The Most Anticipated Book to Screen Adaptations of 2026
From Project Hail Mary to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, check out the soon-to-be film adaptations of your favorite novels.
In 2026, stories by your favorite authors are coming to life on-screen! From psychological thrillers to slow-burn romances, a whole slew of bestselling novels are being adapted into films and series. The 2026 lineup promises some of the most highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptations yet. Read on to discover which stories you won’t want to miss.
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Release Date: April 15, 2026
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman
This adaptation brings Rufi Thorpe’s 2024 novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles to the screen as an eight-episode Apple TV+ series dropping on April 15, 2026. The show follows Margo, a recent college dropout and new mother who turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet, confronting the realities of adulthood, family expectations, and the messy, joyful struggle to find her place in the world. Starring Elle Fanning as Margo with Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman as her parents, fans are excited to see the beloved novel come to life.
Cape Fear (2026)
Release Date: April 15, 2026
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson
Premiering June 5, Cape Fear is a 10-episode psychological thriller inspired by John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners and the iconic 1962 and 1991 films. Created by Nick Antosca, the series stars Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, and Patrick Wilson. With executive producers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg attached, the show reimagines the classic story for new audiences.
Lord of the Flies (2026)
Release Date: May 4, 2026
Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Winston Sawyers, David McKenna, Thomas Connor
Premiering May 4 on Netflix, Lord of the Flies is a gripping new series inspired by the classic story by William Golding. With a talented ensemble cast, the series explores how isolation and power struggles shape a group of schoolboys who are left to fend for themselves on a deserted island. The season has already earned certified fresh status on our Tomatometer.
Lucky (2026)
Release Date: July 15, 2026
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Drew Starkey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Annette Bening
Premiering July 15, Lucky is Apple TV+’s limited-series adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel. The series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky, a sharp, resourceful con artist whose life unravels after a multi-million-dollar heist goes wrong, leaving her hunted by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss. The cast includes Drew Starkey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner.
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson
Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan follows up Oppenheimer with an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon) in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The film’s massive star-studded ensemble includes Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, and more.
Release Date: October 2, 2026
Director: Michael Showalter
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett
Another Colleen Hoover film adaptation is on the way, this time for her bestseller Verity. The film will center around struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), who is hired under mysterious circumstances to serve as the ghostwriter for celebrated author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). The film is directed by Michael Showalter and also features actor Josh Hartnett.
Release Date: November 20, 2026
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Joseph Zada, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Plemons, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang
The follow-up to the 2023 Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes catches up with a now older Coriolanus Snow, this time played by Ralph Fiennes, as he fields a new crop of tributes that includes a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada). The film is based on Suzanne Collins’ book of the same name, which was published in March of 2025.
TBD
Pride & Prejudice: Limited Series (2026)
Release Date: TBD on Netflix
Director: James Gray
Starring: Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell
Jane Austen’s classic novel is coming to Netflix as a limited series, written by Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love) and directed by Euros Lyn (Doctor Who, Black Mirror). Emma Corrin stars in the period romance as Elizabeth Bennett, a young woman who wants to marry for love but is pressured to enter a marriage of convenience, while Slow Horses star Jack Lowden stars as Mr. Darcy, the wealthy gentleman who falls for Elizabeth.
Sense and Sensibility (2026)
Release Date: TBD
Director: Georgia Oakley
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones
Details are still under wraps, but Focus Features has revealed that Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) will star in a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s timeless classic Sense and Sensibility. The new film is following in the footsteps of versions like Ang Lee’s 1995 film and the acclaimed 2008 drama miniseries.
Kill Your Darlings (2026)
Release Date: TBD
Director: James Gray
Starring: Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is set to lead the film adaptation of Kill Your Darlings, the highly anticipated new novel by author Peter Swanson. This murder mystery unfolds a marriage in reverse order, peeling back layers to reveal a dark and dangerous secret at the heart of the couple’s relationship. The source novel was published in June 2025.
The Love Hypothesis
Release Date: TBD
Director: Claire Scanlon
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Arty Froushan, Tom Bateman, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, Rachel Marsh
Remember when Twilight fan fiction turned into Fifty Shades of Grey? This is sort of like that, but for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and with less BDSM. The source novel for this film started as Star Wars fan fiction that specifically shipped Rey and Kylo Ren, then turned into a novel about a college Biology student (Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart) who falls in love with her professor (Tom Bateman) when the two agree to pretend that they’re dating. Who knows, maybe we’ll get another trilogy out of this.
My Life with the Walter Boys: Season 3
Release Date: TBD
Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Nikki Rodriguez, Sarah Rafferty, Marc Blucas, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry
Based on Ali Novak’s 2014 novel of the same name, My Life With the Walter Boys revolves around teenager Jackie Howard, who loses her family in a car accident. Jackie leaves her New York City life behind and moves in with the Walter family, her new guardians. Caught up in a love triangle with brothers Alex and Cole, Jackie flees back to NYC at the end of the first season. Season 2 was released last Fall, so fans can expect the third season in the latter half of 2026.
Thumbnail image by Sony Pictures
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