9 Book-To-Film Adaptations We Can’t Wait To See

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The news was so shocking that I gasped upon reading the headline and frantically texted my close circle of friends using every exclamatory emoji at my immediate disposal. OMG!!! I confirmed with a copy-and-pasted link from the reputable-looking source — The Devil Wears Prada 2 is happening! With an official May 2026 release date and everything.

I share this anecdote not just as a subtle reminder to unearth your cerulean sweater from 2006. The Devil Wears Prada also happens to be a prime example of a buzzy and beloved book that turned into an equally buzzy and beloved movie. (FYI, its sequel is inspired by Lauren Weisberger’s 2013 novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns.) Yes, “the book is better” is an automatic default. I don’t have room to list all the recent examples here, but I’m still looking at you, The Glass Castle and The Girl on the Train. But it’s oh-so-satisfying when a movie adaptation expands on the original source material and delivers the goods.

This proclamation doesn’t just apply to every iteration of Little Women. Oscar darling Conclave was a novel. There would be no Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni drama had Colleen Hoover not first written about domestic abuse with such poignancy in It Ends with Us. A decade later, I still harbor mixed feelings about the casting of Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in the movie version of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, but I’m willing to let it slide in the name of director David Fincher’s artistry.

So now that you’ve spent the summer catching up on beach reads and have done your own internal casting, let’s turn the page and see the drama play out on the big and small screens. (And, if you’re not caught up yet, there’s still time.) Tantalizing options back for seconds are in the mix, from a thriller by the master of suspense to a popular The Wizard of Oz prequel.

Here’s a roundup of the eight most highly anticipated adaptations coming this fall. Enjoy the shows!


The Thursday Murder Club

Based on: Richard Osman’s 2020 novel

Starring: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Naomie Ackie

Premiere: Is currently on Netflix

The Buzz: This juicy caper set in an English retirement village follows four feisty pals — played by Mirren, Brosnan, Kingsley and Imrie — who meet up every Thursday to delve into unsolved murders for fun. After a case hits close to home, they start investigating. Director Chris Columbus, who gave us Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire, promised that the witty humor and emotional complexity in Osman’s debut novel has “been preserved.” Couple that vibe with a classy British cast that includes two Oscar winners and a former James Bond, and we’ve got bloody good times.

 
Cold Storage

Based on: David Koepp’s 2019 novel

Starring: Liam Neeson, Joe Keery, Lesley Manville, Sosie Bacon

Premiere: Feb. 6, 2026 in theaters

The Buzz: You probably don’t recognize his name, but Koepp scripted blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible (the first and best one!) and Panic Room. Now he adapts his white-knuckled debut thriller about a Pentagon bioterror operative sent to investigate a suspected biochemical attack. The agent finds a highly mutative organism capable of extinction-level destruction. Though he buries it beneath a little-used military repository, the specimen ends up getting out. Non-spoiler spoiler: Neeson plays the operative, so relax, we’re going to be fine… maybe.

 
Regretting You

Based on: Colleen Hoover’s 2019 novel

Starring: Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood, Clancy Brown

Premiere: October 24 in theaters

The Buzz: Hoover’s relatable storytelling and strong connection with her readers has turned her into a literary force. (It’s a “BookTok” thing, apparently.) Her latest drama centers on Morgan (Williams), a single mom who struggles putting her ambitions on hold to raise Clara (Grace). Their fraught relationship is put to the test in the aftermath of a car accident that kills two members of their family. Amid the trauma, Morgan snags a love interest (Franco). It’s unclear how closely the film adaptation will adhere to Hoover’s heartbreaking material; luckily, the author serves as an executive producer.
 

The Running Man

Based on: Stephen King’s 1982 novel (writing as Richard Bachman)

Starring: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones

Premiere: November 21 in theaters

The Buzz: The future is today! Given that King’s sci-fi work was set in a dystopian 2025, it’s no wonder producers were eager to update the flashy-but-musty 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The sinister story revolves around a game show called The Running Man, where contestants win money by evading a team of hit men sent to murder them. Cash-strapped Ben Richards (Powell) is the player aiming for victory. It’s promising that the magnetic Powell (Twisters, Anyone But You) has already proven himself a box-office winner.


Wicked for Good

Based on: Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West 

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, Keala Settle

Premiere: November 21 in theaters

The Buzz: Why leave at intermission? We’ve already met the green-skinned villain (Erivo) back when she was a misunderstood outsider at college, reluctantly rooming with pretty-in-pink Galinda (Grande). The second half of the magnificent Golden Globe-winning blockbuster musical focuses on the consequences of Elphaba breaking bad. The newly named Glinda, meanwhile, becomes a favorite in Oz. P.S. I fully acknowledge that the Wicked Witch of the West character really dates back to L. Frank Baum’s 1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But Maguire supplied the backstory, and the 2003 Broadway musical provided the soaring anthems.

 
Hamnet

Based on: Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel

Starring: Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson

Premiere: November 27 in select theaters; December 12 nationwide

The Buzz: This is a fictionalized, emotionally charged account of William Shakespeare’s turbulent family life, which was rooted in the death of his 11-year-old son in the 16^th century. The powerful love story inspires the playwright, played by Mescal (Gladiator 2), to create the devastating classic Hamlet. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) co-wrote the screenplay with O’Farrell, whose book has sold two million copies in the United States and UK and has been translated into 40 languages. Leave tissues home at your own risk.


Frankenstein

Based on: Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic horror

Starring: Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz

Premiere: October 17 in theaters; November 7 on Netflix

The Buzz: More than 60 films have been made based on Shelley’s original novel about a young Swiss scientist tinkering in his lab and giving life to a havoc-wreaking monster. But this iteration is adapted and directed by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), an auteur known for his inventive and fantastical storytelling in the horror genre. (He’s also been trying to bring his artistic vision for Frankenstein to the screen for 25 years.) Isaac stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein with the strapping Elordi (Saltburn) as the terrifying monster.


The Housemaid

Based on: Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar

Premiere: December 25 in theaters

The Buzz: Millions of readers who landed this dishy read on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year can’t be wrong! The plot: Millie (Sweeney) is a down-on-her-luck woman determined to make a fresh start as a housemaid. She soon discovers that the secrets of her upscale bosses — Seyfried and Sklenar portray the shady couple in question — prove far more dangerous than her own. If the film becomes a blockbuster as well, note that McFadden has already polished off two hit sequels.


The Woman in Cabin 10

Based on: Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel

Starring: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, Daniel Ings, Kaya Scodelario, David Ajala, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Premiere: Currently on Netflix

The Buzz: If being trapped on a cruise ship is your worst nightmare, welcome aboard! Journalist Laura “Lo” Blacklock (Knightley) witnesses a passenger tossed overboard late one night, only to be told that she must have imagined it because all passengers are accounted for. Despite a slew of denials and dismissals, she sets out to prove the truth and puts herself in danger in the process. There are twists in store — but like me, it’s totally possible that you read this bestseller when it hit big nearly a decade ago and forgot them all.

Which of the above are YOU most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments below.