This page lists adaptations and derivative works based on Moby-Dick.
Original work:
- Moby-Dick (or The Whale), 1851 novel by Herman Melville.
Adaptations and derivative works:
Films — Live-Action:
- The Sea Beast (1926), loose adaptation starring John Barrymore as a heroic Ahab.
- Moby-Dick (1930), remake of the above, still with John Barrymore.
- Moby-Dick (1956), starring Gregory Peck as Ahab.
- Moby-Dick (1971), unfinished film by Orson Welles.
- Moby-Dick (1978), starring Jack Aranson as Ahab.
- Capitaine Achab (2007), about the origins of Ahab, starring Denis Lavant.
- Moby-Dick (2010), produced by The Asylum.
- In the Heart of the Sea (2015), about the event (the sinking of the whaleship Essex) that inspired Herman Melville for Moby-Dick.
Live-Action TV:
- Moby-Dick (1998), miniseries starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab.
- Moby-Dick (2011), miniseries starring William Hurt as Ahab.
Theatre:
- Moby-Dick — Rehearsed (1955), stage play by Orson Welles.
Western Animation:
- Moby Dick (1967-1968). In Name Only series by Hanna-Barbera.
Tropes found in some adaptations:
- Adaptation Distillation: In the novel, Ishmael stays briefly in New Bedford before taking a packet ship to Nantucket, since he wants to sail aboard a whaler from the original home of the New England whaling industry. Some adaptations simplify this sequence to having Ishmael arrive in New Bedford and sign aboard the Pequod there. The 1956 film reassigns the mystique the book builds up around Nantucket to New Bedford as a result.
- Adapted Out:
- The 1956 film leaves out several characters of various importance, most notably Fedallah (whose role of making specific predictions about Ahab's fate is handed to Elijah).
- The 1930 film leaves out Ishmael, instead following Ahab from the start.
- Casting Gag: In the 1998 miniseries, Gregory Peck (Ahab in the 1956 film) played Father Mapple.
- Composite Character: In the 1956 and 2011 versions, Fedallah's part is filled early on by Elijah.
- Compressed Adaptation: The even-numbered chapters (the "whaling encyclopedia") are usually omitted.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: While the earlier versions kept Ahab accidentally getting tangled in the rope of the harpoon he uses, in the 2011 version, he inexplicably wraps as much rope as he can around his own body, leaving little tension to his inevitable demise.
- Killed By The Adaptation/Spared by the Adaptation: In the 1930 film, Ahab kills Moby Dick and returns home safely.
- The Mockbuster: The Asylum released their own version, with Barry Bostwick as Ahab, a Navy Captain who reappropriates his submarine to take his revenge on the white whale, here a prehistoric whale
that had crippled him decades earlier. Here, his desire for revenge was his motivating factor for working his way up from ensign for the opportunity to one day take his revenge. Surprisingly contained a lot of references to the novel. Renee O'Connor played Dr. Ishmael, a marine biologistnote whom Ahab shanghais into helping him. - Politically Correct History: The 2011 version. While the Multinational Crew was not commented upon in the early versions, here there exists a new character whose sole purpose is to belittle the minorities, only to be told off by all the white characters.
- Race Lift: In the 1998 version, Fedallah (a Persian) is portrayed by an Indonesian actor.
- The Smurfette Principle: In the 2011 version, Ahab's wife (Gillian Anderson) is given a small part early on — even though in the book, Ahab hasn't seen his family in years.
