--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any adaptation - and I've done three in…" description: "\"Any adaptation - and I've done three in my career. I did 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Hugo' and 'Coriolanus.' It's important to find what makes it a movie as op..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/john-logan-15862_adaptation_any-adaptation-and-i-ve-done-three-in-my_2886135.png" --- # Any adaptation - and I've done three in my career. I did… ![“Any adaptation - and I've done three in my career. I did 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Hugo' and 'Coriolanus.' It's important to find what makes it a movie as opposed to just a film presentation of a stage play.” quote by John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/john-logan-15862_adaptation_any-adaptation-and-i-ve-done-three-in-my_2886135.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/john-logan-15862_adaptation_any-adaptation-and-i-ve-done-three-in-my_2886135.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/john-logan-15862_adaptation_any-adaptation-and-i-ve-done-three-in-my_2886135.png) > “Any adaptation - and I've done three in my career. I did 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Hugo' and 'Coriolanus.' It's important to find what makes it a movie as opposed to just a film presentation of a stage play.” [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adapting stage plays to movies requires finding cinematic elements beyond theatrical presentation. **In simple terms:** Adaptation needs cinematic vision. Key Takeaway Identify film‑specific storytelling. Themes adaptation cinema theatre Mood analytical creative Type educational professional When to use this quote - film production - directing - screenwriting Key Concepts visual narrative story translation Questions to Reflect On - How do you transform stage to screen? - What makes a story cinematic? A Different Perspective Stage constraints may limit creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Presentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-presentation-4027788/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hugo/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Makes Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-movie-421613/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Opposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposed/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Presentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presentation/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-play/) [Sweeney todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweeney-todd/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/todd/) ## Related quotes > [Into the Woods,' 'Sweeney Todd' - those were my religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/into-the-woods-sweeney-todd-those-were-my-religion/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [You could argue that 'Sweeney Todd' was romantic, if you looked closely at it, but it didn't impart that to its audiences. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/you-could-argue-that-sweeney-todd-was-romantic-if-you-looked-closely/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [“Every demon loves Sweeney Todd, you know. It’s kind of a given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-knudsen/every-demon-loves-sweeney-todd-you-know-it-s-kind-of-a-given/) [Michelle Knudsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-knudsen/) > [I have always wanted to play Sweeney in 'Sweeney Todd.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/i-have-always-wanted-to-play-sweeney-in-sweeney-todd/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > ['Sweeney Todd' is my favorite Sondheim musical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/sweeney-todd-is-my-favorite-sondheim-musical/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Everything about 'Hugo' to me is poignant, from the broken orphan to the old man losing his past to the fragility of film itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/everything-about-hugo-to-me-is-poignant-from-the-broken-orphan-to-the/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [We wanted 'Hugo' to be a cornucopia of cinema, a celebration of everything we do in movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/we-wanted-hugo-to-be-a-cornucopia-of-cinema-a-celebration-of/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Editing is the only process. The shooting is the pleasant work. The editing makes the movie, so I spend all my life in editing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-marshall/editing-is-the-only-process-the-shooting-is-the-pleasant-work-the/) [Garry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-marshall/) > [Do you know what makes a movie work? Moments. Give the audience half a dozen moments they can remember, and they'll leave the theatre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-russell/do-you-know-what-makes-a-movie-work-moments-give-the-audience-half-a/) [Rosalind Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-russell/) > [I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama's life soon because I could play him. That's the goal. I watch all the addresses. Any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-hope-somebody-makes-a-movie-about-obama-s-life-soon-because-i-could/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I always say, what really makes a movie commercial is that it makes its money back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-vachon/i-always-say-what-really-makes-a-movie-commercial-is-that-it-makes/) [Christine Vachon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-vachon/) > [Listen, whatever makes the movie better. That's the attitude you have to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kosinski/listen-whatever-makes-the-movie-better-that-s-the-attitude-you-have/) [Joseph Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kosinski/) > [A Director Makes Only One Movie in His Life. Then He Breaks It Into Pieces and Makes It Again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-renoir/a-director-makes-only-one-movie-in-his-life-then-he-breaks-it-into/) [Jean Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-renoir/) > [“A director makes only one movie in his life. Then he breaks it up and makes it again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-renoir/a-director-makes-only-one-movie-in-his-life-then-he-breaks-it-up-and/) [Jean Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-renoir/) > [The director makes the movie. The director has to have the story in their head, has to know the style of the piece, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovitz/the-director-makes-the-movie-the-director-has-to-have-the-story-in/) [Jon Lovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovitz/) ## More by John Logan > [Working on 'Skyfall' was the most enjoyable experience I've ever had on a movie, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/working-on-skyfall-was-the-most-enjoyable-experience-i-ve-ever-had-on/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [“Children don't have hearts yet, not really. They haven't been hurt into the need for one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/children-don-t-have-hearts-yet-not-really-they-haven-t-been-hurt-into/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [I grew up on the Bond movies. The first one I saw was 'Diamonds Are Forever,' when I was a kid. I just loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/i-grew-up-on-the-bond-movies-the-first-one-i-saw-was-diamonds-are/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [The history of screenwriting - of what we do - is more than 100 years old. It's thousands of years old, going back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/the-history-of-screenwriting-of-what-we-do-is-more-than-100-years-old/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [The themes, ideas and the characters from 'Skyfall' can obviously continue on, because it is a franchise, and it is an ongoing story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/the-themes-ideas-and-the-characters-from-skyfall-can-obviously/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [“But how can you be Peter Pan? You? The Boy Who Never Grew Up? That's not you. You have egg on your collar. