Table of Contents Show
Stories are first born on the page before making their way to the screen. Unlike screenplays, novels often carry layers of detail — subplots, character depth, and narrative nuance — that don’t always survive the transition to film.
For some viewers, fidelity to a story’s source material matters, and understanding an author’s original intent can deepen the viewing experience. With that in mind, here are ten books worth reading before their film adaptations arrive later this year.
Classic Books Being Adapted Into Films This Year
Classic books are often dismissed as outdated or out of touch. They can feel distant or unrelatable at first glance, which makes them easier to overlook. Still, there’s a reason these stories continue to fill bookstore shelves — and why many of them are finding new life through screen adaptations.
Homer’s The Odyssey
Perhaps one of the most iconic stories of all time, Homer’s The Odyssey will be coming to theaters in July of 2026. Christopher Nolan, the renowned director of the movies Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and Oppenheimer (2023), is behind the epic project.
This $250 million project casts famous actors Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson and portrays the narrative of King Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War.1
Along the way, he and his men encounter sirens, sea monsters, and interference from the Gods, making their journey nearly impossible. The film is the first adaptation of Homer’s epic to utilize the latest IMAX film technology, creating a legendary experience in cinemas worldwide.2
Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
The announcement of a new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights caused quite a stir amongst OG fans of the Brontë novel. Its trailer, which is a montage of sensual scenes between popular stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, has excited many, but others are hung up on accurate representation of the well-loved classic.3
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights tells the love story of Catherine and Heathcliff.
Catherine is a child of the wealthy Earnshaw family and Heathcliff is an orphan who was adopted by her father when he was young. As they grow older, their relationship becomes romantic, but it is not without its difficulties.
Much of the novel is told by Nelly, a servant of the Earnshaw manor, who recites Heathcliff’s background and how he, a Black man unrelated to the estate by blood, came to have so much power and wealth. Heathcliff’s identity as a Black boy and man are prominent in Brontë’s novel, so the film’s casting of Elordi as Heathcliff was a striking choice. Despite this, non-readers may only see an erotic love story between two of their favorite actors, and that’s what sells.
Frankenstein: The Bride!
Another film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein is in the works. This one places the bride of Frankenstein as the focal point of its narrative. The most recent Frankenstein adaptation was released on Netflix in 2025, so the release of yet another Shelley-inspired work is a surprise.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale are behind the Bride of Frankenstein remake, which acts as a continuation of Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film. However, unlike past adaptations of the story, The Bride! (2026) is rumored to include song and dance numbers. Its cast also includes Dancing with the Stars host and former ballroom champion Julianne Hugh, who is sure to bring some of her choreography to the film.4
King’s Carrie
Stephen King’s first published novel Carrie is back in the writer’s room for another adaptation. The story is about Carrie White, a teenager who develops telekinetic powers. After being bullied by her peers and being at the center of a horrendous prom prank, Carrie loses control of her powers to disastrous effect.
The new adaptation is a mini-series that will be directed by Mike Flanagan, who has previously adapted King’s novels into films, including Geralds Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019). Flanagan famously casts the same actors in many of his works, reliably setting them up for a screaming success.
Flanagan aims to modernize the story he is adapting. The 1976 film adaptation of Carrie perfectly encapsulates the time in which it was made. According to Flanagan, the 2026 series will do the same.5
From BookTok Buzz To The Big Screen
Social media platforms like TikTok have played a major role in boosting the visibility of new authors, indie writers, and romance-heavy fiction. At the center of that surge is BookTok, a corner of the app dedicated to book recommendations, emotional reactions, and standout moments that hook readers fast.
With millions of views and viral enthusiasm behind them, it’s no surprise that BookTok favorites are now making the leap from trending clips to full-scale film adaptations.
Hoover’s Verity
Verity, the New York Times bestseller by author Colleen Hoover, will soon be joining the fan-favorite It Ends With Us (2024) on the big screen. The psychological thriller stars actors Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.6
After Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson) is hired by Jeremy Crawford (Hartnett), the husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford (Hathaway), to ghostwrite the remaining books in a series his wife can no longer complete after an accident, Lowen quickly realizes something strange is going on in their house and with Verity.7 While searching for information to finish Verity’s stories and navigating her budding relationship with Mr. Crawford, Lowen attempts to piece together the truth behind Verity’s accident.
Hazelwood’sThe Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis, which started as a Star Wars romance fanfiction about characters Rey and Kylo Ren, has become an international bestseller that is being adapted into a movie. The 2021 romance novel took BookTok by storm. Ali Hazelwood, the book’s author, has published multiple other romance stories, most of which are about women in S.T.E.M. falling in love.8
The film adaptation cast Riverdale (2017-2023) star Lili Reinhart as Olive and Tom Bateman as love interest Adam Carlsen. Olive is a PhD student who needs to convince her best friend that she is over her ex. Adam is a professor at Stanford hoping to make its faculty believe he isn’t a flight risk. To solve their respective problems, they start fake dating.
