This isn’t necessarily the cast iron reason it might appear to be. I believe that some authors are simply mistaken. Tolkien opposed film versions of The Lord of the Rings and only sold the rights to pay a tax bill. Would the world really be better off without Peter Jackson’s wonderful film adaptation? Of course not.

Some novels simply don’t lend themselves to film adaptation (The Catcher in the Rye, for example). But The Shadow of the Wind absolutely does. With a director of singular artistic vision like Guillermo Del Toro at the helm, and an all Spanish cast, speaking in Spanish, set in Barcelona, a first rate film could ensue every bit as brilliant as the novel in its own right.

What we don’t want (and here I agree with you) is for it to be Americanised in any way. Setting it in a US city would not work. Nor would having big Hollywood stars, or a jobbing director for hire. It needs to be Del Toro with no compromise or studio interference.