Why Filmmakers Are Turning to Novels
A fascinating phenomenon has been going on right under most people’s noses: Established filmmakers used to telling stories visually are turning to novels. Not as side hustles, but with serious creative intent.
And these aren’t just vanity projects. They’re serious creative ventures that offer important lessons for all writers, especially newpub authors.
James Rolfe, aka The Angry Video Game Nerd, just revealed he’s publishing his first novel.
That news may surprise fans who know Rolfe primarily as a filmmaker and YouTube pioneer. But he’s not the only director-turned-novelist to make a mark on the publishing industry. Quentin Tarantino wrote the novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as part of a two-book deal.
Image: Harper Perennial
Gene Hackman, best remembered for The French Connection and Unforgiven, co-authored several works of historical fiction after leaving acting behind.
Image: Newmarket Press
On the surface, this trend of film industry professionals venturing into book publishing might look like mere dabbling. Rolfe already has a successful career behind him, so why take the plunge into prose? Tarantino’s film was widely praised, and Hackman had nothing left to prove. Yet they all ended up in front of a keyboard, producing books instead of scripts.
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Why would film makers pivot to prose? The reason is simple: Novels have a lower barrier to entry than any other form of storytelling.
A novel doesn’t rely on actors, producers, special effects houses, or studio execs to come together and make it work. It can be written on one machine, in one room, by one man with something to say.
Film is collaborative by nature and bound by budgets. A book, by contrast, offers complete creative freedom at a fraction of the cost.
Consider Tarantino. His Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelization wasn’t just a rehash of the film. He used the prose form to flesh out character backstories, add new material, and switch perspectives in ways film can’t match. Hackman’s novels let him move away from being directed to instead take full command of his art. Rolfe has said he wants to explore stories he can’t tell on video, which is exactly what prose allows.
This migration from camera to keyboard also points to a larger cultural shift. Hollywood is a machine, and that machine is running out of gas. Independent creators increasingly recognize that novels, especially in an age when anyone can self-publish, don’t require the approval of gatekeepers.
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Film will always carry glamor, but prose has permanence. When a filmmaker turns novelist, it’s not slumming. What he’s doing is stepping into a tradition that predates cinema by millennia and will outlast it by centuries.
It’s worth watching how Rolfe’s book performs, because his fans have been trained on a diet of video. Will they follow him into long-form text?
Tarantino and Hackman proved it can be done. Whether Rolfe succeeds or not, the mere fact that he’s trying underscores a truth Hollywood professionals don’t like to admit: if you want to tell a story with total freedom, sooner or later you’ll end up writing a book.
Watch James Rolfe’s book announcement here:
If you like the gritty action of Berserk and the deep lore of Elden Ring, you’ll love the first epic book in my dark fantasy saga!
Brian Niemeier is a best-selling novelist, editor, and Dragon Award winner with over a decade in newpub. For direct, in-person writing and editing insights, join his Patreon.