Wicked is a movie based on a musical, based on a book, based on a movie, based on a book. What other movies have a complicated lineage?

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) is a movie based on the musical play from 1982 which is based on the Roger Corman movie from 1960 which was inspired by the story "The Reluctant Orchid" in 1956 by Arthur C. Clarke which was inspired by "The Strange Orchid" in 1894 by H.G. Wells.

West Side Story is a movie based on a stage musical based on a Shakespeare play which is based on a long poem which was based on Italian & French stories.

The Producers (2005) a movie musical, based on The Producers (2001) a Broadway musical, based on a movie, The Producers (1967) which was *not* a musical (and actually first conceived of as a novel).

My Fair Lady (movie) ⬇️ My Fair Lady (musical) ⬇️ Pygmalion (GB Shaw play) ⬇️ Pygmalion (Greek mythology)

Mean Girls 2024 is a movie based on a musical based on a movie (Mean Girls 2004) based on a book. Which is funny, since in 30 Rock many years ago, a character received an award for Best Actress in a Movie Based on a Musical Based on a Movie. And of course Tina Fey was involved in Mean Girls.

The Princess Bride is a movie, pretending to be a book. The book it is pretending to be is real, and is a book pretending to be a different book.

Wasn’t there recently a High School Musical: The Musical: The Series? So a show based on a musical based on a movie?

Leonard Cohens (late 2000s) posthumously charting Hallelujah is arguably a cover of Jeff Buckleys (posthumously charting) cover of John Cales (1991) cover of Leonard Cohens (1984) Hallelujah. (Rufus Wainwright probably goes in there too somewhere.) It’s a reference to a set of psalms that are a few thousand years earlier.

Cats is a movie based on a musical based on some poems by TS Elliot. It’s not that complicated but it is very silly

["A sequel to a prequel to a spin-off of Air Bud:"](https://www.avclub.com/a-sequel-to-a-prequel-to-a-spin-off-of-air-bud-10-unli-1798272828)

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE

I can't believe no one has mentioned this one, from WIkipedia: ***Rent*** is a 2005 American [musical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_film) [drama film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_(film_and_television)) directed by [Chris Columbus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Columbus_(filmmaker)). It is an adaptation of [Jonathan Larson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Larson)'s [1996 Broadway musical of the same name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical)), in turn based on the 1896 [opera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera) [*La bohème*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_boh%C3%A8me) by [Giacomo Puccini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Puccini), [Luigi Illica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Illica) and [Giuseppe Giacosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Giacosa), which is itself based on the 1851 novel [*Scenes of Bohemian Life*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_of_Bohemian_Life) by [Henri Murger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Murger). To add another layer of complication, the writer Sarah Schulman [alleges that the 1996 musical was also based on her 1990 novel *People in Trouble.*](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/11/sarah-schulman-the-writer-rent-ripped-off.html) Also, *Moulin Rouge* (2001) is also based on *La bohème* and it has, of course, spawned a musical of it's own.

The Thing 2011 is a prequel to The Thing 1982 which has the same title implying it's a remake and the 1982 Thing is a based on a novella, but uses part of the title of the previous 1951 adaptation The Thing from Another World also implying that it's a remake.

The Scorpion King is a spinoff of a sequel to a remake. 

Cabaret (1972) is a movie musical based on the 1966 stage musical of the same name, based on the 1951 play *I am a Camera*, which was based on the book *Goodbye to Berlin* written by Christopher Isherwood in 1939.

300 movie is based after the comic book 300, which was inspired by the movie The 300 Spartans, which was based on historical events. Edit: Wow, I had no idea that 300 was that complicated. I completely forgot about Meet the Spartans. I'm making a new list. - Meet the Spartans is a parody of the... - 300 movie was based after the... - 300 comic book which was inspired by... - The 300 Spartans movie was based on... - Herodotus's retelling of... - Oral history of the propoganda of... - the Battle of Thermopylae. Thanks to eveyone for contributing.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has: A radio play, a series of novels, a television series, a video game, and a film. All written by Douglas Adams. Each based on the the precious and all are iterations of the story. It's very confusing if you're the kind of person who wants a canon story because all of them can be considered so.

The Lego Batman Movie. Which references many of the previous Batman movies and shows but itself was a spinoff of a movie (The Lego Movie) based on various toy sets based on movies, books, cartoons, comics and the lego games themselves. A Gordian knot of influence and lineages.

After seeing the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 Gerrard Way was inspired to start My Chemical Romance, which inspired Stephanie Meyers to write Twilight which inspired 50 Shades of Grey and the sequels.

