested that the all-star group of superheroes should stay together as a crime-fighting unit. Since then, Janet has been a key part of countless classic Avengers stories and even led the team for a long time.
Book/Movie
Ant-Man and the Wasp & Avengers comics/Ant-Man and the Wasp
Character
Janet van Dyne/The Wasp
Portrayed by
Michelle Pfeiffer
Book Written by
Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby (creators)
Movie Directed by
Peyton Reed
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In the MCU, however, Janet is nowhere to be seen in the first three Avengers films. She only appears in Avengers: Endgame for a very brief cameo at Tony Stark’s funeral. In fact, Jan doesn’t fully appear at all until the second film in the (criminally overhated) Ant-Man trilogy, Ant-Man and the Wasp, once she is rescued from the Quantum Realm. While this version of Janet is genuinely fantastic, if still somewhat underutilized, it’s a shame that she was overlooked as a crucial player in the Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Release Date
-
July 6, 2018
- Runtime
-
119 Minutes
- Director
-
Peyton Reed
-
Paul Rudd
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
-
Evangeline Lilly
Hope Van Dyne / Wasp
1
Saruman the White Only Dies in the Extended Editions
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Image via New Line Cinema
Saruman the White serves as one of the main antagonists throughout both J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books and Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, which brings those novels to the big screen. Saruman is a powerful and cunning wizard who can defeat even Gandalf. In the books, Saruman is killed by GrÃma after the Hobbits thwart their attempt to take over the Shire after the Ring has been destroyed.
Book/Movie
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Character
Saruman the White
Portrayed by
Christopher Lee
Book Written by
J.R.R. Tolkein
Movie Directed by
Peter Jackson
However, Jackson’s films omit the Scouring of the Shire altogether, and with it, Saruman’s conclusion is changed. Instead, he dies shortly after the destruction of Isengard, dropping the palantÃr as he falls. However, this scene only features in the extended editions of Lord of the Rings, meaning that for fans who only saw the theatrical editions of the films, this iconic character lacks an ending altogether.