@literarypiper
In the hunt for box-office success, Hollywood is always looking for the next big story to bring to life. So it’s only natural that best-selling books have become the industry’s bread and butter.
Utilising an already hyped novel has multiple advantages. Not only is the story all laid out for them, but there’s already a fan-base, which usually translates to guaranteed ticket sales and viewer engagement. Plus, a lot of the time, producers have read the books themselves and experienced the captivating story first-hand.
But with more and more books coming to the big screen then ever, it’s hard to keep track of which of our favourite reads we can expect to see on our screens.
So here is a compilation of the books we loved that have officially been confirmed to be getting a screen adaption.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The novel may have only been published in June, but production companies are already lining up to adapt Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novel. Earlier this month it was confirmed that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelo’s company Milojo Productions would be taking on the project as a limited series with Hulu, having Moreno-Garcia as an executive producer.
Following the story of Noemi Taboada, a young aristocratic woman who sets out to help free her cousin from her new in-laws, the novel is full of some frightful twists and turns that make it hard to put down. It’s been touted as Dracula meets The Yellow Wallpaper. Chilling.
The author noted that she was “excited to see the novel come to life and meet the talented, diverse crew and cast members that will take us on this journey.”
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
One of the best-selling books of 2019 is being produced for Amazon by Reese Witherspoon (she comes up quite a lot when it comes to adapting books to screen).
The novel, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, tracks the meteoric rise and fall of a ‘70s rock band.
The 13-part series will star Riley Keough, Sam Claflin and, most excitingly, will feature a slate of original music which will include the lyrics that Jenkins Reid wrote into the story.
The release date has not been confirmed, but stay tuned if you’re a die-hard fan of Almost Famous, or just generally down for the Woodstock nostalgia.
Circe by Madeline Miller
HBO Max ordered an 8-episode drama series based on the international best-selling novel of the same name by Madeline Miller last year.
And while there has been little information shared since regarding casting or release dates, we’re very excited for this one.
The story is a modern, feminist retelling of the legend of Greek goddess Circe, who transforms from a bumbling nymph to a formidable witch, powerful enough to challenge gods and titans.
Like any good Greek mythology story though, there’s plenty of love, loss, tragedy, immorality and betrayal to be lapped up by viewers.
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Another one brought to Hollywood’s attention by Reese Witherspoon. Along with co-producer Lauren Neustadter, Witherspoon is turning this book into a feature film.
The New York Times best-seller follows Kya, a young girl in North Carolina who is suddenly forced into a life of raising herself and living off of the land. Her life takes a greater turn when she is accused of murdering a local teenager.
The story, set in the ’50s, has been describes as part coming-of-age story and part murder mystery. If you haven’t read the book, we suggest you get onto that ASAP.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
The hype around this novel is very justified, and we were thrilled to hear that it will be adapted into a show for Channel 4 in the U.S—and hopefully streamed somewhere for us fans down under not long after.
Queenie, a best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams published last year, follows a young, intelligent Black journalist growing up in South London. The story is a warm, honest and hilarious read that has captured many a heart.
Since no details have been confirmed, all we can do is speculate and we do love to brainstorm our own casting.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love proved to be a smash-hit at the box-office as well as a sell-out book, so Warner Bros. Pictures didn’t flinch at snapping up her latest best-seller, City of Girls.
In the 1940s, artists, showgirls, and theatre barons flock to New York City, where everything is happening. Gilbert tells a story of ambition, love, female sexuality, ultimately reflecting on the strange places that life takes us. With an incredible spectrum of characters in the book, we’re especially keen to see how casting plays out.
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Streaming service Hulu has announced that it has made an order for a 12-episode series of Rooney’s debut novel, to be directed by Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, who also worked on Normal People.
The novel, which came out in 2017, follows the lives of 21-year olds Frances and Bobbi who become entangled with a married couple and their seemingly alluring life in the Dublin art world. Exploring similar themes to her latter success such as the nuances of love and friendship, the latest adaption is sure to be a hit.
