It’s been a great year for book adaptations, with classics like The Odyssey and contemporary novels like People We Meet on Vacation generating a lot of buzz as they made their way to the big (and small) screen.
While we love a trip to the cinema, or a Netflix binge, there’s something even more satisfying about reading the original source material – and not just because you can smugly tell your friends, “The book was better.” Reading allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story's world, be that the windswept Yorkshire Moors of Wuthering Heights or the high-stakes space shuttle mission of Project Hail Mary . It gives the film or TV adaptation a richer layer of meaning.
But which books that are being made into movies are actually worth reading? Below, we’ve created a guide to the 19 best book adaptations of 2026 and the novels that inspired them.
Books made into films this year
Film release date: 20th March 2026
In Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, Project Hal Mary , junior high school science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship, with no memory of how he got there, and gradually learns that he is on a last-ditch mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat. For such a high-stakes sci-fi premise, this is a fun, riotous read, full of self-deprecating humour – which is brilliantly brought to life by Ryan Gosling in the film adaptation.
Film release date: 17th July 2026
It’s one of the best-known epic poems, and it was one of the biggest films of the year, adapted by writer and director Christopher Nolan. The action-packed story of Homer's The Odyssey follows the wily Greek warrior Odysseus (played on-screen by Matt Damon) as he embarks on a long journey home following the Trojan War, facing mythical creatures like sirens, cyclopes and witches in his quest to reunite with his faithful wife Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway). The film also stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
Film release date: 9th January 2026
Emily Henry’s friends-to-lovers romance got the Netflix treatment earlier this year, with Tom Blyth and Emily Bader playing routine-obsessed Alex and free-spirited Poppy respectively. The slow-burn romance follows Alex and Poppy, two best friends whose relationship is at a crossroads until they go on a make-or-break holiday. Both the film and TV show are funny, heartfelt, and full of sizzling chemistry.
Film release date: 28th August, 2026
Alex North’s creepy psychological thriller , about the potential return of a serial killer to a sleepy village, has been adapted into a Netflix film starring Robert de Niro and Adam Scott that had 33.4 million views in the first week of its release. The film is gripping but the book is even more immersive, exploring the relationship between fathers and sons against the backdrop of a killer who’s targeting children.
Film release date: 23rd January 2026
Helen Macdonald’s moving 2014 memoir about learning to train a goshawk while grieving the loss of her father has been adapted into a BAFTA-nominated film starring Claire Foy in the lead role. Both the film and the memoir are profound, emotionally raw meditations on grief that stay with you long after you’ve finished them.
Film release date: 5th February 2026
Isabel Greenberg’s 2017 graphic novel, hailed as a “feminist fairytale”, has been adapted into a visually stunning, dreamlike film. As in the book, 100 Nights of Hero is a medieval tale that sees young bride Cherry (Maika Monroe) trying to resist the advances of her husband’s friend Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) while her husband is away on business. Her loyal maid, Hero (Emma Corrin) tries to save her from committing adultery (which would be punishable by death) by distracting Manfred with bewitching stories.
Film release date: 6th March 2026
Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 blockbuster starring Jacob Elordi is not the only recent Frankenstein adaptation. Loosely inspired by Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, The Bride! imagines what would have happened if Frankenstein's creature had been granted his wish for a mate (read: a female creature also made from dead body parts). Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley star as the scene-stealing partners in crime in this darkly comic yet electric adaptation, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Film release date: 13th February 2026
Depending on who you ask, Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel is either a deeply troubling portrait of generational abuse, or one of the most profound love stories ever told. It follows the story of Cathy and Heathcliff, soulmates kept apart by social class differences, pride, and self-destruction. But when Cathy marries a wealthy neighbour, Heathcliff makes it his life’s mission to exact his revenge. Emerald Fennell's recent adaptation reimagines the more romantic side of the story (no dead dogs here).
Film release date: 25th September 2026
In this Jane Austen classic, the lives of sisters Marianne and Elinor are upended when their father dies, leaving them nearly destitute. After moving to a modest cottage, each of the sisters falls in love, exposing their wildly different natures: Marianne is impulsive and headstrong, while Elinor is stable and practical. Over 30 years on from Emma Thompson’s Oscar-winning triumph, this new adaptation stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Film release date: 20th November 2026
Before there was Katniss Everdeen, there was Haymitch Abernathy. This Hunger Games prequel charts Haymitch’s own journey as a tribute in the Games, where he and three young people from his District fight to the death to appease the sadistic Capitol. The film, which is a sequel to Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch and features McKenna Grace, Ralph Fiennes, and Whitney Peak.
