Oscars 2024: 'Oppenheimer' To 'Poor Things', Five Nominated Films That Have Been Inspired From Books

Books have always inspired movies. It’s no surprise, then, that filmmakers often dive into the world of literature to pick up their next story. Throughout the years, we have witnessed multiple books that have been turned into iconic and critically acclaimed films. This year, at the Oscars 2024, ten films have been nominated for the Best Picture.

Ahead of the prestigious event, let’s take a look at the five Oscar-nominated films that have been inspired by books.

Written by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, this Christopher Nolan directorial is based on ‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of Robert J. Oppenheimer.’ The book inspired the screenplay of the film, and it follows the life of Oppenheimer from his childhood to when he built the atomic bomb.

Based on David Grann’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI’, this Martin Scorsese film was inspired by this book. The book explores a series of murders that happened to the members of the Osage Nation, including family members of a woman named Mollie Burkhart.

Jonathan Glazer adapted Martin Amis’ book for this movie. The book tells the story of SS commandant Rudolf Höss who lives with his family next to the Auschwitz camp. The book juxtaposes their domestic life with the horrors faced by the people in the World War II camp.

Tony McNamara adapted ‘Poor Things’ which was written by Scottish author - Alasdair Gray. The book is also a satire of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein.’ But unlike the monster in Shelley’s book, here you have a woman who is telling her own story. The book won the Guardian Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread Award.

Percival Everett wrote ‘Erasure’ in 2001. The book revolves around Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a Black author whose novels are largely ignored. He decides to write under a pseudonym and starts writing satirical pieces on the experiences of Black people. The book becomes a hit. This story has been adapted by Cord Jefferson for ‘American Fiction.’