Sometimes they hit it right on the mark, and sometimes they miss entirely. It seems like there's always a new adaptation of a book coming out or being announced, sometimes to the point that you may not even realize a movie or show you enjoyed was based on a book. In 2022, audiences got adaptations on the big screen and streaming platforms with The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Persuasion, Conversations with Friends, and The Midnight Club, just to name a few. Even video game adaptations are becoming more prevalent.
Regardless of how you feel about adaptations (and there has been a fair share of bad ones), it's hard to deny how exciting it is when a new adaptation makes its way to the screen. It's no wonder that some people wait years to hear any small update on an adaptation coming out for their favorite books that need to be adapted.
So, for the fans of these upcoming adaptations, avid readers looking for books to read before they become movies or shows, or even just film fans looking for updates on new releases, here are upcoming book-to-screen adaptations coming soon(ish) that we're excited to see.
Update June 30, 2023: This list has been updated to reflect the best new book adaptations that have been announced so far by Yosra Ben Iagha.
Blackout
A collection of Black and queer love stories that take place during a New York City, Blackout was announced to have been picked up by Netflix back in July 2021, per The Hollywood Reporter, to turn into a series and a film alongside Barrack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, and Temple Hill Productions, best known for their adaptations of Twilight and The Fault in Our Stars.
Since then, there haven't been any updates on where the adaptation is in terms of development or production, but we're hoping to hear more about it soon, along with an expected release date.
The Dark Tower
Writer and director Mike Flanagan successfully brought author Stephen King's Doctor Sleep to the big screen in 2019, making both a faithful adaptation of the novel while also making a proper sequel to the film version of The Shinning. Flanagan will now return to the world of Stephen King in an adaptation of the author's most ambitious work: The Dark Tower. The Dark Tower was previously adapted into a disappointing 2017 film after numerous attempts at making a long-running series.
The Dark Tower series is rumored to be set up at Amazon and Flanagan envisions at least a five-season story arc and two feature films. The project was only just recently announced in December 2022, so it will be some time until the project makes it to the screen. But given the source material and the talent involved, it has the potential to become the next cultural television event.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Another adaptation of a popular book by Flanagan is the upcoming screen version of Edgar Allan Poe's frightening haunted house short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. The series is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2023 and will mark the end of Flanagan's work with Netflix as he moves over to Amazon. Production wrapped on July 9, 2022, following a delay in production due to one of the series stars Frank Langella being fired from production due to a series of misconduct investigations.
Children of Blood and Bone
2018's Children of Blood and Bone from author Tomi Adeyemi was a big hit when it first hit shelves and was praised for its examination of oppression, racism, and slavery. It inspired a massive bidding war and was originally acquired by Fox 2000 Pictures. When Disney acquired Fox, the project was transferred to Lucasfilm and was set to be the company's first non-Star Wars film since being acquired by Disney in 2012.
Children of Blood and Bone was announced as part of the studio's slate in 2020. However, in 2021, Lucasfilm shifted focus to more Star Wars and Indiana Jones projects and let the rights go, with Paramount Pictures acquiring them in 2022. Rick Famuyiwa has been attached as the director since the rights were first acquired by Fox 2000 Pictures and remain on board. While no release date is set, the film is highly anticipated and could be the next big franchise.
Salem's Lot
Stephen King has become a movie and series veteran, with over 60 film adaptations of his books. Now his 1975 novel, Salem's Lot, is being re-adapted as a movie from Warner Bros, with director Gary Dauberman at the helm. This will mark the third attempt at adapting the novel following miniseries in 1979, a sequel film in 1987, and another miniseries in 2004.
The question regarding the film is when exactly audiences will get to see it. The movie was initially set for release on September 9, 2022, but was pushed back due to COVID-related issues in post-production to April 21, 2023. However, in August 2022 the movie was taken off the release schedule by Warner Bros. and replaced with Evil Dead Rises. Currently, there is no release date for Salem's Lot.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson is being re-adapted as a series with Disney+, this time with the book's author, Rick Riordan, being put in charge of writing the pilot and being allowed more creative control than its original movie adaptation. Fans of the YA book series were very unhappy with Fox's adaptation, and even Riordan himself was unhappy with it, calling the original adaptation "a mess."
