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The Most Exciting Book-to-Screen Adaptations of 2026
2026 has been a bumper year for book-to-screen adaptations. These are the ones we're most looking forward to.
Whether you’re a book-to-movie person or prefer to catch the movie before the book, there’s something intrinsically satisfying about comparing and contrasting two pieces of art when it comes to adaptations. Sure, it can cause controversy (we’re looking at your Wuthering Heights!), but it can also lead us to appreciate a text on a deeper level, or bring to life a world even our imaginations can’t comprehend.
With 2026 already heavy on the book-to-screen adaptations (think Project Hail Mary, The Bride!, Margot’s Got Money Troubles), we’re excited to continue the year with a few more highly anticipated films and TV shows. Read on for the book-to-movie adaptations we’re most looking forward to.
Book-to-Movie Adaptations: With Release Dates
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew | February 2027
Greta Gerwig is heading to Narnia — and she’s bringing Meryl Streep, Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey and Carey Mulligan with her. Her adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s origin story follows two children who stumble into a dying world, encounter an ancient evil, and bear witness to the magical birth of Narnia itself. It hits IMAX globally on February 12th, 2027, with Netflix to follow on April 2nd. If you haven’t revisited the book since childhood, now’s the moment.
The Nightingale | February 2027
Known for her emotionally heart-wrenching historical fiction novels, and The Nightingale is arguably one of her best. Set in France during the Nazi occupation of WWII, the film depicts two estranged sisters as they fight for survival in their own ways. We couldn’t think of a better onscreen duo than the Fanning sisters to bring this project to life, and it’ll actually be the first time they’ve worked together! Vianne Mauriac (the sensible and reserved older sister) will be played by Dakota, while Isabelle Rossignol (the feisty and rebellious sister) will be played by Elle.
The film is slated to premiere in February 2027 and frankly, we can’t wait.
H is For Hawk | May 2026
Based on Helen McDonald’s global bestseller, this quietly disarming film follows Helen’s journey as she navigates the grief of losing her father. Obsessed by the memories she shared birding with her father, Helen sets herself the challenge of training her own wild goshawk. Portrayed by BAFTA-nominated actress Claire Foy, we’re anticipating a heartfelt exploration of grief via the healing power of the natural world.
Book your ticket via Dendy Cinemas
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The Odyssey | July 2026
Slated to be one of the most exciting films of 2026, The Odyssey brings together one of the oldest pieces of literature (over 2500 years, in fact) and one of the most star-studded casts we’ve seen in a while. The epic saga follows the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, on his ten-year journey home from the Trojan war. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the highly anticipated adaptation features Matt Damon as the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, and also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Elliot Page and more. One we’re definitely going to be seeing on the big screen.
Book your tickets via Dendy Cinemas
Book your tickets via Event Cinemas
Book-to-Movie Adaptations: In The Works
The God of the Woods
Maya Hawke and Kerry Condon are heading to Netflix in what’s shaping up to be the prestige thriller of the season. Based on Liz Moore’s bestselling novel, the series pulls you into the world of a wealthy Adirondacks family whose darkest secrets resurface when a girl goes missing from their summer camp — decades after another child vanished in exactly the same way. It’s got literary credibility, slow-burn dread, and the kind of cast that makes you clear your weekend. Filming kicks off this June, so now is the perfect time to get ahead of it.
Beach Read
BookTok has had opinions — loud ones — since Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger were announced as January and Gus in the film adaptation of Emily Henry’s beloved rom-com. Even Henry herself has addressed the fan reaction, which tells you just how passionately people feel about this one. The story follows two neighbouring writers who dare each other to swap genres for the summer — warm, witty, and genuinely swoony. No official release date yet, but with filming expected later this year, it’s shaping up to be a 2027 theatre date worth circling.