Hazelwood commented that there were some changes when adapting The Love Hypothesis from page to screen. Co-producers MRC and Amazon MGM Studios have yet to announce the exact release date for the film, but fans anxiously wait to see which of their favorite scenes will be portrayed onscreen.9
Hoover’s Reminders Of Him
A film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book Reminders of Him, which was published only four years ago, will be released in theaters this coming March.10
The story follows the life-changing mistake of a young girl, Kenna, whose perfect outing with her boyfriend lands her in prison. Seven years later, Kenna returns to her hometown, hoping to rebuild the life she lost and reunite with a daughter she never got to meet.
While faced with refusal and disgust from her child’s custodial grandparents, Kenna unexpectedly finds light in the shape of Ledger, a local bar owner and former NFL player. As their relationship deepens and truths come out, heartbreak seems to be the only probable outcome. Does Kenna stand a chance of rewriting her narrative when so much is against her?
Project Hail Mary
The movie Project Hail Mary (2026) is similar to The Martian (2015), another page to screen adaptation of an Andy Weir novel. It stars Ryan Gosling as its main character. Project Hail Mary, one of book lovers’ most anticipated 2026 releases, is about a middle school science teacher who is sent to space on a seemingly impossible mission to stop the end of the world.
The movie’s visuals are by Greig Fraser, cinematographer of the Oscar-winning film Dune: Part Two and The Batman (2022). These visuals give viewers an intergalactic picture that they could only imagine when reading the book they were adapted from.11
Collins’ Sunrise On The Reaping
Suzanne Collins does it again with the fifth book in her The Hunger Games (2012-2015) franchise, Sunrise on the Reaping. After the franchise’s main trilogy and her successful release The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), which told the story of young Coriolanus’s childhood before he became the notorious President Snow, Collins continues appealing to her audience with her latest book.
Fans have been begging for the story of Haymitch Abernathy and the fiftieth ‘Hunger Games,’ and Collins did not disappoint when she told it in Sunrise on the Reaping. The novel was published last year with a promise that its movie adaptation would soon follow.12 This gave fans time to read the novel and connect with its characters while waiting for what is sure to be another hit for the Hunger Games movie franchise.
Haymitch, who was originally played by Woody Harrelson in the previous The Hunger Games movies, was well loved by viewers despite his unruly alcoholism and reluctance towards mentoring district twelve’s Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. After the sneak peeks at what happened during his time in the arena in the previous novels, fans anxiously await the full truth of his story
Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures
Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel, is coming to the screen after spending sixty-four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Van Pelt’s novel is about a widow who forms an unlikely bond with an octopus from the aquarium she works at and a young man in search of family.
Main character Tova Sullivan passes her time at an aquarium while grieving the loss of her husband to cancer and the disappearance of her eighteen-year-old son, who is presumed to be dead.
Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, seems to hold some information about Tova’s missing son. When Cameron Cassmore, a young man in search of his father, shows up, all the characters work together to uncover a mystery that will change their lives.13
From Page To Screen — Book-To-Film Adaptations
While many of these movies can be understood without reading the books they were adapted from, some may enjoy their film versions more when they read the books before watching them.
These ten films have not yet been released, but the books they are based on can be read today. They are predicted to be crowd-pleasing for readers and non-readers alike.
Footnotes
- The Most Anticipated Movies of 2026.
↩︎ - Kelebek, Samet. “Star Cast of Christopher Nolan’s New The Odyssey Film Announced.”
↩︎ - Warner Bros. “‘Wuthering Heights’ Official Teaser.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Sept. 2025.
↩︎ - Thapa, Shaurya. “‘The Bride!’: Everything You Need to Know about the Frankenstein-Inspired Film.” Time Out Worldwide, Time Out Worldwide, 10 Oct. 2025.
↩︎ - Bowen, Zach. “Mike Flanagan’s Carrie Series Sets Main Cast for Stephen King Adaptation.” ScreenRant, Screen Rant, 2 June 2025.
↩︎ - Verity (2026) – News – Imdb.
↩︎ - Szalai, Georg. “Anne Hathaway-Starring ‘verity,’ Based on Colleen Hoover Novel, Gets May 2026 Release Date.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2025.
↩︎ - Isaac. “All about the Movie The Love Hypothesis: Cast, Plot, and Release Date.” Actualidad Literatura, Actualidad Literatura, 22 July 2025.
↩︎ - Vick, Megan. “Lili Reinhart Shares ‘The Love Hypothesis’ Release Date Update.” Swooon, Swooon, 4 Jan. 2026.
↩︎ - Cranswick, Amie. “Trailer for Colleen Hoover Adaptation Reminders of Him Starring Maika Monroe.” Flickering Myth, Flickering Myth, 21 Oct. 2025.
↩︎ - Bryant, Jacob. “‘Project Hail Mary’ Release Date, Cast and Everything We Know about the Ryan Gosling Movie.” TheWrap, 30 June 2025.
↩︎ - Pierre, Mekishana. “‘Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Trailer Teases First Look at Panem’s Most Brutal Challenge, Haymitch’s Origin Story.” EW.Com, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Nov. 2025.
↩︎ - McIlvaine, Brookie. “Dive into Remarkably Bright Creatures with Sally Field and Lewis Pullman May 8.” Netflix Tudum, Netflix Tudum, 7 Jan. 2026.
↩︎