7. Jane Eyre
The Book: Detailing the life of its title character from childhood through her first love, Jane Eyre is the most famous book to come from the powerhouse Brontë sisters and a classic of English literature. Bringing themes of morality and spirituality to the fore, it helped bridge the gap between poetry and novels. But everyone in the English speaking world already knows that.
Why It Shouldn't Have Been Adapted: The issue here is less with adapting Jane Eyre in general (it has been done well before, such as the 2006 BBC miniseries), but with putting it in cinemas. The story covers a lengthy time period, forcing directors to cut important parts of plot. The books most famous elements with Mr Rochester and Thornfield Hall dont appear until a good way through the tale, but many adaptations will quickly jump there for the typical love story. This also lets in another problem. Jane is written to be rather plain, with Rochester also not overwhelmingly attractive, something a big production couldn't afford to do. With a good third of the story involving children and unattractive leads, Jane Eyre just isn't made for Hollywood.