17 book adaptations we’re excited about in 2026
It’s officially the year of great book adaptations, with classics like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, alongside contemporary novels like Project Hail Mary generating a lot of buzz as they make their way to the big (and small) screen.
Call us old-fashioned, but we like to read the book before we see the film or TV series – and not just so we can smugly discuss the differences with our friends. Reading the book first allows you to immerse yourself in the world of the story, be that the windswept Yorkshire Moors or a high-stakes space shuttle mission, and gives the film or TV adaptation a richer layer of meaning.
It seems we’re not alone, either: sales of Wuthering Heights grew by 469% from 2025 to 2026, according to The Guardian, as many of us raced to read (or reread) the story before watching Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie breathe new life into the characters.
But what are the other big books being adapted into films this year? We’ve rounded up 17 must-see adaptations and the novels to read before they hit the screen.
Books made into films this year
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, 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: 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 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) try 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: 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 ultimately kept apart by social class differences, pride, and self-destruction – and 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: 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: 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.
The Odyssey by Homer
Film release date: 17th July 2026
It’s one of the best-known epic poems, and now it’s being adapted into a film by writer and director Christopher Nolan. The action-packed story of Homer's 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 (Anne Hathaway). The film also stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
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 tribute in the games, where he and three young people from his District must 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.
Books made into TV shows this year
Series release date: 20th February 2026
Three years ago, Laura Dave’s novel The Last Thing He Told Me was adapted into a TV series starring Jennifer Gardner as Hannah, whose husband Owen disappears, leaving only a note behind: “Protect her”. The second season is now on Apple TV+, this time based on the book’s sequel, The First Time I Saw Him. Five years after the events of the first novel, a text from the long-absent Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) sets Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice) on a cat-and-mouse chase through Paris, where Owen’s enemies await.
Series release date: 7th March 2026
Outlander is back for its eighth season, this time based on Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, the ninth book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The historical fantasy sees time-travelling Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) reeling from the after-effects of the Scottish Civil War, while Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) and Brianna MacKenzie (Sophie Skelton) find danger in 1799 North Carolina.
Series release date: 26th March 2026
Jo Nesbø’s 2003 Nordic noir novel The Devil’s Star is soon to be adapted into a nine-episode Netflix series, Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole series. The story sees embittered, unstable detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) on the hunt for a serial killer with a unique MO: leaving star-shaped diamonds under the eyelids of their victims. This is a whodunnit that will appeal to fans of Sherlock Holmes and Department Q alike.
Series release date: 8th April 2026
This long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, set 15 years after the events of the novel, sees three women – Aunt Lydia, the daughter of a Commander and a young woman in Canada – bring down the dystopian Gilead regime where men serve as Commanders and women are forced to obey them. Now, the Booker Prize-winning novel is set to be a series on Disney+, with Ann Dowd reprising her role as Aunt Lydia and Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday joining the cast.
Series release date: 15th May 2026
Sex, scandal and showbusiness are at the heart of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel Rivals which is about the internal politics (and backstabbing) of a successful television franchise. The first season captured the novel perfectly, and the second season promises to be just as juicy, with David Tennant returning as ruthlessly ambitious Lord Baddingham, alongside Nafessa Williams as bold TV executive Cameron Cook, Alex Hassell as playboy-turned-MP Rupert Campbell-Black, and Aidan Turner as disgruntled anchor Declan O’Hara.
Series release date: Autumn 2026
Every generation deserves its own remake of Jane Austen’s classic love story. There was the 1995 BBC adaptation starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, the 2005 remake featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, and now, in autumn 2026, the story is coming to Netflix. The six-part drama, adapted for the small screen by Everything I Know About Love author Dolly Alderton, will star Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennett, Jack Lowden as Mr. Darcy, and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennett.
If you want more on-screen Austen, we also recommend The Other Bennet Sister, an adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel about Mary Bennet, which is coming to BBC One on 15th March 2026.
Series release date: 2026 (TBC)
Tom Bradby’s 2019 espionage thriller The Secret Service is being adapted into an ITV series that looks as addictive and tense as Black Doves and The Night Manager. The high-stakes story follows Kate Henderson (played by Gemma Arterton), a senior MI6 officer who heads up the Russia Desk. When a covert operation reveals a British politician might be an undercover Russian mole, it’s Kate’s job to uncover the truth. But her investigation will put both her team and family in danger.
Series release date: 2026 (TBC)
If you were glued to your sofa when Run Away dropped in January, we have good news: another Harlan Coben adaptation is coming to Netflix this year. In I Will Find You, based on the 2023 book of the same name, David Burroughs (Sam Worthington) awakes covered in his three-year-old son’s blood. He knows he didn’t kill him, but the damning evidence puts him in jail for life. Five years into his imprisonment, a visitor brings proof that his son is still alive, leaving David determined to escape, find his son, and find out what happened that night.