I’m probably one of the rare HN subscribers with a formal education in film production rather than CS or engineering, and you are absolutely right. The first thing they teach about screenwriting is to temper one’s ambitions, because two-hours is nowhere near long enough to adapt a full novel without serious cuts. I imagine that’s obvious to anyone who’s been disappointed by a feature adaptation. I assume that it’s also down to the fact that it’s much more fun to expand on a good short story or novella than it is to have to choose what to cut from a good novel.
> It’s quite telling that almost all of the movies based on his works have been based on his short stories, not novels.
Because that's easier to adapt to 2h films than a long novel? Lots of short stories become film.