Strangers
Gwyneth Paltrow is making up for lost time. Twelve years after stepping back from acting, she’s starring in — and executive producing — Netflix’s adaptation of Belle Burden’s New York Times bestselling memoir, Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage. The story begins at a Martha’s Vineyard home in the early days of the pandemic, where everything feels safe and still — until Burden’s husband of 20 years walks out without warning, leaving her to piece together who he really was. Intimate, sharp, and already feeling like awards bait. No release date yet, but read the book first.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
You must be living in a rather large pop-culture hole if you haven’t seen this pastel cover on your social media scroll. The fantasy/horror mashup follows the life of ‘tradwife’ Natalie, whose picture-perfect life is upended when she is taken back in time to live as a 19th-century rancher’s wife. Exploring the ever more pertinent theme of Insta vs reality, it has caused division amongst lit lovers.
In fun news, Anne Hathaway’s production company secured the rights to the film an entire year before the book was released, with The Devil Wears Prada star set to star and produce the film adaptations. Stay tuned for details!
No release date
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Netflix has confirmed that this hugely popular 2017 novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid, best known for Daisy Jones and The Six, is preparing to enter production. In exciting news, Reid herself has signed on to executive produce the film, which will follow the story of her protagonist, Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo, as she invites a little-known journalist into her home to tell her life story. No news yet on who is to play Evelyn Hugo, but rumours abound!
No release date
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A fantasy/drama mash-up, promising the exploration of themes of mental health and regret, is on its way to our screens thanks to Matt Haig and…Florence Pugh! Set to star and direct in the adaptations, Pugh will play main character Nora Seed, who, after a sort of midlife crisis, finds herself in an otherworldly library in which she is presented with all the possible versions of her life. We’re expecting a tear-jerker.
No release date
Pride & Prejudice
On the way to disrupt our regular viewing of Keira Knightley’s iconic performance in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice, Netflix is bringing this enduring Jane Austen phenomenon back to our screens. Dolly Alderton, of Everything I Know About Love fame, has sorted the screenplay, whilst Emma Corrin (The Crown, Nosferatu) and Jack Lowden (Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots) take the leads as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. The six-part mini series is slated to be a faithful adaptation, so there’s no need to fret if you’re an Austen fan.
Coming to Netflix summer 2026
Sense and Sensibility
Daisy Edgar-Jones in Austen territory was always going to cause a little drawing-room unrest. The Normal People and Where the Crawdads Sing star plays Elinor Dashwood in Georgia Oakley’s new Sense and Sensibility, with Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne, George MacKay as Edward Ferrars, Frank Dillane as Willoughby, Herbert Nordrum as Colonel Brandon, Caitríona Balfe as Mrs Dashwood and Fiona Shaw as Mrs Jennings. Adapted by bestselling Australian author Diana Reid and backed by Working Title, this has all the right period-drama voltage: inheritance trouble, romantic self-control, bad men in good coats and an Austen fandom ready to inspect every glance.
No Australian release date yet
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Sadie Green feels like casting designed to send book clubs, BookTok and emotionally fragile gamers into the same group chat. Paramount is adapting Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel with CODA Oscar-winner Siân Heder directing, bringing the decades-long story of Sadie and Sam Masur to the screen: childhood friends, creative partners, game designers and the architects of a wildly successful studio built on genius, ego, grief and complicated loyalty. The novel has sold more than four million copies globally, so the pressure is real. Cast Sam and Marx well, and this could be one of the most argued-over literary adaptations on the way.
No release date yet
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
A multigenerational saga, East of Eden is one of Steinbeck’s most well-known novels. Detailing the intermingling of the Hamilton and Trask families, and set against the backdrop of the Salinas Valley in California, the novel explores themes of right and wrong, good and evil and free will.
In contrast to earlier adaptations, we’re looking forward to seeing how this Netflix production tackles telling such an iconic story from the perspective of one of literature’s most despised antiheroes, played by the talented Florence Pugh.
Coming to Netflix summer 2026
FAQs
2026 is a bumper year for adaptations. Confirmed releases include H is For Hawk (May 2026), starring Claire Foy, and The Odyssey (July 2026), directed by Christopher Nolan with an all-star cast. In the pipeline are Netflix’s Pride & Prejudice with Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Midnight Library starring Florence Pugh, East of Eden (also with Florence Pugh), and Yesteryear with Anne Hathaway set to star and produce.
If you loved this edit of the best book-to-screen adaptations, you might also like to read all about the latest releases at the cinemas and on streaming this month. Happy viewing!
