Now more than ever, the market for book adaptations is booming. Here are eight of the most anticipated TV or film adaptations for fans to follow along with.
3 Body Problem
Part of this engaging sci-fi thriller takes place in the middle of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Scientist Ye Wenjie is arrested while protesting and taken to a secret government laboratory. She manages to contact an alien race called Trisolarans, from a hellish, erratic planet that orbits three stars. They intend to invade Earth in four centuries and make it into a place habitable for only them. Other threads of the story happen in the present day, as other major characters attempt to thwart the invasion plan. Jin Cheng believes the answer lies in a VR game that explains the aforementioned “three body problem” of the Trisolarans’ system.
Originally written by Cixin Liu and translated into English by Ken Liu, the book trilogy was picked up by Netflix and granted 3 seasons. The main cast includes Jovan Adepo, Jess Hong, Liam Cunningham, Benedict Wong, and Eiza González. The first season is available to watch on Netflix now, and was rated a 7.5/10 on IMDb.
Watch the trailer here!
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
Another viral Netflix original series, this twisty murder mystery was based off Holly Jackson’s three-book series. Protagonist Pip Fitz-Amobi takes a deep dive into a local cold case; the vanishing of Andie Bell. She interviews Andie’s friends and enemies, whoever may have known Andie’s whereabouts or about her boyfriend’s subsequent suicide. The further Pip and her investigation partner Ravi go, the more secrets they discover about the missing girl’s life. And more worryingly, someone has been monitoring their every move and threatening them to stop pressing their luck.
Watch the trailer here!
It Ends With Us
The film version of Colleen Hoover’s sensation novel premiered in theaters August 9th. Lily Bloom runs away to Boston to start her life over and open a flower shop, leaving her checkered past behind. When she meets surgeon Ryle Kincaid, sparks fly between them instantly. Yet as time goes by, Ryle’s temper flares more and more often, causing Lily to question herself. A chance reunion with her first love, Atlas, forces her to think hard about how love is supposed to feel and gives her the strength to take back her life.
With Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni at the forefront, it demonstrates how abuse can masquerade as love. And for someone from a broken home like Lily, separating the two is no easy task.
Watch the trailer here!
Uglies
Scott Westerfield’s dystopian duology comes to the screen on Netflix on September 13th. The story’s society is divided between Pretties, who received cosmetic surgery when they came of age, and Uglies, who did not receive it. Sixteen-year-old Tally desperately wants to become Pretty like her friends, but rebel Shay rejects the idea that people need surgery to be pretty. When Tally arrives for the procedure, she is tasked with turning in Shay and others like her to the government. She accepts, but as she learns more about the rebels and why they ran away, she starts to question her mission. What does the surgery really do to people? And is being Pretty worth ruining her new friendships?
Watch the trailer here!
Turtles All The Way Down
Fans of Paper Towns or The Fault In Our Stars, this is your cup of tea. High schooler Aza Holmes struggles with intrusive thoughts and germaphobia caused by OCD. Because of this, she believes she may never find a relationship, which her best friend Daisy disagrees with. Daisy encourages her to contact Davis, whom Aza liked years ago. While there, they decide to investigate what happened to Davis’s missing father for a major reward. Over the course of the story, Aza uncovers a mystery, explores her feelings for Davis, and deals with the highs and lows of her mental disorder.
This John Green novel adaptation has his fanbase’s approval in IMDb, said to be the best adaptation of his since Fault In Our Stars. In addition, Aza is a largely accurate depiction of how OCD can affect a person and their relationships with others. Turtles is available to watch on Max now.
Watch the trailer here!
Fool Me Once
This crime thriller by Harlan Coben became a Netflix mini-series just this month. Maya Stern witnesses the murder of her husband and, to protect her remaining family, places a nanny cam in her daughter’s room. One day she sees something shocking in the footage; her late husband Joe, perfectly unharmed. No one else seems to believe her, except Detective Sami Kierce. He reopens Joe’s homicide case as well as Maya’s murdered sister’s case. From there, secrets are discovered on all sides, including Maya’s own.
Watch the trailer here!
Mickey-17
Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho returns for this adaptation of Edward Ashton’s dystopian thriller Mickey7. On the icy planet of Niflheim, missions can be deadly. Society created the Expendables, or humans whose mind regenerates into a new body after death. Mickey Barnes, or Mickey7, his seventh version, is on one such mission when he disappears from the eyes of his facility. He manages to survive and come back home, but he’s already been replaced by another clone. Mickey7 needs to rejoin his base to stay alive, but if he is caught, there’s no regenerating this time.
Bong’s film, releasing in 2025, will be titled Mickey-17, and feature Robert Pattinson as Mickey. In the meantime, give the book a read. When I tell you it hooks you in, I mean it.
The Perfect Couple
This mystery mini-series based on Elin Hildebrand’s novel will premiere on Netflix on September 5th. The wedding of Abby and Tag Winbury promises to be one of Nantucket’s most memorable. Held at the Winburys’ stunning beach estate, the families in attendance expect nothing but the finest of ceremonies. The mood changes the morning of the event, when a dead body washes up on the harbor; someone they all know. Each member of the party is interrogated by the police, and they discover that no couple, not even the Winburys, are perfect.
The series stars Dakota Fanning, Liev Schreiber, and Nicole Kidman as Tag’s mother. In a few short weeks, Hildebrand’s adaptation will be streaming on Netflix for one season.
Watch the trailer here!
Whether you’re a book enthusiast since the beginning or just seeing the adaptation, each of these is worth a watch, as well as a read. Even if not every detail is perfectly accurate, the spirit and message of the sources remain unchanged.
