I don’t know if this news item is hot of the press, or if it has been out there for quite some time. But we’ve just heard it and it has sent us into a flurry of excitement:

Fresh from his interview in the Transmission Pulp Fiction Special, our hero Michael Chabon has announced that his latest novel The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, a fantastic gumshoe yarn set in an alternative-world Jewish Alaska, is to be adapted for the big screen by The Coen Brothers. This is some big news for us at Transmission HQ, as we love Chabon (more than is perhaps healthy) and the Coens are two of our favourite film makers working today. In honour of this monumental occasion, here are five of our favourite film adaptations:

Fight Club - David Fincher captures the fast-cutting, MTV style of the book perfectly, using his background in advertising to sharpen the satire. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are perfectly cast, ensuring that the film more than holds its own against its incendiary source text.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Mad Jack’s finest performance in the humble opinion of the Transmission staff. Imagining anyone else in the role of R.P. McMurphy is sheer madness in itself. Louise Fletcher also creates one of the most terrifying women ever to appear on celluloid. All together now: “You oughta be out in a convertable bird-doggin’ chicks and bangin’ beaver…”

Nosferatu - whether it’s F.W. Murnau’s original or Werner Herzog’s redux, this Germanic take on Bram Stoker’s horror classic still maintains plenty of creep-factor. The original is a masterpiece of shadow and light, while Klaus Kinski’s performance in the latter brings sheer intensity and terror.

Blade Runner - Ridley Scott may have done a million new cuts of this, but it still holds up as a classic of cinema. Philip K. Dick didn’t survive to see its release but, on visiting the set, he claimed that Scott must have been inside his head, as the sets were exactly how he imagined the dystopia when writing his story.

Empire of the Sun - a list of films can’t go far without a Spielberg. Any claims of him infantilising cinema have to be doused by this first of his more serious films. A 13-year-old Christian Bale dazzles as Jim, the author J.G. Ballard’s alter-ego. Although some of the magic is lost when you find out that Knutsford, Cheshire doubled for Shanghai…

Well, we’ve given five - how about you let us know your favourite film adaptations? Write in the comments if you agree, disagree or just want to share your own…