[Street Fighter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_(video_game)) (1987 video game) > [Street Fighter II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_II) (1991 video game)> [Street Fighter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_(1994_film)) (1994 film starring JCVD and Raul Julia, among several other notables, based on Street Fighter II) > [Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter:_The_Movie_(console_video_game)) (1995 video game for Playstation and Sega Saturn based on the The Movie)

Beavis and Butthead - Do the Universe is a sequel based on the first movie, based on the show, based on a short from a different show (Liquid Television).

**For a Few Dollars More** and **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** are sequels to **A Fistful of Dollars**, which is a remake of **Yojimbo** (which has its own sequel, **Sanjuro**, another remake, **Last Man Standing**, and a couple more movies it inspired), which is inspired by the noir movie, **The Glass Key**, which is based on the novel, *The Glass Key*, by Dashiell Hammett. Also I spelled Dashiell Hammett correctly on the first try, which I usually do not.

In 1896 at the Palais Garnier in Paris, a several hundred pound counterweight to the chandelier broke free during a performance of *Helle*. A concierge was killed and several more were injured. Palais Garnier is also known for a cistern (an underground man-made lake) being underneath it. It was built in the 1860's to stabilize the structure, manage high groundwater, and serve as a water reserve for fire pumps. The Palais Garnier also had stories of a ghost who was believed to make things go awry and steal items gone missing. And it had rumors of an architect named Eric who asked to live under the structure and hadn't been seen since, along with a corpse found buried in the foundation. Furthermore, a Swedish, blonde haired, blue eyed Soprano named Christina Nielsson, who was the daughter of a poor man and forced to leave her home at a young age only to perform in Paris later, mysteriously cancelled her performance at the last minute before the Garnier Opera’s inauguration. This all partially served as an inspiration to "The Phantom of the Opera" which appeared serially before publication as a novel in 1910, and Christine Daaé, the haunted protege, beared an uncanny resemblance to Christina Nielsson. The novel and its story was made into a silent film in 1916 but the story did not achieve much acclaim until it was made into another silent film starring Lon Cheney in 1925. In 1943 another movie was made that portrayed The Phantom as a sympathetic character. In 1962 yet another movie was made that portrayed The Phantom as sympathetic *and* took place in London. In 1986 Andrew Lloyd Weber crafted a musical stage production of the story, also set in London, and keeping with the idea of The Phantom being a sympathetic character. Then in 2004 another movie was released based on Andrew Lloyd Webers musical.

Annihilation (2018) is based, in part, on a book (Annihilation) which is based on a movie (Stalker) which is based on a book (Roadside Picnic) and, in part, on a movie (Solaris), which is based on a book (Solaris).

12 Monkeys is a tv show based on a movie based on a short film based on a book.

Can we include TV shows? "Good Times" is a spinoff of "Maude", which is a spinoff of "All in the Family", which was reworked from a failed pilot called "Those Were the Days", which was reworked from ANOTHER failed pilot called "Justice for All", which was the American adaptation of a British TV series called "Till Death Do Us Part."

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is a movie based off a screenplay (see below) based off a tv show, which was based off a radio show, which at some point was on vinyl, which was sorta based off a book. Except then adams wrote this screen play that had literally nothing to do with any of the latter (well, except for parts the book) and the co-writer finished the screenplay based on adams' notes after he died, which included things that weren't in any other adaptation.

Wasn't there an article about how *Red One* was based on "The Rock's ex-brother in law being drunk at family chrismas" or something.

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups is a sequel to The Search For Santa Paws which is a prequel to Santa Buddies which is a spin-off of Air Bud. I don’t know how I obtained this knowledge.

Dr Sleep is an adaptation of a book that is a sequel to another book, and it’s a sequel to a film adaptation of that other book, although that movie is different from that book in significant ways, and yet Dr Sleep manages to do both, incorporating things from that older book that weren’t in the original movie, and things from that original movie that weren’t in the book.

How about the audiobook of the novelization of the movie Precious, based on the book Push by Sapphire?

Grey Gardens is a pretty wild ride. Insane documentary film, turned into a musical and then a tv drama. And a hilarious bill hadder mockumentary spoof.

Les Misérables The Original Book (1862) The Films (1935, 1952, etc.) The Concept Album (1980) The Stage Musical (1985 The Novelization: Several books based on the musical's condensed plot, rather than Hugo's 1,200 page original. The Movie Musical (2012) The Hugh Jackman film based on the musical Multiple books (manga) that specifically use the visual designs from the 2012 movie.

