From bottoming royals to lesbian dime novels: 15 queer book-to-film adaptations

Believe it or not, queer movie buffs, there was a time when gays had to visualize the President’s son top the Prince of England in their heads because most LGBTQ+ content was found only in literature.

Today, queer-themed films are increasingly common, and they’re not exclusively awards bait or indie gems. These 15 book-to-film adaptations are all based on literary works, from the aforementioned romantic comedy of Red, White & Royal Blue to the gory slasher fun of Fear Street.

The Color Purple

The only pick on this list to get two adaptations, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, inspired the 1985 triumph by Steven Spielberg and an upcoming musical film (itself based on the Broadway adaptation of the book!) directed by Blitz Bazawule. The Color Purple is the story of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg in the 1985 film; Fantasia Barrino in the new adaptation), a Black woman in the early 1900s who endures a life of mistreatment and loss. Celie eventually finds doomed love with Shug (Margaret Avery; Taraji P. Henson), a local showgirl. The 1985 film was groundbreaking for its time and received 11 Oscar nominations. Goldberg and Avery even kissed, which was a huge deal for the ’80s.

Boy Erased

Before we talk about this important, startling conversion therapy story, let’s just remind everyone that, yes, THE Troye Sivan has a supporting role in the movie. Directed by Joel Edgerton (who also stars), 2018’s Boy Erased is based on the Garrard Conley memoir of the same name. In the book-to-film adaptation, Jared (Lucas Hedges) is sent to conversion therapy after his Baptist parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) find out he’s gay. Jared realizes how abusive the program is and faces off against Victor (Edgerton), who runs the program. While the film dramatizes several aspects of the story — a scene in which a character is beaten with a bible is fiction, for example — many of the harsh moments come from Conley’s memoir.

Spoiler Alert

Get your hankies out for this 2022 comedy-drama, folks. Based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir of the same name, Michael Showalter’s book-to-film adaptation follows the relationship of Michael (out star Jim Parsons, who also produces) and Kit (queer star Ben Aldridge). Michael, a shy entertainment journalist, falls hard for the more confident Kit, and their tumultuous but sweet relationship is put to the ultimate test when Kit is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Spoiler Alert is a sad, bittersweet story about true love lost, but also how hard we fight for true love till the end. 

Fire Island

Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, this fabulously funny comedy by Andrew Ahn stars a mostly queer cast, including Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster, Conrad Ricamora, Matt Rogers, Zane Phillips and many others. Set in Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove, the book-to-film adaptation explores the relationships and friendships between a group of gay men that challenge stereotypes and class differences.

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Brokeback Mountain

Ang Lee’s sweeping 2005 romantic epic, based on the short story by Annie Proulx, chronicles the decades-long affair between Ennis (the late Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal), two cowboys who must keep their intense passion for each other a secret. This tragic movie makes great use of Proulx’s minimalist writing, with several quiet scenes that rely on gorgeous imagery and powerful performances.

Love, Simon

A sweet, kid-friendly film directed by Greg Berlanti, this 2018 teen comedy is based on Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Simon (Nick Robinson) is an All-American boy who’s in the closet and strikes up an online relationship with “Blue,” who purports to be a kid from school. Simon sets out to find Blue and, in the process, comes out to his friends and family. The book-to-film adapation was such a success that it spawned a TV series spinoff, Love, Victor, and the books continue Simon’s story in multiple books.

Call Me By Your Name

Problematic leading man aside — no, really, watch House of Hammer if you still think Armie Hammer is hot and misunderstood — this 2017 coming-of-age drama by Luca Guadagnino is a sensitive, bittersweet film about first love. Timothée Chalamet plays Elio, who falls in love with his father’s grad student, Oliver, over the course of a sun-drenched summer in Italy in the 1980s. Based on the book by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name has a literary sequel that was critically panned. Oh, and peach lovers will salivate over this one.

The Fear Street Trilogy

Queer horror fans ATE in 2021 when Netflix debuted three feature films based on R.L. Stine’s teen horror series, Fear Street. In this three-part book-to-film adaptation by Leigh Janiak, which borrows liberally from Stine’s series to tell an original story, Kiana Madeira stars as Deena, a lesbian teen in Shadyside, a town seemingly cursed with bursts of terrifying incidents every year. Deena and her friends uncover a dark secret about Shadyside over the course of three fun and gory slasher flicks set in different time periods.

All of Us Strangers

This 2023 ghostly romantic drama, directed by queer director Andrew Haigh, had everyone talking about its über-seductive scenes between stars Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. Interestingly, this film is based on a Japanese novel, Strangers, by Taichi Yamada, in which the main character is not gay. In All Of Us Strangers, Scott plays a lonely man who encounters his deceased parents in his childhood home while he meets a handsome stranger in his nearly-empty apartment building. 

Orlando

Based on Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, this 1992 period fantasy directed by Sally Potter stars Tilda Swinton as the androgynous title character, who does not age but does switch genders over the course of hundreds of years and meets important historical figures throughout their life. The 1992 book-to-film adaptation changes key aspects of the source material, such as the time period in which the story ends, but also drops certain characters and plot points. The book and film were the inspiration for the 2020 Met Gala and the accompanying exhibition “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” which had to be postponed due to COVID-19.

Carol

This 2015 romance, directed by Todd Haynes, tells the story of a young photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older divorcee (Cate Blanchett). Carol is based on The Price of Salt, a novel by Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith, who used the pseudonym “Claire Morgan” to avoid being labeled a “lesbian author.” Although it was originally a dime pulp novel, Carol was pure awards bait, winning six Oscars.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Based on the 2012 novel of the same name, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, directed by Desiree Akhavan, tells the story of a girl, Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is sent to conversion camp after being caught with her girlfriend, Coley (Quinn Shephard). The camp in the novel was inspired by the Zach Stark incident, in which a teenage boy detailed his horrific experience at a conversion camp via MySpace. 

Geography Club

Directed by Gary Entin, this 2013 book-to-film adapation tells the story of Russel Middlebrook (Cameron Deane Stewart), who starts an after-school “geography club” that’s actually a refuge for the queer kids at school. While the film is lovely, with strong performances by Stewart and his co-stars, the novel by Brent Hartinger is also terrific and has spawned a long series of books featuring Russel, taking him through high school and adulthood. Hartinger also adapted Geography Club into a stage play.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aitch Alberto’s 2023 film, based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s novel, is a beautiful and sweet coming-of-age drama about Ari (Max Pelayo) and Dante (Reese Gonzales), two Mexican-American boys who fall in love over the course of a summer in El Paso. The film also stars Eugenio Derbez and Eva Longoria, adding some star power to the proceedings. 

Red, White & Royal Blue

Currently the—ahem—crown jewel of book-to-film adaptations, Red, White & Royal Blue, based on the novel by Casey McQuiston and directed by Matthew López is a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. The premise is incredibly simple: Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the President of the United States (Uma Thurman), falls in love with former arch-nemesis Prince Henry of England (Nicholas Galitzine). Hijinks ensue. But this sweet film is bolstered by a smart script and terrific performances, as well as an incredibly well-choreographed man-on-man scene. Seriously, watch Galitzine’s face.

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