32 Movie Adaptations With Clever References to/Strategic Omissions From Their Source Material

Any nod to the written word is a-okay with us!
32 Movie Adaptations With Clever References to/Strategic Omissions From Their Source Material

The old saying, “You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been” comes to mind today. With loving nods to their source material, some of these movies took that to heart. The ones that didn’t can expect some disapproving head shakes from their creators. 

So here are the teacher’s pets and the careless troublemakers of movie adaptations…

Precious

Precious PUSH SAPPHIRE i - I - from - I - f COVEL - - - CRACKED.COM Sapphire plays a woman at the day care center toward the end of the film.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders The DUTSIBERS The OUTSIDERS S.E.HINTON CRACKED.COM S.E. Hinton plays the grumpy nurse who asks Dally where his gown is.

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story IN GOD WE TRUST All Others Pay Cash lact thy but - by JEAN SHEPHERD CRACKED.COM Jean Shepherd is the dad who points Ralphie to the end of the Santa line.

Gone With the Wind

IN THE BOOK GONE WITH THE WIND, THE KKK ARE THE GOOD GUYS. In the movie, the guy who attacks Scarlett in Shantytown is white. In the novel, he's black, and the KKK show up. They're called a tragic necessity. But Rhett Butler kills the guy first anyway and later cops to it, saying, What else could a Southern gentleman do? CRACKED.COM

National Lampoon’s Vacation

THE STORY THAT INSPIRED NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION IS ABOUT VIOLENT CRIME. In Vacation '58, the Griswolds go to Disneyland but find it closed, so Clark Griswold forces his way in with a gun. Later, he shoots Walt Disney in the thigh. He's arrested and goes to jail. His family leaves him there and flies back home. CRACKED.COM

The Natural

Ny T H È NATURAL THE NOVEL THE NATURAL IS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF THE MOVIE. In the movie, a star baseball player is offered a bribe to throw the match, but nobly refuses. In the novel, he accepts but changes his mind mid-game and tries to win. Не loses anyway. And after the game, a journalist discovers the truth and ruins him. CRACKED.COM

Rambo First Blood

RAMBO FIRST BLOOD BOOK RAMBO KILLS DOGS IN COLD BLOOD. In the book First Blood, Rambo shoots a bunch of police dogs without thinking twice, all to distract the cops they're with (so he can kill them). Не leaves one dog to die as its guts spill out, making the cop who kills it out of mercy look like a good guy. CRACKED.COM

Up in the Air

THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE NOVEL UP IN THE AIR IS A NOBLE, TRAGIC FIGURE. In the movie, Ryan Bingham is a lonely consultant with a life that's all about racking up frequent flier miles just for the hell of it. In the book, we find out at the end that he's dying of cancer and plans to donate his miles to children's hospitals. CRACKED.COM

The Rescuers

Rescuers THE ORPHAN MURDERS WERE DROPPED FROM THE RESCUERS MOVIE. In the movie, the villain kidnaps Penny because she needs her to find a huge diamond. In the book (Miss Bianca), she kidnaps many, many orphans, just to torture them for fun. Eventually, she has her bloodhounds Torture and Torment (seriously) hunt down and eat them. CRACKED.COM

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

THE REAL JEFF SPICOLI WAS A TOTAL D**K. In the investigative novel Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Spicoli shows up in class one day waving a graphic newspaper article about a car crash that killed the parents of Crowley, another student. Everyone is shocked, and Crowley cries. Nobody talks to Spicoli for a month. CRACKED.COM

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Sly Stallone's character in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is an old comics name. Stakar first showed up in Marvel comics in the mid-70s - but they changed him massively for the movie (in the comics, he was born in 2002). CRACKED.COM

Watchmen

In the Watchmen TV show, a book on the sheriff's desk is a big Easter egg. UNDER THE HOOD He's reading Under the Hood-that's Nite Owl's autobiography, bits of which show up at the end of the original comic book's chapters. CRACKED.COM

Avengers: Endgame

A vault number in Avengers: Endgame is a small comic-book homage. The van that has the entrance to the Quantum Realm is in vault 616, and Marvel's default universe in the comics is Earth-616. CRACKED.COM

Loki

Loki has a joke about one of the more ridiculous Marvel comic contraptions. THANOS THANOS In Episode 5, there's a helicopter with a THANOS sign - that's a reference to Thanos flying around NYC in his Thanos-copter in a 1979 comic. CRACKED.COM

