Books. The novelization of Romancing the Stone was credited to Joan Wilder, although (along with a novelization of the sequel movie, The Jewel of the Nile) it was actually written by Catherine Lanigan.

Was a real snake killed in Romancing the Stone?

The next day is the stone part. The snake we see in the movie is called a Bushmaster, but it's not. ... They might have even used a dead snake after he kills it. They also used a real snake when we see it crawl up into the air behind Joan's head.

Why is it called Romancing the Stone?

In the famous dance scene, Michael Douglas was not aware that he was being filmed. Douglas was dancing with Kathleen Turner and some extras, and was surprised to find Robert Zemeckis had been filming the entire time. The phrase “Romancing the Stone” is actually jewelers' jargon.