The New Age Of Book-to-Screen Adaptations

Let’s get one thing out of the way – the book is always better than the movie. Still, that doesn’t mean you won’t be squealing with excitement at the news that your favorite book is getting a screen adaptation. Book adaptations such as The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight ruled the 2000s and 2010s. Now, a new age of book-to-screen adaptations is emerging. Hollywood keeps adapting popular novels in the hopes of founding the next big franchise. Will any of these upcoming projects make it?

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McMnaus

The New York Times bestseller series by Karen M. McManus is officially getting adapted into a TV show for the NBCUniversal streaming platform Peacock. News of the project first broke in 2019, the cast is now filming in New Zealand. Starring Marianly Tejada, Cooper Van Grootel, Chibuikem Uche, Annalisa Cochrane, and Mark McKenna, One Of Us Is Lying follows the story of five students who walk into detention, and what happens to them after only four walk out alive. One Of Us Is Next, A sequel to the YA hit, was published in January 2020. McManus recently announced that a third and final installment, titled One Of Us Is Back, will be published in summer 2023. The show is expected to come out during the 2021/2022 TV season. This is a perfect recommendation for fans of shows like Pretty Little Liars.

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera is currently adapting his 2017 bestseller LGBTQ+ Drama, They Both Die At The End, as a TV Series for eOne. The project had previously been in development for HBO. As of now, there is no news regarding the cast or release date. Set in a universe where a company called Death-Cast is able to predict who is going to die on any given day, but not how or when, Mateo and Rufus are two teenage boys who discover they’ve only got 24 hours to live. Thanks to an app called Last Friend, they find each other and set out to live a lifetime’s worth of adventures on their last day on Earth. This series is bound to be loved by fans of Love, Simon and Every Day.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Last week, author Victoria Aveyard took to the Today Show to announce that Peacock would be adapting her best-selling debut Red Queen into a TV series. Elizabeth Banks is set to produce, direct, and co-star in the show, as she had been previously attached to the project all the way back in 2015. Set in a society ruled by silver-blooded monarchs with superpowers, the show will follow Mare Barrow, a young red-blooded girl who discovers that she somehow has powers too. This show is perfect for people who miss Shadowhunters and Fate: The Winx Saga.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Peacock recently announced the series adaptation of the internationally bestselling fantasy series by Richelle Mead. Julie Plec, creator of The Vampire Diaries, is set to show run. The show will follow Rose Hathaway, a half-human, half-vampire guard whose life purpose is to protect her best friend, Vampire Princess Lissa Dragomir. The first book of the series had previously been adapted into the 2014 movie Vampire Academy, starring Zoey Deutch. This addictive series is perfect for fans of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The bestselling Young Adult dystopian series The Selection is set to be adapted into a movie by Netflix. Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, the movie will follow America Singer, a young woman who has been selected to compete for the love of young Prince Maxon, along with 35 other impoverished girls. She soon finds herself in the middle of a rebellion among those of wealth. Originally published in 2012, The Selection resulted in a bestselling five-part book series and has garnered a big fanbase that has been begging for an adaptation for years. The CW previously filmed a pilot based on the books starring Yael Groblas, but it failed to be picked up. So, are you a fierce fan of The Bachelor and wish that it was somehow even more dramatic? Maybe you should give The Selection a chance!

A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court Of Thorns And Roses, The New York Times bestselling high-fantasy series by Sarah J. Maas, will be getting a TV show adaptation at Hulu. The author is “hard at work writing the pilot”, she confirmed on Instagram. The book series is a loose retelling of The Beauty and The Beast. It follows nineteen-year-old Feyre as she unknowingly kills a fairy, and as a result falls captive to Tamlin, an immortal fae. Similar shows include HBO’S Game of Thrones and Netflix’s The Witcher.

Half Bad by Sally Green

Netflix will be adapting Sally Green’s Half Bad Trilogy into a TV series. Upon its release in 2014, the first book in the trilogy was critically acclaimed and broke the Guinness World Record as “The Most Translated Book by a Debut Author, pre-publication”. The book is followed by its sequels, Half Wild and Half Lost. Set in modern-day England, the show will follow sixteen-year-old Nathan, the illegitimate son of the world’s most feared and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan has lived his entire life battling his dark side, fearing the day it takes over him. This thrilling series is set to be loved by fans of Harry Potter and Umbrella Academy.

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

HBO Max announced that Jessica Goodman’s debut novel would be adapted into a mini-series starring Euphoria’s Sidney Sweeny and Halsey. Titled The Player’s Table, the show will follow high school student Jill Newman. During freshman year, Jill’s best friend Shaila was murdered by her boyfriend Graham. After he confessed, he went to prison and the case was closed. Three years later, during Jill’s senior year, she becomes a member of Gold Coast Prep’s secret society, the Players. But her plans to have a perfect senior year are soon shattered, as she starts receiving texts which prove Graham’s innocence. This show will definitely be in the likes of fans of Pretty Little Liars and OuterBanks.

The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab is currently working on the film adaptation of her latest hit novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, for eOne. The novel follows Addie LaRue, a young french woman who, in the 17th century, makes a Faustian deal to gain her freedom on the night she is to be wed. She receives immortality in exchange for her soul – but there’s a catch. She is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets as soon as she’s out of sight. She spends the following 300 years of her life wandering the Earth alone, that is until she meets a person who remembers her. This epic novel is perfect for those who enjoy movies such as 2015’s The Age Of Adaline and 2013’s About Time.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

A network adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s critically acclaimed novel is currently in development at Freeform. The studio is Fox 21 Television Studios, and Reid is officially attached to pen the script. There are still no words on either cast or release date, but this has quickly become one of the most anticipated adaptations in the last few years. The novel follows Monique, a struggling journalist who is inexplicably hired by Evelyn Hugo, an iconic Hollywood actress, to write her final all-tell book. As the book is narrated in dual time periods, we follow both women in their respective youths as they deal with racial identity, sexuality, and career challenges. This concept is bound to be adored by fans of Ryan Murphy’s Feud.

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Delia Owen’s 2018 novel Where The Crawdads Sing is currently being adapted into a film starring Normal People’s Daisy Edgars-Jones for Sony Pictures. The film will be told in two timelines, which will slowly intertwine with one another. The first follows Kya, a young girl who was abandoned by her family and left to raise herself in the marsh of North Carolina. The second timeline will follow the murder investigation of a local celebrity named Chase Andrews. Because of her “wilderness”, the locals suspect her. The film is set to be released on June 24, 2022. Fans of Little Fires Everywhere and The Girl On The Train will be all over this adaptation soon enough.