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/but-how-can-you-be-peter-pan-you-the-boy-who-never-grew-up-that-s-not/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Cinema is a visual language, and you're always looking for visual metaphors for things. You know, if I was writing a play about Howard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/cinema-is-a-visual-language-and-you-re-always-looking-for-visual/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [“Everyone likes everything nowadays. They like the television and the phonograph and the shampoo and the soda pop and the Cracker Jack. Everything becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/everyone-likes-everything-nowadays-they-like-the-television-and-the/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Young screenwriters are always very frustrated when they talk to me. They say, 'How do we get to be a screenwriter?' I say, 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/young-screenwriters-are-always-very-frustrated-when-they-talk-to-me/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Whether you're writing a horror show or a James Bond film, I think what bubbles beneath is interesting characterization. The colors that emerge through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/whether-you-re-writing-a-horror-show-or-a-james-bond-film-i-think/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [I love novels, but I'm not a novelist. I'm just a dramatist, which means I write lines for actors. That's all I have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/i-love-novels-but-i-m-not-a-novelist-i-m-just-a-dramatist-which-means/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [If you look at the muscularity of something like 'Wicked' and the way it has just spawned sort of generations of young people wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/if-you-look-at-the-muscularity-of-something-like-wicked-and-the-way/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Realistically, it's the great truism that screenwriters are fungible, that at the end of the day a studio is not going to want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/realistically-it-s-the-great-truism-that-screenwriters-are-fungible/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > ['Coriolanus' has been around for 400 years, and it's going to be around for another 400 years, and nothing I can do is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/coriolanus-has-been-around-for-400-years-and-it-s-going-to-be-around/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [We wanted 'Hugo' to be a cornucopia of cinema, a celebration of everything we do in movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/we-wanted-hugo-to-be-a-cornucopia-of-cinema-a-celebration-of/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) [Explore all 41 John Logan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) ## More Adaptation quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [“Why I am Passionate and Dedicated 1000% to producing and bringing my books Loving Summer, Bitter Frost, and other book series to the Screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/why-i-am-passionate-and-dedicated-1000-to-producing-and-bringing-my/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [My familiarity with the successful use of very long steel ropes for mining purposes naturally suggested their adaptation to the new purpose of deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-agassiz/my-familiarity-with-the-successful-use-of-very-long-steel-ropes-for/) [Alexander Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-agassiz/) > [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [The facts of variability, of the struggle for existence, of adaptation to conditions, were notorious enough; but none of us had suspected that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-facts-of-variability-of-the-struggle-for-existence-of-adaptation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world may not be ready yet for the film equivalent of books on tape, but this peculiar phenomenon has arrived in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-world-may-not-be-ready-yet-for-the-film-equivalent-of-books-on/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [“Evolution is more about adaptivity than adaptability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/evolution-is-more-about-adaptivity-than-adaptability/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [There is change by necessity or adaptation, and there is contrived change or novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/there-is-change-by-necessity-or-adaptation-and-there-is-contrived/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The tendency for depression to repeat reflects the normal default settings of a plastic mood system that is open to experience. The unfortunate consequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rottenberg/the-tendency-for-depression-to-repeat-reflects-the-normal-default/) [Jonathan Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rottenberg/) > [“The unglamorous truth is that there are but a handful of uniquely human traits that we have clearly demonstrated are adaptations evolved to thrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rutherford/the-unglamorous-truth-is-that-there-are-but-a-handful-of-uniquely/) [Adam Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rutherford/) > [“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/you-must-be-shapeless-formless-like-water-when-you-pour-water-in-a/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“On the rare occasions on which a movie was shown, there was as much suspense in the audience over whether the electricity would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/on-the-rare-occasions-on-which-a-movie-was-shown-there-was-as-much/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [Working on an adaptation is not as satisfying, because it's not your original work: you're interpreting. With 'L.A. Confidential,' I loved the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) [Browse all 476 Adaptation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any adaptation - and I've done three in my career. I did 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Hugo' and 'Coriolanus.' 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