Any bookworm will tell you that one of the most exciting things to watch is the adaptation of their favourite novel on the screen.
So far this year has seen a number of films and shows released which were adapted from novels. These include blockbusters and acclaimed films such as, The Color Purple, Dune: Part Two and 3 Body Problem.
There are more adaptations to come this year, from musicals based on critically acclaimed novels, to period dramas with a feverish fan base, epic space operas and thrillers.
Here are 13 popular book-to-screen adaptations to watch this year.
The Idea of You
Can a 40-year-old single mother make a relationship work with a famous 24-year-old singer?
Anne Hathaway’s coming movie will explore the themes of love, identity and reclaiming womanhood in the film The Idea of You.
Hathaway plays Solene Marchand, a single mother who falls into an unexpected romance with Hayes Campbell, the 24-year-old lead singer of the popular boy band August Moon. However, after their relationship goes public, Solene must face the spotlight and not only questions the future of their relationship, but also what she wants out of life.
The film is based on the popular 2017 novel by Robinne Lee that was rumoured to be inspired by Harry Styles.
Release date: Thursday on Prime Video
The Sympathizer
An important period of American history is explored through wit and humour in the adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
The Sympathizer is a black comedy drama miniseries that follows the protagonist, known as The Captain, a North Vietnamese spy embedded in the South Vietnamese army who escapes to the US at the end of the Vietnam War.
While living among a community of South Vietnamese refugees, The Captain continues to spy and report back to his superiors but is faced with conflicting emotions and loyalties between his past and present life.
Since its release and popularity, the series has been praised for shinning a spotlight on the Vietnamese American community and sharing their stories and history to an international audience.
The Sympathizer is available to stream on HBO.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Th master of magic realism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s most significant work One Hundred Years of Solitude has been adapted to a miniseries on Netflix.
Jose and Ursula are cousins who marry against their parents’ will and leave their village to find a new home.
Along with friends and people they meet on their journey, they establish a town on the banks of a river of pre-historic stones. There, throughout several generations, their growing family and the town people must face the realities of the changing times around them.
From fighting impossible loves against the backdrop of war and a family curse that they must break, the characters of the story endure the impossible to make sense of their lives and the world.
Marquez’s epic novel was published in 1967 and has since sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. The Netflix adaptation stars Cladio Catano, Jeronimo Baron and Marco Gonzalez, among others.
Release date: TBC on Netflix
The End We Start From
As a strange environmental disaster submerges London in water, a woman gives birth to a child.
Based on the thrilling dystopian novel by Megan Hunter, The End We Start From has been adapted into a film starring Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The story follows the unnamed mother and her baby as they are forced to leave their home and seek shelter as the world drastically changes around them.
The End We Start From is available to stream on Apple TV.
It Ends With Us
From one of the most prolific writers today, Colleen Hoover’s romance novel It Ends with Us sold more than a million copies when it was released in 2019.
The story follows Lily who, after leaving her hometown for Boston and starting her own business, believes she's found true love with Ryle. Despite his shortcomings, Ryle makes Lily feel special as she attempts to understand who he really is. Simultaneously, Atlas, a man from her past, returns and complicates her life and feelings for Ryle.
The film adaptation stars Blake Lively, Brandon Sklenar and Justin Baldoni, who is also directing the film.
Release date: June 21 in cinemas
Spaceman of Bohemia
Philosophical conversations about love, life and death between an astronaut and an ancient giant spider in the depths of space is the reason why Jaroslav Kalfar’s novel Spaceman of Bohemia was a great success.
The film adaptation starring Adam Sandler follows the same premise of the novel , in which an astronaut, Jakub Prochazka, is sent to the edge of the galaxy to collect mysterious dust.
During his mission, Jakub realises that his life on Earth is falling apart, mainly due to his own ambitions, and he finds solace in a strange voice – a creature in the shadows of his ship who will help him make sense of his life and universe.
Spaceman of Bohemia is now streaming on Netflix.
Dune
The sequel to the Academy Award-winning sci-fi space opera Dune is still in cinemas.
Based on Frank Herbert’s epic and influential novel, this is the third adaptation to the screen, and arguably the most successful.
The film stars Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, who arrives on Arrakis after his father accepts the stewardship of the dangerous, arid planet. However, Arrakis is also home to melange, a substance that extends life, enhances mental abilities and is a necessary component for space navigation.
