Fanfiction, pieces of writing that many people usually read in the privacy of their rooms during their free time (or deep in the middle of the night), has snuck into mainstream media. This ranges from popular movies and shows to even some fanfiction, which have been adapted into books you can buy in stores! That said, here are four pieces of media that were originally based on fanfiction.
- Fifty Shades of Grey
Probably one of the more well-known Adult film series from the 2010’s, Fifty Shades originated from another popular piece of media. It was actually a Twilight fanfiction when it was first made (https://www.businessinsider.com/fifty-shades-of-grey-started-as-twilight-fan-fiction-2015-6 ). The fanfiction was entitled Master of the Universe, with Edward Cullen as Christian Grey and Bella Swan as Anastasia Steele. It was an alternate-universe-style fanfiction that removed elements like vampires and werewolves from the universe. I have personally never read Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight, but I have seen both movie series. I think when watching Christian Grey’s mysterious, closed-off personality, you can see how that could come from Edward Cullen, as both characters have similar personalities. However, I do have a preference for Edward Cullen as a character, despite both fictional men generally having the same personality and, in some ways, motivations.
- After
Written by Anna Todd at twenty-four years old, After was a One Direction fanfiction that was published on Wattpad (https://highschool.latimes.com/arts-and-entertainment/qa-with-after-author-anna-todd-from-fan-fiction-to-hollywood/ ). The fanfiction and the books (and later movies) all share the same names but, for copyright reasons, change the characters’ names. The clearest example is the series’ main love interest: Hardin Scott, who shares the same initials as his inspiration: Harry Styles. In the published books and movies, Hardin is also British and is the only One Direction-based character who keeps this fact (minus the fact that Niall is Irish, but there is no one with an Irish accent in After either). One of my best friends actually read the fanfiction with all the One Direction boys’ names still in the writing, and she said she found it both funny and weird to read about them in that setting. After became a five-movie series that mirrors the five-book series by Anna Todd.Â
- The Love HypothesisÂ
Similar to Fifty Shades of Grey, The Love Hypothesis was based on fictional characters from another popular media franchise. The book was based on the ship “Reylo” or Rey and Kylo Ren from the Star Wars franchise (https://www.marieclaire.com.au/life/entertainment/the-love-hypothesis-fan-fiction/ ). The main characters then evolved from Rey and Kylo to Olive and Adam, respectively. If you look at the book’s cover, you can tell the actors’ physical appearance inspired them. Without it being outright obvious, if you look at the drawings of each character, you can see the similarities between Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Daisy Ridley (Rey). The book was recently announced to be adapted, with Lili Reinhart cast as Olive. Funnily enough, the actor cast for Adam is actually Daisy Ridley’s husband: Tom Bateman.Â
- Heated Rivalry
Since this series has gained so much popularity recently, I thought it would be fun to mention this detail. Technically, the book Game Changers is based on a fanfiction rather than on Heated Rivalry itself. Game Changers is the first book in the duo-series, and its main characters are Scott Hunter and Kip Grady. For those who are also Marvel fans, they were based on Stucky: Steve Rodgers and Bucky Barnes (https://www.themarysue.com/the-fanfic-origins-of-heated-rivalry-may-be-more-complicated-than-you-think/ ). Author Rachel Reid had published their story on the fanfiction (or technically self-publishing website) Archive of Our Own. I think this relation is less obvious if you have only seen the show, since Scott and Kip aren’t the main story in the series.Â
People don’t realize how much fanfiction is present in so much of the everyday media we take in! Fanfiction is such a huge part of fandom culture and the development of creativity. I think fanfiction is an easy way to get into writing and reading, especially if you have interests in fandoms and want to get more involved. Fanfiction is everywhere, and it’s fun to see that grow!