Famous writers who became Hollywood screenwriters

One can be a best-selling and critically acclaimed novelist, but that doesn’t imply that he or she can be a successful screenwriter too. Nevertheless, there are some revered writers who became screenwriters.

 William Faulkner for The Big Sleep, 1946

William Faulkner was a critically acclaimed writer for novels such as The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Sanctuary. However, since these were not able to gain huge commercial success with a mass audience, he decided to sign a screenwriting contract with MGM Studios. In his 22-year long career as a screenwriter, he worked on more than 50 films with 20th Century Fox and then Warner Bros. Howard Hawks‘The Big Sleep’was Faulkner’s most notable work.

John Steinbeck for Lifeboat, 1944

He was regarded as one of the greatest American novelists of the 20th century. After his stint in the second world war, Steinbeck decided to work in Hollywood as a screenwriter. In 1943, he wrote Lifeboat for Alfred Hitchcock. The film went on to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay in the Academy Awards.

 Nick Hornby for An Education, 2009

High Fidelity, About A Boy, and How to be Good are some of the most heartfelt books that British novelist and essayist Nick Hornby is known for. In 2009, Hornby penned An Education as a screenwriter that went on to win three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Carey Mulligan, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Nick Hornby.

 Raymond Chandler for Double Indemnity, 1944

Chandler was a renowned Crime and Pulp Fiction writer, but when he decided to venture into movies as a screenwriter, he redefined the film noir genre. His association with Billy Wilder on the film noir ‘Double Indemnity’got the duo an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing in 1944! He is also known for works such as ‘The Blue Dahlia’ and Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Strangers on a Train’.

Cormac McCarthy for The Counselor, 2013

The author made his debut at an original screenplay, ‘The Counselor’. Although the film was critically acclaimed, it saw moderate box office success. It’s worth mentioning that Cormac McCarthy's novels were used in the best films produced in the last 10 yearssuch as, ‘All the Pretty Horses ‘, ‘The Road’, and the Academy Award-winner,‘No Country for Old Men’.

There are several others like Ray Bradbury for Moby Dick, Michael Chabon for Spider-Man 2 (2004) and John Carter (2012),F. Scott Fitzgerald for Three Comrades. These are some real gems of the literary and cinema world.