F. Scott Fitzgerald still trying for success in Hollywood

When American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, he had seen incredible success as a novelist and short story writer, but had failed to leave a mark on the movie scene in Hollywood. He wrote several screenplays, mostly in an effort to try to pull himself out of financial troubles (read more here).

Fast forward to 2008 and Fitzgerald is still trying to make it big in Hollywood – or, at least, his estate is. According to this article from Publishers Weekly, his estate is trying to turn some of his famous novels and even a few short stories into movies:

In December, audiences will see Brad Pitt and Cate Winslett appear in the David Fincher-helmed adaptation of the author’s little-known short story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." And, with Hollywood options on several other Fitzgerald properties, there may soon be a swell of material about, and by, the romantic and doomed Jazz Age writer.

But it keeps getting better:

Fitzgerald’s The Pat Hobby Stories is also under option, as are Zelda Fitzgerald’s life rights. Leventhal also expects to close a deal after Labor Day on another Fitzgerald short story, which he declined to name.

I have mixed feelings about these great works being turned into movies. Historically, Hollywood does a poor job of turning books into movies and I’ve never been impressed with the ones I have seen. On the other hand, seeing a movie of a good book can be an interesting and even a little satisfying – I love to compare how I imagined the stories to how Hollywood actually portrays them on the big screen.

On a more personal note, I have been a huge Fitzgerald fan since my junior year in high school, the year I first read The Great Gatsby (aff link). Of course, after that I dived head first into anything written by Fitzgerald I could get my hands on. I guess I fell in love with his highly descriptive and romantic style of writing. If you haven’t read anything by Fitzgerald, I highly suggest you check out his large collection (aff link) of books and short story collections.

Related Posts

• Is Hollywood killing literature?
• Is the short story dead?
• Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Short Fiction
• 10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing Today!
• History of the Short Story

Read More: Author News, Classic Literature, Literary News