Book-nerd or not, when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, we tend to enjoy reading the book first before viewing the story on screen. While a lot of us genuinely like to take the ‘read-the-book-first’ route, we still find ourselves running out of time to get through an entire book before the film is already out.
In other words, we need a heads-up of when and where film-adaptations are coming out so we can get stuck into the literary counterpart—asap.
Last year we saw some amazing book-to-screen adaptations surface, such as the sci-fi epic Dune starring Timothée Chalamet, Jane Campion’s neo-Western The Power of the Dog, and Lady Gaga-fronted thriller House of Gucci.
This year on the release-radar, we saw the likes of Persuasion, The Girl Before, and Where The Crawdads Sing make their way swiftly onto both our ‘to-read’ and ‘to-watch’ lists simultaneously.
So, whether you’re a fan of a book and can’t wait to see if your favourite character meets your expectations, or you’re just wanting to know when and where to see the next book-to-screen flick, read on.
Below is a list of the best book-to-screen adaptations for 2022. Trust us, you’ll want to bookmark this.
The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
The Girl Before was the psychological thriller on everyone’s lips this year. The story follows Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Rawnd in the adaptation) who has found a beautiful minimalist home designed by an enigmatic architect, Edward Monkford (David Oyelowo) to rent.
Jane quickly learns there is a long list of strange rules she must abide by when living in the house, plus she gets a peculiar housekeeper system that gathers information on “the user experience”.
She also discovers something strange has happened to Emma–the girl who lived in the house before. We’ve got chills.
The Girl Before is out now on BINGE. Sign up for a 14-day free trial here.
If you want to read The Girl Before first before you see the screen adaptation, click here.
Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie
The mystery thriller film Death On The Nile is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The film features a star-studded cast including Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Gal Gadot and Kenneth Branagh. (It also stars Armie Hammer in what may be the last film of his career, after the actor was accused of sexual assault, which he denies, and of harbouring rape and cannibalism fantasies, which he also denies but which do not carry a criminal charge. The ethics of releasing and/or seeing a film with such serious allegations surrounding one of its stars is, naturally, questionable.)
We are taken on a journey with Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who embarks on an Egyptian vacation on a glamourous river steamer. Much to his surprise, his journey turns into a search for a murderer when a couple’s honeymoon is tragically cut short.
Death On The Nile is available now on Disney Plus. Sign up to watch it here, or if you want to read the book before you see the film, head here.
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A quiet village has been flooded for many years with rumours of the “Marsh Girl” who supposedly killed popular local icon, Chase Andrews. Fingers immediately pointed at Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones)—an outcast who fits the bill. Clark is a naturalist that learns life skills mainly through the land and the real world. She is independent and unique but when two young men from town pique her interest, everything goes eerily wrong.
This coming-of-age story mixed with crime drama highlights themes of isolation, abandonment at a young age and the human desire to belong.
Directed by Olivia Newman and co-produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter, Where The Crawdads Sing is available on Netflix. You can read the book here.
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
This intelligent novel follows former lovers, now best friends, Frances (Alison Oliver) and Bobbi (Sasha Lane) who perform spoken word poetry together in Dublin.
The pair meet an older journalist, Melissa (Jemima Kirke) at one of their shows and form an unexpected connection with her and her husband Nick (Joe Alwyn). Their connection grows (for better or for worse) as Bobbi flirts with Melissa, while Frances begins an affair with Nick.
Conversations With Friends is expertly written to emphasise the pleasures and dangers of youth, with themes of friendship, lust and jealousy—front and centre.
The BBC Three and Hulu Original series is available in Australia on Prime Video. Click here to sign up for a 30-day trial.
Or, if you’re a book-before-film person, read Conversations With Friends here.
Anatomy Of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
The six-part series delves into the story of a woman whose high-profile husband is caught in the middle of a scandalous secret that could threaten the integrity of the Westminster Government and tear a family apart.
Described as a psychological thriller and courtroom drama, the adaptation was brought to life by a star-studded cast led by Sienna Miller.
Season one of Anatomy Of A Scandal premiered this year on Netflix. But before tuning in, read the book here.
Daisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
We see the meteoric rise of the band Daisy Jones and The Six, and more interestingly, the push-pull relationship between LA-based singer-songwriter Daisy Jones (Riley Keough), and The Six frontman Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin).
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late ‘60s, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip and sleeping with rock stars. On the other hand, Billy goes wild on the road after finding out his girlfriend Camila is pregnant.
Daisy and Billy cross paths thanks to a producer pairing them together, and the rest is history.
Daisy Jones And The Six will premiere next year on March 3 on Prime Video. So, read the book while you wait, here.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Dolly Alderton’s memoir and debut book, Everything I Know About Love sees Alderton bring her self-deprecating, hilarious and at times, heartbreaking musings on love, friendship and relationships from her 20s, to the page.
The series was penned by Alderton and directed by China Moo-Young, and is a romantic comedy following two best friends who take their first step into adulthood.
Everything I Know About Love is available to watch now on Stan, and you can read the book first here.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Persuasion is a modern and witty approach to a beloved story while remaining true to Jane Austen’s novel, as described by Netflix and MRC.
The story follows Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) who lives with her snobby family who are on the brink of bankruptcy. When Elliot meets Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), her ex-lover that she sent away many years ago, she is given a second chance at love.
Joining Johnson and Jarvis in this film include Henry Golding, Suki Waterhouse and Yolanda Kettle.
Persuasion is available to watch on Netflix. Read the book first on Booktopia here.
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
If you’re a Harry Styles fan, chances are this film (and book) is already on your radar.
My Policeman is set in the late 90s, when the arrival of an elderly man, Patrick, at Marion and Tom’s house triggers an exploration of events from 40 years ago. Namely, the relationship between Tom and Patrick (at a time when homosexuality was illegal).
My Policeman is available to watch now on Prime Video, and you can read the book first on Booktopia.
Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith
A vicious and suspenseful tale of love gone sour.
Deep Water follows Vic and Melinda Van Allen’s loveless marriage. To avoid divorce, the two agree on an arrangement where Melinda can take on any number of lovers as long as she doesn’t desert her family. Eventually, Vic can no longer suppress his jealousy and aims to win his wife back through extreme (and tragic) means.
A complex story of betrayal, Highsmith highlights the chilling reality behind the façade of American suburban life.
Deep Water stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, and is ready to stream now on Prime Video. Read the book first here.
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