Transformers (2007) is a movie that is based on a television cartoon series, which is based on a American toyline, which is a rebranded Japanese toyline for western markets.

"The Thing" (2011) is based off of "The Thing" (1982), which is based off of "The Thing From Another World" (1951), which was based off of the novella "Who Goes There?" (John W. Campbell Jr. - 1938), which was based off of the novella "At the Mountains of Madness (H. P. Lovecraft 1931). Not to mention "The Thing" (1982) inspired the short story "The Things" (Peter Watts - 2010).

a different kind of complication: Texas Chainsaw movies as a whole. you have all these different timelines: 1. Original movies: TCS ('74), TCM 2 ('86), TCM 3 ('90), TCM 4 ('95) 2. Remakes: TCM remake (2002), prequel to TCM remake (2006) 3. First requel: TCS ('74), TCS 3D (2013), Leatherface (2017) 4. Second requel: TCS ('74), TCM (2022)

To jump the gun, It's not out yet (might never be) Paramount is currently working on a film adaptation of Spamalot they have the screenplay done. A movie musical adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway show Spamalot—which is itself based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 

In the recent remake of Duck Tales, they had an episode that was based on The Warriors, a movie based on a story out of Ancient Greece… So it’s a remake of a TV show, based on a comic book, copying a movie that was based on actual events that happened in Ancient Greece…

How did no one post the movie Adaptation?

The Warriors is based on a book front the 1960s that is in turn based on the Anabasis by Xenophon, circ 3rd or 4th century bc. A remake will likely incorporate the video game from 2006 in there too.

"Smash" is an off-Broadway musical about the making of the musical "Bombshell," based on the TV show "Smash" that isn't exactly a musical (but still features musical segments) about the making of the on-Broadway musical "Bombshell."

Technically the Wicked book was based on a book and not a movie since the Wizard of Oz book was in the public domain and the movie was not.

Hairspray was a movie that became a musical that became a movie version of the musical. 0/10, lacks Devine.

The Magnificent Seven (2016) is a remake of a notable western, the Magnificent Seven (1960). The 1960 Magnificent Seven was so popular is spawned a series of sequels: Return of the Magnificent Seven (1966), Guns of Magnificent Seven (1969), and the Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) It also spawned a TV series, Magnificent Seven (1998) and was even adapted to sci-fi with Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). The 1960 film was itself an adaption of the Akira Kurosawa classic, the Seven Samurai (1954). Interestingly, Kurosawa films have been adapted many times into other films (specifically westerns which Kurosawa was greatly inspired by), most famously; the Hidden Fortress to Star Wars. Yojimbo/Sanjuro films would go on to become the Man with no Name trilogy: Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

50 Shades of Grey is a movie adapted from a book adapted from a fanfiction of the novel Twilight, inspired by My Chemical Romance which was itself inspired by 9/11.

bruhh my headd hurts

Well Creed 2 is the sequel to the spinoff of a sequel.

I recall the idea of Disney's Hunchback came from a "classics for kids" book which used the stage play adaptation as a basis.

"The Birdcage" was based on Broadway musical, based on a European series of movies based on a play. "Matilda" started out as a book, became a movie, then a musical, then a movie based on that musical. The movie "Nine" with Daniel Day-Lewis is based on the award winning musical "9" which in turn is based on the Fellini movie "8½". For a very weird and niche version of the concept, there is a French live action adaptation of the City Hunter anime. Since the Anime was known in France as "*Nicky Larson"* the movie is titled [Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Larson_et_le_parfum_de_Cupidon) The movie is very explicitly based on the French dub of the anime adaptation of the Manga. I don't know if the Anime movies made it to France and are included in this. In any case the French movie is completely unrelated to the Hong-Kong made Jackie Chan live action adaptation (which containted the best Street Fighter adaptatio to date) of the original Manga or the more recent Netflix movie or the 2011 South Korean live-action TV series. Apparently there is also a musical in Japan. Did I mention that in 2019 and 2023 two more anime movies were released one of which explicitly crossed over with the Cat's Eye anime which in 2025 got an remake on Disney+?

Last night I was daydreaming about making a novel out of The Big Lebowski, so I am enjoying this thread

Not really as crazy, but I find it funny there is a Scorpion King 2 which is a prequel to the Scorpion King, which is a spin off prequel to the Mummy 2, which is a sequel to the Mummy - which itself could be considered some kind of remake. There are also 3 more sequels after Scorpion King 2.

Friday Night Lights has a movie on the way apparently that's based off of the tv show that was based off of the movie that was based off of the book.

