We love a good adaptation and there are plenty to look forward to this year. Here are 10 books being adapted for movie we think you may want to look out for this year.
Annihilation – February 23
Based upon Alex Garland’s screenplay of the novel of the same name, Annihilation stars Natalie Portman as a biologist named Lena who, along with her team, adventures into a mysterious and dangerous disaster zone in order to try and save her husband. Billed as a sci-fi, horror, action film, Annihilation’s characters must fight to survive as they explore a beautiful but deadly world full of fantastic creatures that defy science. They will be tested to their limits as they try to understand this strange new world and uncover its secrets. The film is set to be released in cinemas in the US but will head straight to Netflix in other territories.
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Red Sparrow – March 2
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, and Jeremy Irons, Red Sparrow follows a young Russian woman named Dominika Egorova (Lawrence) who has trained at the Sparrow school to become an extremely talented and dangerous spy. Her loyalty to her country is tested when she falls in love with an American spy who she has been tasked with exposing. Red Sparrow is based upon a book of the same name that was published in 2014 by author Jason Mathews. Red Sparrow looks like the perfect film for those who enjoy tales of spies and espionage in the lineage of James Bond and Jason Borne.
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A Wrinkle in Time – March 9th
Originally published in 1962, Madaleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time has become a favourite sci-fi fantasy novel for young adults. The books tells the story of a young girl named Meg who embarks upon an adventure through space and time to save her father, a gifted scientist who is being held prisoner by evil forces on another planet. The title refers to a ‘wrinkle’ Meg and her friends can use to travel vast distances through space within moments. The book has been adapted many times since its release, from a 2003 film adaptation to an opera, but this year Disney is releasing a new film version that features a star-studded cast with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Pine. The previous film adaptation failed to live up to the quality of the books and, when asked if it met her expectations, L’Engle said “Oh, yes. I expected it to be bad, and it is.” Here’s hoping this new version will prove to be better.
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Ready Player One – March 29
In the year 2044, global warming and an energy crisis has rendered Earth a stagnant and undesirable place to be. In order to escape their bleak surroundings, most people spend their time in a virtual online world called OASIS, where they can be whoever they want and do whatever they please. After the game’s creators dies, he reveals that he has hidden an Easter Egg in OASIS and whoever finds it will be awarded a huge sum of money and control of the game itself. The film will follow Wade Watts, a young player who works with his friends to try and uncover the secrets of OASIS. However, the competition is fierce and it soon becomes apparent that there are those who will go to extreme lengths to be the winner. The film adaptation is being directed and produced by the famed Steven Spielberg and will feature many references to other famous franchises such as Back to the Future, King Kong, DC comics, The Lord of the Rings, The A-Team, Mad Max, Tomb Raider, Street Fighter, Overwatch, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The book was critically acclaimed upon its release and so far it looks like the film will live up to the hype.
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First Man – October 12
First Man will star Ryan Gosling as the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. The film is based upon James R. Hansen’s First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong and will depict the years leading up to one of the most remarkable moments in human history. The film is being directed by Damien Chazelle, who is best known for directing the 2017 film La La Land. There’s certainly a great deal of talent behind this movie and, if they pull it off, it could well be one of the biggest films of the year. With any luck, First Man will bring the triumph of the first moon landing to viewers who weren’t able to see it first hand, and explore the life of the man who made history.
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Mowgli – October 19
Fans of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book will no doubt have enjoyed Disney’s live-action film version in 2016, but did you know that Warner Bros. is also working on a live-action version? It seems great minds think alike and Warner Bros. had to delay its film when Disney’s released. Two years later and we’ll get to see a new take on the book in the form of the film Mowgli. Mowgli is being directed by Andy Serkis, best known for doing the motion capturing and voice of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, and the film features a star-studded cast. Andy Serkis will be voicing Baloo the Bear, Christian Bale will voice Bagheera the panther, Benedict Cumberbatch will voice the evil tiger Shere Khan, and Cate Blanchett will voice Kaa the snake. We hope Mowgli will be yet another film adaptation that is worthy of its source material.
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The Grinch – November 9
Fans of Dr Seuss fans will be pleased to learn that a new adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is set to be released this Holiday season. The Jim Carrey adaptation in the year 2000 saw the Grinch in a live-action movie but this new version will be animated and feature Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the titular character. As you can probably guess, the film will follow the Grinch as he hatches a plan to try and ruin Christmas for the residents of Whoville. No doubt this will be a must-see film this Christmas for children both young and old.
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The Girl in the Spider’s Web – November 9
Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy introduced the world to the troubled but brilliant heroine Lisbeth Salander as she and her friend, a journalist named Mikael Blomkvist unravel a series of murders and mysteries that has readers hooked. Despite plans for future books after the first three, Larsson passed away unexpectedly and his publisher hired David Lagercrantz to continue where Larsson left off. There has been some criticism from fans over whether Larsson would want another writer to continue his story, but nonetheless, two books have since been published, The Girl in the Spider’s Web and The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye. Larsson’s books have been adapted into film in both Sweden and in the US and it has been announced that a film adaptation of The Girl in the Spider’s Web is set to be released later this year. The film will see Claire Foy star as Lisbeth Salander and Sverrir Gudnason as Blomkvist.
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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – November 16
2016 saw the return of the world of wizards and magic, much to the delight of Harry Potter fans around the world, with the new film inspired by the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The film saw Eddie Redmayne step into the role of Newt Scamander in a new adventure that took us to New York in the 1920’s. A sequel to the film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is coming out in November and will see Newt return as he teams up with Albus Dumbledore to thwart the evil schemes of Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp. Like the original film, the screenplay has been written by Rowling herself so it seems we can expect the same level of quality we got from her books.
Mortal Engines – December 14
Peter Jackson shot to fame in the early 2000’s for his stellar film adaptations of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He then went on to bring The Hobbit to the big screen and now he has turned his attention to another popular series of fantasy books, Phillip Reeve’s Mortal Engines. The books tell the story of a post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by war and is running low on resources. The city of London has been put on huge wheels and equipped with mighty engines that allow it to roam the lands and devour smaller towns and cities for their resources. Sounds like an ambitious story to film, but Jackson certainly has experience with that sort of thing! The film will star Hugo Weaving who played Elrond in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. This certainly looks like an adventure to look forward to!
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