Originally posted by YellowLabLover
??? Hollywood can't do anything to actual books without the concent of the author!!!??? So no, I do not know what Hollywood does to books, but I do know what Hollywood does to movies.
This isn't necessarily true. It takes an author with a lot of influence to actually be able to help write the script. Take the movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer." That was *based* on the book by Lois Duncan, and the book is completely different than the movie. Actually, if they had stayed true to the book, it would have made a much better movie. Most times, the book is signed over with a "promise" to hold true to the story.

I have not read the LOTR books, but I have heard that the movie did a pretty good job at staying true to the story line.