*A C*** and Bull Story* is a movie about trying to make a movie adaptation of a book that’s about trying to write a book.

50 Shades of Grey is based on a book that was written largely based from fanfiction about either the book or movie Twilight.

Disney's The Lion King is inspired by Hamlet, we all know that. But in the 1960s there was a play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which is based on two minor supporting characters from Hamlet, and mostly tells the story of Hamlet from their perspective. In 2004 there was a direct-to-DVD spin-off of The Lion King called The Lion King 3 (or The Lion King 1.5 in the US), which is based on *that* play and shows what Timon and Pumbaa were up to while The Lion King was happening, while they react to several scenes in a sort of meta-comedy format.

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

Scorpion King: Book of Souls is the 3rd sequel in a series of prequels to the spin-off of a sequel to a remake of The Mummy. 

Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game, is a (terrible) game based on a movie based on a game

Not to be a “Well actually…” guy but the plot to The Fly 2 and Return of the Fly is similar enough that an argument can be made that it kind of is a remake.

Matilda the Musical (2022) is a movie based on a stage musical (2010) based on the movie (1996) of the Roald Dahl book Matilda (1988)

The novel that became Die Hard was written as a sequel to a Frank Sinatra movie. Sinatra had starred in The Detective, based on a novel by Roderick Thorpe. Thorpe wrote the novel Die Hard in case The Detective was successful enough for a sequel. Die Hard 2 was based on an unrelated novel. Die Hard With A Vengeance was taken from an unrelated screenplay. The fourth movie was based on a magazine article about cyber-warfare. The fifth one was the first Die Hard to be conceived *as a Die Hard movie*.

*AfterMASH*, *Trapper John, MD*, and *WALTER* are sell spin-offs of *MASH,* a tv show based on a film (by Robert Altman), whose final product was developed from, but not a direct performance, of Ring Lardner's script, which was based on the book by Richard Hooker.

I always found it funny that there was the musical A Chorus Line, which was adapted into a movie, then more recently there was a documentary about the making of a new production of A Chorus Line. Next there should be a straight play about the documentary about the musical, followed by a podcast about the making of the straight play about the making of the documentary about the musical.

The Wild Party was a novella-length narrative poem published in the 20s. It was made into a movie in the 70s. It was basically lost to history until it entered the public domain in the 90s. A new edition was released with illustrations. In 1999, TWO separate musical adaptations hit the stage. One opened on Broadway; the other off Broadway. People have *very* strong opinions about which is their favorite. Both versions have been revived off-Broadway since, including one that is running right now for a few weeks. It's not all that complicated, but it is interesting. It was the first time the same source material was adapted and staged at the same time on Broadway. The closest thing to happen like that since is the two different musicals based on The Great Gatsby, which entered the public domain a couple of years ago. One is going strong on Broadway. The other is still in development and likely won't attempt a Broadway run while the other Gatsby is still running successfully.

The King (2019) is my favorite example of this. A historical film re-interpretation of a play which itself was a dramatic re-interpreted historical events. So much more interesting that simply doing a historical film interpretation of a historical event. It gives the movie so much character.

The most complicated of all: Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Long running joke on my podcast.... "Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire"

Not a long lineage but The Little Hours is based on a story from the middle ages. The story is considered a comedy, however, not in the modern sense. Traditionally, comedy was the opposite of tragedy. It just meant, "happy ending", not "funny". So, people were mad because The Little Hours wasn't funny, even though it's a "comedy." But that's because it's not a comedy in the modern usage of the word.  It's like Dante's Inferno,  a Divine Comedy.  It's not funny, it just has a happy ending.   Edit: Eleven from stranger things is completely stolen from Firestarter, which was initially book, which was a rehash of Carrie, which has also had it's own film, and remake

There was a home video game based on the arcade video game based on *Street Fighter: The Movie,* which was based on a game (*Street Fighter II*), which was a sequel to the original *Street Fighter* arcade game.

"I'm Christian Bocher. I'm portraying the character of Raymond Gunne, who portrays the character of Dr. Levant, which is based on the character Daniel Jackson, portrayed by the actor Michael Shanks, originally portrayed by the actor James Spader…in the feature film."

"Street Fighter: The Movie" was a video game based on the terrible live action movie which is based on the video game. Importantly, this game should not be confused with "Street Fighter II Movie" also confusingly known as "Street Fighter 2 the interactive movie" which is a video game adaptation of the Street Fighter anime movie.

Mame was a book first, then a play, then a movie, then a legendary stage musical starring Angela Lansbury, then a shit show of a movie that effectively killed Lucile Ball’s film career.