Rooney shared her excitement at the news, “I am so pleased to be working with the team at Element, Lenny Abrahamson and the BBC to produce an adaptation of Conversations With Friends,” she said in a statement released by the BBC. “I’m confident we’re going to find fresh and interesting ways of dramatising the novel’s dynamics, and I’m excited to watch the process take shape.”
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Lena Waithe’s production company and Sight Unseen Pictures have officially acquired the film and television rights to Kiley Reid’s debut novel, Such A Fun Age.
The timely novel, released at the end of 2019, is set around a young Black babysitter who becomes entangled in the turbulent life of a wealthy white mum. With humour, intelligence and heart, Reid confronts themes of morality, resposibility, racism and the everyday biases that we can be blind to.
Waithe has been tight-lipped about the details, so we’re not even sure if it’s going to be a film or a series, but either way, we’re very intrigued.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t love this book. A warm and funny read that really tugged on our heartstrings, it’s not wonder it was optioned as a film adaption.
With Reese Witherspoon at it again, this one has been in the works for a while now, and yet, there are surprising little details to go off of. What we know is that Witherspoon may star in it herself, and that as of January, 2019, the state of the movie was updated on IMDBPro to reflect a completed script. This could just be a draft, and production of many films has come to a halt due to the pandemic, so we’re not trying to get anyones hopes up. All we can do is wait patiently. How frustrating.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Initially set up as a film, the project to adapt Ngozi Adichie’s best-seller quickly turned into a 10-part miniseries to be aired on HBO Max, executive produced by Brad Pitt and Lupita Nyong’o.
Americanah tells the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, a young Nigerian couple who are separated, one ending up in America and the other, London. As they grapple with the racial tensions of a post-9/11 world, as well as their own sense of displacement, the story becomes a highly topical depiction of the realities of race, immigration, identity, and politics.
Nyong’o is set to star in the series, along with Zackary Momoh (Doctor Sleep) and Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black). Filming began in March of this year, but it is unclear as to whether the project has been delayed, and no release date has been confirmed.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
In this silver screen adaption, Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning have been cast to play sisters Isabelle and Vianne, who find themselves struggling to survive in France under the Nazi regime.
This best-selling World War II novel, inspired by stories of the women of the French Resistance who hid and aided Jewish children evade capture, was quickly snapped up by TriStar productions back in 2015. However, with bumps in the road and, well, the pandemic, the release date has now been pushed back to December, 2021. Something to look forward to?
The Stars At Noon by Denis Johnson
This 1986 novel about two mysterious figures whose paths become intertwined in Nicaragua during the 1984 Revolution makes for a highly alluring romantic thriller that is sure to get us talking.
Starring Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) and Robert Pattinson, the film is being directed by Claire Denis and is set for a 2021 release.
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
The Wild dream team of Cheryl Strayed, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern are back for the HBO series adaption of Strayed’s other best-selling book, a collation of pieces from her advice column, Dear Sugar.
The project was announced in 2015 but we’re yet to receive any solid information in terms of a release date that we can immediately pop on our calendars.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Another smash-hit that was quickly scouted as a potential blockbuster, Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, which was only released in June of this year, will be adapted to a series by HBO. It was reported that HBO won a “wild” bidding match for the rights.
Following the respective plights of two sisters who’ve found themselves living wildly different lives, The Vanishing Half is an enthralling and deeply thoughtful story about family, racial identity and the ways we look to untether ourselves from our roots.
Consider us very excited.
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
Ok, this one has already gotten a screen adaption back in 1947, but the reboot looks too enthralling not to include.
This story tells the wild tale of the seedy underbelly of carnivals in the 1940s and the rise and fall of a con-man who ultimately ends up becoming a pawn himself. It’s a raw and gritty exploration of alcoholism and the human condition told through a film noir lens.
The film has been written and will be directed by Guillermo del Toro, and will star Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Toni Colette and Rooney Mara, just to name a few. Production was halted in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and was last reported to resume production in late September. Here’s hoping!
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