24 Books To Read Before They Come To A Screen Near You
Since some believe 2016 is the worst year for summer movies ever (highly debatable, BTW), it seems like now’s a good time to start that summer reading list you scribbled on a napkin earlier this year.
Over the next two years — and probably longer, since a ton of movies currently have no premiere date — theaters will be filled with even more book-to-film adaptations we pray will do the novels justice. Also, it’s important to note all listed dates are tentative, since some movies just seem to take FOREVER to complete.
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
When: January 27, 2017
Who: Bradley Cooper, Britt Robertson, Dennis Quaid
What: Cooper voices a dog who’s reincarnated as various puppers over the course of several lifetimes, looking to find his purpose in life.
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
When: February 10, 2017
What: The sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey, Darker follows Anastasia Steele (Johnson) as she learns more about the seedy past of her lover, Christian Grey (Dornan).
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
When: February 17, 2017
Who: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Jackie Earle Haley, Abbey Lee
What: King’s eight-book series follows the gunslinger Roland Deschain (Elba) as he pursues a dark tower he thinks is the key to saving the world.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
When: April 7, 2017
Who: The Suite Life on Deck’s Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Elena Kampouris
What: After Sam (Deutch) dies on February 12, she’s forced to relive that day over and over, unraveling the mystery of her death.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
When: November 17, 2017
Who: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Daveed Diggs
What: A young boy (Tremblay) with a rare facial deformity attends a new school and desperately wants to fit in with his peers. The first look from the film was released recently, and Tremblay is 100 percent unrecognizable.
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
When: June 2, 2017
Who: Ed Helms, Kevin Hart, Kristen Schaal, Jordan Peele, Nick Kroll
What: Two kids hypnotize their school principal into thinking he is their comic-book superhero, Captain Underpants.
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
When: July 28, 2017
Who: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Nick Jonas (tentatively)
What: The reboot of the classic 1995 film starring Robin Williams, the film is described on IMDb as a “reimagining” of the story about a magical board game.
It by Stephen King
When: September 8, 2017
Who: Bill Skarsgård, Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Lieberher
What: After children start mysteriously dying, a group of kids known as “The Losers Club” face off against the evil entity responsible — which takes the shape of a clown named Pennywise.
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
When: October 20, 2017
Who: Idris Elba, Kate Winslet
What: Two plane crash survivors seek help while sustaining serious injuries.
The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
When: 2017
Who: Asa Butterfield, Nick Offerman, Alex Wolff, Ellen Burstyn
What: Two teen boys combat the drama of high school by forming a punk band.
Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival by Yossi Ghinsberg
When: 2017
Who: Daniel Radcliffe, Yasmin Kassim, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell
What: Four friends — a mystic, a geologist, a photographer, and an adventurer — travel into the jungle and end up fighting for their survival. Based on a true story.
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
When: 2017
Who: Teen Beach Movie's Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser
What: This graphic novel gives us a peek into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer (Lynch) before he became a cold-blooded serial killer.
The Death Cure by James Dashner
When: February 9, 2018
What: The final book in the Maze Runner trilogy, Thomas (O’Brien) and his friends frantically search for a cure to “The Flare,” a terminal disease that nearly destroyed the world.
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
When: February 9, 2018
Who: Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Tyler Hoechlin, Arielle Kebbel
What: Anastasia Steele (Johnson) and Christian Grey (Dornan) try to make their relationship work while battling their own inner demons.
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
When: March 2, 2018
What: The first in a series about Dominika Egorova and Nathaniel Nash, Red Sparrow follows a Russian spy who develops a love affair with a CIA officer.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
When: March 9, 2018
Who: Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay (director)
What: Three kids are forced to travel through space and time to locate a family’s missing father.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
When: March 30, 2018
Who: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance
What: People living in a virtual reality world compete in an 1980s-themed scavenger hunt, the prize being a rich man’s entire fortune.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
When: 2018
Who: Dakota Fanning, Kirsten Dunst (director and cowriter)
What: Esther Greenwood (Fanning) begins losing control of her life while battling her mental illness.
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
When: TBA (However, it will premiere at the 2016 New York Film Festival.)
What: Famous explorer Percy Fawcett (Hunnam) travels to the Amazon to locate an ancient civilization, but mysteriously vanishes. Based on a true story.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
When: TBA
Who: Elle Fanning
What: When a boy and girl inadvertently meet at the top of a bell tower, they develop an interesting relationship.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
When: TBA
Who: Johnny Depp
What: A scientist slowly becomes insane when he makes himself invisible.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
When: TBA
Who: Daisy Ridley
What: The first in the Chaos Walking trilogy, this story involves a womanless land where all the residents can hear each other's thoughts. The film’s taken forever to be made, but with Ridley’s recent casting announcement, maybe the ball will finally get rolling.
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
When: TBA
Who: TBA
What: Osborne’s beloved series will reportedly be a string of movies following two siblings with a tree house that can transport them through space and time. The first film will focus on the 29th book in the series, Christmas in Camelot.
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
When: TBA
Who: TBA
What: Deadline announced the news August 9, so details are sparse. The fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia saga follows two friends who must save Prince Rillian from a horrendous witch.