However, since Disney's purchase of Fox, they've gained the rights to the books and have a chance to give it the adaptation it deserves. The titular character will be played by Walker Scobell, with the roles of Grover and Annabeth will be played by Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries, respectively. As of now, it's expected to be released sometime in early 2024, and we will eagerly wait for any more news.
Dune Part Two
Dune: Part Two is set for release on November 3, 2023, and will adapt the second half of the first Dune novel. Dune was a hit with both critics and audiences and won six Academy Awards. With the additions of popular rising talent Austin Butler and Florence Pugh to the cast, Dune: Part Two is set to be one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2023. Hopefully, the movie is able to deliver a satisfying part two and not disappoint the way It: Chapter Two did which was another Warner Bros. film where they split one book into two movies.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The long-awaited prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is hitting the big screen with director Francis Lawrence and writer Michael Arndt. When the book was released on May 19, 2020, there was a lot of hype around it, considering there hadn't been a new book in the series in almost a whole decade.
The prequel takes place 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games and follows Coriolanus Snow in his final year at the academy as he is set to mentor a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray, in the 10th Hunger Games. The movie will be released with Lionsgate, the same company that brought us The Hunger Games movies, on November 17, 2023, and will star Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, along with Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis, and Peter Dinklage.
The Doll Factory
The Sunday Times top ten bestseller, The Doll Factory, is the most awaited thriller TV series soon to be released. It is based on Elizabeth Macneal's novel which won the Caledonia novel award in 2018. A novel of this magnitude deserves the keen cinematic eye of director Charley Miles who is in charge of the adaptation. It follows the life of Iris, a young woman who aspires to be an artist, and her fatal meeting with Louis an artist of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood who makes her a life-changing offer.
The anticipation around this series is born out of the success that the novel acquired and because it is inspired by the real-life and death of the muse, model, and artist Elizabeth Siddal. The release date is yet to be confirmed, but we do know that it's going to be a six-part drama series and that it will be part of the Paramount+ Originals.
A Haunting In Venice
If you enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022), you won't be able to fight the urge to see the upcoming thrilling murder mystery A Haunting in Venice. The movie will be based on Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party, a 1969 detective novel.
Kenneth Branagh will be the movie director and lead character and will reprise his role as Poirot who has to solve a very complicated murder in the aftermath of his retirement. The movie will have its theatrical release in September 2023 and will hopefully exceed its fans' expectations.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
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Based on a children's book written by Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon is a fantasy movie that will be released August 2, 2024. Director Carlos Saldanha does not consider the 70-year gap between the book and the movie a problem because the morals that the book conveys are timeless and transcend generations.
If you've ever heard of the concept of the power of manifestation, this movie won't be such a shock. Its main character is a child named Harold who possesses a magical purple pen which allows him to draw anything he desires and makes it real. Having that huge power of drawing anything into existence makes Harold contemplate the best ways to use his gift. The idea of the movie is very promising as well as the cast itself. It is rumored to include Shazam!'s star Zachary Levy in the lead role but nothing is yet confirmed. Children's books have the quality of rarely ever being a flop when turned into movies. Hopefully, Harold and the Purple Crayon, inherits that same quality.
Oppenheimer
If you ever wonder about the creation of nuclear bombs, you should join the boiling anticipation for the next Christopher Nolan movie, Oppenheimer, which is a much awaited adaptation of the biographical book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The book is a 700 pages long dive into the life of the first man who helped to bring the nuclear weapons to life.
The movie is not just a documentation of the Manhattan Project that lead to such a controversial discovery, but it has enough edge to ask whether every theory should be put into practice just because it is accurate. With the legendary filmmaking skills of Nolan and the amazing acting gift of Cillian Murphy who will be Oppenheimer, the soon-to-be released (July 21, 2023, exclusively in theaters) movie definitely becomes a must-see.
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