5 Upcoming Literature-Based Movies We Can't Wait To See

3. As I Lay Dying

Guess what? It's James Franco again! No surprises there, then. Even in the high-brow world, As I Lay Dying was always going to be a tough one - in fact, anything by William Faulkner is gonna be a minefield of difficulties in getting what's on the page to the big screen. In this particular story (written in 1930), Faulkner describes the events surrounding the death of the character Addie Bundren, whose family then strive to bury her near Jefferson as she requested. Faulkner's long-winded nature and complex, almost rambling writing style means that film versions of his books are in danger of being as confusing as his stories are (in some of his novels, single sentences can last almost a page). But tough to make doesn't always mean bad. In fact, it's that very boldness which excites us, and anything to do with a great writer like Faulkner is bound to be, if anything, supremely interesting. If Franco can portray at least half of what William Faulkner intended then he will have done a good job.