Wonder Woman 1984

In Wonder Woman 1984, the way Diana uses her tiara is a nod to her old comics. She takes out security cameras with her tiara, and using it that way is one of her powers in the '40s comics (the tiara was even telepathic at one point). CRACKED.COM

Gotham

The Iceberg Lounge wasn't just something made up for the TV show Gotham. It showed up in a 1995 comic, and it marked the point where the Penguin turned from a slapsticky, harmless bad guy to a dangerous supervillain. CRACKED.COM

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The Green Goblin from Into the Spider-Verse is based on the Ultimate comics. In that comic book series, the Green Goblin is a literal gigantic green goblin rather than a regular human (Norman Osborn) in supervillain get-up. CRACKED.COM

The Flash

Rainbow Raider's lair in The Flash has an homage to his comic-book origins. In the comics, Roy Bivolo is a color-blind painter-and, on the show, his supervillain lair is stacked full of really, really bad paintings. CRACKED.COM

Deadpool 2

In Deadpool 2, Deadpool's angst about committing suicide is from the comics. Не gets pissed off all the time in the comics at the fact that he's suicidal but can't actually kill himself (due to his healing factor). CRACKED.COM

Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones has a shout-out to one of the character's old identities. In a flashback, Trish designs a costume for Jessica and suggests the name Jewel-in the comics, Jessica wore that costume and called herself Jewel. CRACKED.COM

Man of Steel

Man of Steel has a pretty obscure Easter Egg about in-universe comics. The Blaze Comics logo is visible on a distant building - and, in DC Comics, Blaze Comics publishes a book about superhero Booster Gold. CRACKED.COM

Goosebumps

Goosebumps Goosebumps® R.L. STINE Dake www. THE HAUNTED MASK CRACKED.COM MACHOLASTIC R.L. Stine shares an ironic exchange with Jack Black: Stine says hello, Mr. Stine! and Black replies hello, Mr. Black!

Deliverance

Deliverance DELIVERANCE A NOVEL BY JAMES DICKEY CRACKED.COM Director John Boorman asked James Dickey to play the sheriff --and then get the hell out of there. Dickey hanging around set was making the actors uncomfortable.

The Exorcist

The Exorcist THE EXORCIST WILLIAM PETER BLATTY CRACKED.COM William Peter Blatty plays a movie producer who echoes the same complaint Blatty frequently had on set: is this scene really essential?

Jaws

Jaws PETER BENCHLEY JAWS A Novel CRACKED.COM Peter Benchley plays the real monster: a fearmongering journalist. Не describes a cloud that has appeared on the horizon... a cloud in the shape of a killer shark.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World SCOTT PILGRIMO PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE UDL 1 БРУНГ LEE D'EALLEY CRACKED.COM Bryan Lee O'Malley is hanging out with his now ex-wife, Hope Larson, in Lee's Palace just after Sex Bob-Omb's first gig.

Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary STEPHEN KING SEMATARY THE COOK IN . 20ml - CRACKED.COM Stephen King has made a ton of cameos, but there's something about this calm, soothing priest that sticks out in stark contrast to coke-addled creator we've heard so much about.

Barfly

Barfly MICKEY ROURKE FAYE DUNAWAY BARFLY SEE NOT G-CANNON CRACKED.COM Charles Bukowski made a quick appearance in his own semi-autobiographical film as a guy crushing a Miller High Life at the Kenmore. Не seems particularly interested in Henry's first encounter with Wanda.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars SEVER TRUST WITH .. VOLK SECRET Lians SARA SHEPARD News 9 Analyst SARA SHEPARD NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PLANLESS CRACKED.COM Sarah Shepard plays a substitute teacher in The Homecoming Hangover, and a news reporter in I'm a Good Girl, I Am.

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk 12 THE INCREDIBLE HULK . TIGN STRAWBERT 0000 IS ME MAN OZ ELL Fireall OR MONSTER FANTASY AS YOU LIKE OR... IT! Is HE NOTH CRACKED.COM Jack Kirby, co-creator of The Hulk, pops in as a police sketch artist. Не beat Stan Lee to the cameo game by ten years!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes FANNIE FLAGG FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE ACAFE it STREAM TOPER RELT FREISH CRACKED.COM When her protagonist attends a self-help workshop for women, it's lead by author Fannie Flagg.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Hunter S.Thompson author of Hell's Angeli Fear AND LOATHING in LAS VEGAS A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Latators by Rob Seadman CRACKED.COM Hunter S. Thompson plays his natural street freak self: Johnny Depp as Thompson sees himself in a crowd during an acid trip.

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