An adapted screenplay is a movie or TV script that’s based on existing material —like a novel, play, comic, article, video game, or even an earlier film or series.

What “adapted screenplay” means

In awards (like the Oscars or BAFTAs), “Best Adapted Screenplay” goes to a script that doesn’t start from scratch but transforms a pre‑existing story into a screenplay.

Common source materials include:

  • Novels and novellas
  • Stage plays and musicals
  • Memoirs, biographies, and articles
  • Comics and graphic novels
  • Video games and TV shows
  • Previous films (remakes, reboots, sequels that continue an earlier movie’s story)

The key idea: the writer is adapting a specific source, not inventing the story out of thin air.

Adapted vs. original screenplay (quick view)

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Type Main idea Example description
Adapted screenplay Based on a published/produced work or clear source (book, play, article, earlier film, etc.).A movie written from a bestselling novel or a remake of an older film.
Original screenplay Story is invented for the screen, with no specific prior source.A thriller whose characters and plot were created directly as a script.
Some award rules are strict: for example, if a script is directly based on a published book or earlier movie, it goes into the _adapted_ category, even if the idea once began in the writer’s head.

What makes it “adapted” in practice

When screenwriters adapt, they typically:

  1. Secure rights
    • Get legal permission to use the book, play, comic, etc., and agree on credit and control.
  1. Condense and reshape the story
    • Turn hundreds of pages into a 90–120 minute film, cutting subplots, merging characters, and reordering events for pacing.
  1. Translate prose into visuals
    • Replace long internal thoughts with images, action, and concise dialogue that work on screen.
  1. Balance fidelity and freedom
    • Stay true to the core characters and themes while changing what’s needed to make a strong movie.

A helpful way to think of it: an adapted screenplay is not a line‑by‑line copy, but a rebuild of an existing story for a visual medium.

Why it’s its own award category

Awards separate adapted and original scripts because the writing challenges are different:

  • Adapted screenplays must:
    • Respect an existing fan base and source text.
    • Solve structural and pacing problems that come from the original format.
    • Make tough choices about what to keep, cut, or reinvent.
  • Original screenplays must:
    • Build the world, characters, and plot from zero.
    • Stand out without any built‑in audience or blueprint.

Industry groups like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decide which category a script belongs in for big awards like the Oscars.

Tiny story-style example

Imagine a beloved 500‑page fantasy novel with five main heroes and ten big subplots.
A screenwriter comes in and says: “I only have two hours of screen time.” They cut three heroes into one composite character, drop half the subplots, move the ending twist earlier, and invent a new scene that visually shows what the book described in three pages of inner monologue. That resulting script is an adapted screenplay —same core story, rebuilt to actually work as a movie.

TL;DR: What does adapted screenplay mean?
It’s a film or TV script based on existing material (like a book, play, article, game, or earlier movie), reshaped to fit the structure, pacing, and visual language of the screen.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.