Why are so many books being turned into films

A.� Hollywood is always hungry for new ideas and keeps a close eye on the bestsellers lists. Literary hits are being snapped up as a new way to draw in the crowds. David Hare has already been signed up to adapt Jonathan Franzen's acclaimed novel The Corrections, and there has been a wave of contemporary British bestsellers making the leap from the page to the big screen.

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Last year saw Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary, starring Renee Zellweger, Enigma and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. So far this year, Last Orders has been released and Sebastian Faulks' Charlotte Gray, starring Cate Blanchett, and Nick Hornby's About A Boy and A.S�Byatt's Possession are still to come.

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Director Lasse Hallstrom filmed recent bestsellers Chocolat, with Juliette Binoche, and The Cider House Rules with Michael Caine. His latest film, The Shipping News, is based on E. Annie Proulx's acclaimed novel.

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Q.� Does the adaptation from novel to cinema work

A.� The studios making these movies are hoping for a more discerning, mature audience. But the need for global appeal means directors have to find celebrities for the lead roles. Nicholas Cage was cast as an Italian in Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Spaniard

Penelope Cruz was cast as Greek.

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The English Patient took years to make but was well received and ended up with an Oscar. From the start, however, the film was better known than Michael Ondaatje's book.

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Some films have suffered from over-simplification in the adaptation. Isabelle Allende's novel had a glittering cast that included Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave and Winona Ryder, but still failed to cash in at the box office.

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By Katharine MacColl