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The Most Anticipated Book to Movie Adaptations of 2025-2026
From Frankenstein to Project Hail Mary, check out the soon-to-be film adaptations of your favorite novels.
Are you a book and movie lover? Stories by your favorite authors are coming to life on the big screen! From psychological thrillers to slow-burn romances, a whole slew of bestselling novels are being adapted into films. The 2025-2026 lineup promises some of the most highly anticipated book-to-movie adaptations yet. Read on to discover which stories you won’t want to miss.
- Recommended: The Best Movies of 2025
- Recommended: The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025
NOVEMBER
The Running Man
(2025)
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Karl Glusman
Edgar Wright brings us a new adaptation of the Stephen King sci-fi novel, which first made it onto the big screen in the form of an Arnold Schwarzenegger action extravaganza in 1987. Wright has pledged to make his film more faithful to the original story, as the Schwarzenegger film only took loose inspiration from it, and he’s employed the talents of rising star Glen Powell and Katy O’Brian (The Mandalorian, Love Lies Bleeding), who appeared alongside Powell in Twisters.
Wicked: For Good
(2025)
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Keala Settle
Fans of the classic The Wizard of Oz and the hit Broadway musical Wicked won’t have to wait long for the conclusion of its film adaptation. Closely following the 2024 theatrical release of Wicked, For Good wraps up the story that follows the relationship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who later becomes the “Wicked Witch of the West,” and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the Good Witch of the North. The Broadway musical is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.
Frankenstein
(2025)
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac
Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro finally gets to bring his long-gestating passion project to the big screen. His version of the classic Mary Shelley novel follows Victor Frankenstein as he pieces together and brings a monster to life. While other important details have not yet been revealed, del Toro originally stated he wanted to create a proper “Miltonian tragedy” out of the story, and with his horror pedigree, this feels like a perfect fit.
Hamnet
(2025)
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Director: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) returns with Hamnet, a historical drama adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed 2020 novel. The film centers on Agnes, wife of William Shakespeare, as she grapples with the devastating loss of their son, Hamnet… a tragedy that would later inspire Hamlet. Featuring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in leading roles, the film is already generating buzz among fans and Shakespeare enthusiasts ahead of its release.
DECEMBER
The Housemaid
(2025)
Release Date: December 19, 2025
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone
Paul Feig’s latest film is a psychological thriller based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Freida McFadden. Sydney Sweeney stars as a struggling woman who finds work as a housemaid for an affluent couple (Amanda Seyfried and It Ends with Us’ Brandon Sklenar), only to discover her new employers may harbor some dark secrets. In other words, perfect Christmas Day viewing.
2026
Reminders of Him
(2026)
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Director: Vanessa Caswill
Starring: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Graham.
Avid readers of Colleen Hoover’s novels (including It Ends With Us) will be thrilled to know that another adaptation is in the works, and this time, director Vanessa Caswill is leading the charge with Reminders of Him. Set to premiere March 13, the story centers on Kenna, (Maika Monroe), who, after an outing with her boyfriend, makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Seven years later, she returns to her hometown in Wyoming, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter.
People We Meet on Vacation
(2026)
Release Date: January 9, 2026
Director: Brett Haley
Starring: Tom Blyth, Emily Bader, Sarah Catherine Hook
Based on Emily Henry’s bestseller, People We Meet on Vacation brings to the screen the slow-burn romance of opposites Poppy and Alex, best friends who’ve spent a decade taking one summer trip together each year. But after a falling out two years ago, they haven’t spoken, until Poppy convinces Alex to take one last vacation that just might change everything. The film is directed by Brett Haley (Hearts Beat Loud) and stars Tom Blyth and Emily Bader.
Project Hail Mary
(2026)
Release Date: March 20, 2026
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce
Another high-stakes sci-fi adaptation is headed to the big screen, this time from bestselling author Andy Weir (The Martian). Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, an astronaut who wakes up alone on a space station with no memory of who he is or why he’s there. As fragments of his memory return, he discovers he’s on a mission to the Tau Ceti solar system to stop a cosmic event that has already pushed Earth into the early stages of a new ice age. The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
The Odyssey
(2026)
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.
Verity
(2026)
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.
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.
TBD
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.
Thumbnail image by Sony Pictures
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