ABSTRACT: This talk ponders the discourse of ‘unfilmable books’, considering what books have been considered ‘unfilmable’, and why, focusing on books declared ‘unfilmable’ that have been filmed. It argues that the paradox of unfilmable books filmed thrives because it supports academic theories, cultural ideologies, and fosters author and filmmaker careers and industry profits. It closes by pondering why there is no reciprocal discourse of ‘unwritable films’.