The article deals with the challenges of film adaptation of literary classics in the history of Russian culture. The object of the research is the problems of the representation of Maxim Gorky’s literary characters in cinema and on TV. While in the XX century he was one of the most often filmed writers, in the postSoviet period his works ceased to be in demand in screen culture, despite their relevance and suitability for the screen. The article analyzes well-known screen adaptations of Gorky’s works, reveals the reasons for the lack of interest in the writer’s characters in the cinema and on TV.