The first film focused on the chaos and betrayal that ensues on the planet as dark forces attempt gain control of melange. In part two, Paul must make alliances with the desert planet’s indigenous people, the Fremen, while discovering his own destiny and special place in the universe.
Dune is now showing in cinemas.
The Three-Body Problem
The first novel in the sci-fi trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin is a story that blends action with social and philosophical concepts.
The story begins during a cultural revolution in China that leads to secret military project signals being sent into space. The signal is received by an alien civilisation from a nearby system that has three suns.
The alien civilisation, which is on the edge of destruction, uses the signal to find and invade Earth, setting off a series of events that will change the future for ever.
The Three Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.
Mickey7
In the adaptation of the popular speculative sci-fi novel by Edward Ashton, acclaimed South Korean writer and director Bong Joon-ho, known for his Academy Award-winning satire Parasite, has taken on the project, which centres on the story of an expendable space traveller.
Mickey Barnes, known as Mickey7 (played by Robert Pattinson), is a space traveller sent on a dangerous mission to colonise the ice world of Niflheim.
In this world, cloning technology is so advanced that when Mickey dies, another version of him is cloned with his memories intact. This makes him the perfect immortal soldier to complete any mission. However, when his latest regeneration goes wrong, Mickey7’s mission and life is put at risk.
Release date: TBC
Bridgerton
Fans of one of the most popular period dramas are getting the season they have been asking for – the love story of Penelope, also known as Lady Whistledown, and Colin Bridgerton.
This season is based on author Julia Quinn’s fourth novel from her Bridgerton series, Romancing Mr Bridgerton, and will be released in two parts, each containing four episodes.
Fans can expect more ballroom dances, salacious gossip and character development wrapped in a love story.
Release date: Part one on May 16 and Part 2 on June 13 on Netflix
Wicked
Are you ready to defy gravity? Perhaps one of the most anticipated films of the year, Wicked starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, already has a large fan base owing to the success of the Broadway musical show.
Loosely based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical was adapted by Winnie Holzman and follows an alternate story of Elphaba Thropp, also known as The Wicked Witch of the East, in the story of The Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba, a woman born with green skin, forms an unlikely friendship with Galinda Upland, the most popular woman at Shiz University, which they both attend to learn sorcery. While the two are completely different, they share a bond that is put to the test as the battle for their homeland of Oz begins.
Release date: November 27 in cinemas
The Color Purple
This is the second screen adaptation of author Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple. Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation, which starred Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, was a critical and blockbuster success. The latest adaptation of the novel is based on the successful stage musical version of the story and stars Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P Henson and Danielle Brooks.
The film centres on Celie Harris-Johnson, who is separated from her sister and married off to an abusive husband. As she starts writing letters to God and her sister, Celie makes new friends with the singer Shug Avery and her strong-willed stepdaughter Sophia, and gathers the strength to fight back, find her sister and discover herself.
The Colour Purple is available to stream on Apple TV.
Ripley
It’s the 1960s in New York and Tom Ripley, a con man among other things, is hired by the wealthy Mr Greenleaf to convince his fun-loving son Dickie to return home from Italy. However, when Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie’s lavish life and friends, he goes down a sinister road to remain part of this intimate clique.
The psychological thriller is based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley and the Ripley novel series, which was first adapted for the screen in the 1999 film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. The new eight-episode limited series delves more into the details of the novel and will star Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning.
Ripley is available to stream on Netflix
Queenie
The novel by Candice Carty-Williams, which received critical and commercial success after its 2019 release, follows Queenie, a Jamaican-British woman living in London who is attempting to figure out her career and love life after a messy break-up.
The bestselling novel has been adapted into an eight-part drama series with Carty-Williams as screen writer, and starring actress Dionne Brown as Queenie.
Release date: TBC on Channel 4 in the UK, Hulu in the US and Disney+ in other countries
Turtles All the Way Down
John Green’s young adult novel debuted at No 1 on The New York Times bestseller list in 2017 and was praised by critics as a modern classic.
The noel follows Aza, 16, who struggles with OCD and intrusive thoughts. As she grapples with the grief of losing her father, she sets off on a search for the fugitive billionaire father of her neighbour Davis, with whom she forms an unlikely and strong bond along the way.
The film adaptation will star actress Isabela Merced and Felix Mallard.
Release date: TBC in cinemas
