While it’s highly unlikely that The Catcher in the Rye will ever be made into a film (allegedly, J.D. Salinger was so unhappy with an early film adaptation of one of his short stories, he refused all future attempts to secure film rights to his work — an IFILM article even suggests that his will prohibits his heirs from selling the film rights), we can still speculate…

Do you think it’s possible to make a film adaptation of The Catcher in the Rye that’s a worthy companion to the book? Which actors can you imagine playing Holden Caulfield? Are there any particular characters or scenes you think would definitely make the film or end up on the cutting room floor?

So if you were going to film The Monk Downstairs, who would you cast in the starring roles? Are there any characters from the book that you’d cut for the film version? What scenes might you consider cutting? How would you handle the one-sided epistolary “conversation” between Mike and Brother James?

Wuthering Heights has been adapted to the big screen several times, with one of the more well-known versions being this 1939 film starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (watch it on Hulu.com for free). More recently, talk had centered around Kiera Knightley, Lindsay Lohan or Natalie Portman playing Cathy, with Colin Farrell up for the role of Heathcliff, but  according to IMDB.com, Abbie Cornish has signed on to play Cathy and Michael Fassbender will play Heathcliff in the version due out in 2010.

If you’ve seen the 1939 film, how do you like it compared with the book? How likely are you to go see the new version, based on your reading of Wuthering Heights? And lastly, who would you cast in the roles of Cathy, Heathcliff, and Edgar?

Update, 5/20/2009 (via Daily Mail (UK)): Casting for the new 2010 Wuthering Heights has reportedly changed again; Britons Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, 2008) is now slated to play Cathy and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) will play Heathcliff. Filming is supposed to start in the fall of 2009.