21 Of The Best Book-To-Screen Castings Choices Hollywood Has Ever Made
We asked the BuzzFeed Community which book-to-movie castings were absolutely perfect. Here's what they said:
??Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead!??
1.Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
"Rachel Zegler is so great as Lucy Gray that I could watch her be in the role forever. Obsessed."
"Rachel Zegler looked exactly like how I saw Lucy Gray in the book."
2.Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
"Honestly, when I was watching, I could have gasped at how much Tom Blyth looked like a younger version of Donald Sutherland. The casting for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was spot on."
3.Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials (2019–2022)
"The character is a Texan aeronaut arctic explorer, and when they announced the casting I was like, 'Well I love Lin-Manuel but I don't buy him as this cool, tough-as-nails cowboy.' But then he brought a brilliant, sassy energy to the character and totally stole the show!"
4.Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne in Gone Girl (2014)
"She is Amy. Utter perfection in every scene."
"She IS Amy. Absolutely nailed it."
5.Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey in the To All The Boys I Loved Before movies (2018–2021)
"Perfect casting!"
"I read that series so many times and was super excited about the movie. I remember watching it and thinking, 'Yeah, that's Lara Jean.' She was awkward, family-oriented, a baker, uncomfortable, and quirky when she needed to be. That series will always have a special place in my heart."
6.Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
"I thought she was perfect in that role."
7.Keiynan Lonsdale as Bram in Love, Simon (2018)
"I honestly couldn’t come up with a more perfect casting. The movie got some other roles pretty spot on as well, like Alexandra Shipp as Abby, Nick Robinson as Simon Spier, or Jennifer Garner as Emily Spier."
8.Saoirse Ronan as Jo March in Little Women (2019)
"Little Women was all around well cast, in my opinion, but Saoirse Ronan as Jo March was just perfect for me. I know a lot of people love the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, but Saoirse Ronan just captured Jo so perfectly. Greta Gerwig’s script and direction were also perfect to me."
"Saoirse Ronan was the best Jo March!"
"She really made me fall in love with the character again, and she brought Jo's spirited personality to life in a whole new way."
9.Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan in Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023–)
"I knew Luke was a bad guy, but Charlie made me feel sympathy for the character and actually made me forget he was bad in the first place, which made his betrayal THAT much more emotional."
10.Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies (2001–2011)
"He really embodied the character."
"Alan Rickman definitely added a true depth to Snape's character in the movies. I already loved this character in the books, but Alan was such an incredible actor that even people who hated Snape were moved by his performance."
11.Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
"She's absolutely iconic and brought depth to a character that was (much like the whole book) rather shallow."
"That’s probably the best book to movie casting of all time!"
12.Henry Golding as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
"Henry had no prior acting experience but nailed his role as Nick."
13.Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (2013)
"He so perfectly fits the role of Gatsby — he's practically made to play that role. Handsome, charming, smart, so perfect. When I was in high school in 2003 and had to read that book, I was still riding the Leo train from Titanic, and I pictured him in the book so I would pay better attention ??."
"He knew exactly what he was doing when he played Gatsby. He brought depth and backstory into every single scene!"
14.Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune Part 2 (2024)
"I know I might be riding the Dune train, but Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha was incredible."
15.Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron in Normal People (2020)
"Paul Mescal gave such a powerful performance as Connell. I couldn’t have pictured a better person to play him."
16.Cate Blanchett as Bernadette Fox in Where'd You Go Bernadette? (2019)
"She was absolutely fantastic and made me love the book and movie even more."
17.Emilia Clarke as Lou in Me Before You
"She really brought Lou’s quirky, fun character to life and she played that role perfectly. I can’t see anyone else playing that part."
18.Uma Thurman as Sissy Hankshaw in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)
"Sissy is supposed to be a tall, blonde, willowy model, with gigantic thumbs. Except for the thumbs, Uma matched the character to a T. I totally bought her as a legendary hitchhiker, model, and cowgirl aficionado."
19.Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane in Shadowhunters (2016–2019)
"Harry Shum Jr. was PERFECT as Magnus Bane. He really brought one of my favorite book characters to life."
"Harry Shum Jr. does not get enough credit. He definitely captured the extravagant, sassy, and complex character that is Magnus."
20.Dylan O'Brien as Thomas in The Maze Runner movies (2014–2018)
"He brought Thomas's dedication to get the gladers out of the maze to life and was, without a doubt, the perfect casting choice."
21.And finally, Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
"Shailene as Hazel will forever own my heart — she just possessed so much of her fire and introspection. The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorite books, and I was very protective, but they chose a beautiful soul to play a beautiful soul, and it makes me smile every time."
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
So, do you have any other favorite book-to-movie castings? Tell us in the comments below.
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