The Best Book To Screen Adaptations To Watch Now (And A Few Coming Soon)
People say “The book is always better than the film”, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a thrill to see your favourite literary stories played out onscreen. There are dozens released every year, but we’ve put together a list of the best book-to-screen adaptations to watch now- and a few that are coming in the next few months.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy
Bridget Jones is the British literary gift that keeps on giving – nearly 25 (!) years since the first film instalment, the all-too-relatable book series turned movie franchise remains as lovable as ever. Mad About The Boy, based on the 2013 novel, brings us up to speed with Bridget and what she’s been doing in the time since we last saw her. Now a widowed mother in her 50s, she decides to start dating again, in a world where all of that is increasingly online. She gains a new perspective on life when she starts seeing Roxster (Leo Woodall), who’s some years younger, but also has an interest in the teacher of one of her kids, Scott (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Mickey 17
Mickey 17 is based on the book Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, and was released earlier this year by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho. It follows a new employee named Mickey (Robert Pattinson), of a corporation that is seeking to colonise a distant planet, using hired “expendables”. Using cutting-edge tech, each expendable is automatically cloned when they die. Mickey’s 17th incarnation (7th in the novel) survives a fatal accident, but when he returns to base, he finds a new clone has been made, which is hostile to him. As Mickey 17 tries to survive against the new Mickey 18, he also uncovers the hidden secrets behind the corporation, controlled by an egomaniacal former politician (Mark Ruffalo).
Where to watch: Prime
Murderbot
Alexander Skarsgård (Succession) leads this sci-fi adaptation of the novel All Systems Red, part of The Murderbot Diaries book series. Unlike the more po-faced sci-fi shows you see on TV, Murderbot has a comical edge, starring Skarsgard as a futuristic cyborg that is designed to be used as a private security guard. However, it manages to gain sentience and self-awareness and decides to rename itself “Murderbot”. But Murderbot isn’t interested in some Terminator-style plan to wipe out humanity, and is more preoccupied with binge-watching the badly acted soap operas popular with humans. The company controlling Murderbot hasn’t realised it’s gained sentience, and so the cyborg is forced to keep its head down and stay out of trouble to blend in.
Where to watch: Apple TV
Say Nothing
Set during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Say Nothing is based on the nonfiction book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, and is a great way to get more insight into the complex conflict that raged for three decades. Following the lives of several people living in Belfast throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, it features several real-life figures associated with the IRA and various disappeared people during this time. Dolours (Lola Petticrew/Maxine Peake) and Marian (Hazel Doupe/Helen Behan) are two sisters who become involved with the IRA and, in 1973, begin a hunger strike to protest their imprisonment, as well as carrying out kidnappings and bombings. Other historical figures, including Gerry Adams (Josh Finan/Michael Colman) and Brendan Hughes (Anthony Boyle) are also featured.
Where to watch: Disney+
The Penguin Lessons
Steve Coogan stars in The Penguin Lessons, a heartwarming book-to-screen adaptation, which is based on the memoir of the same name and set in Argentina’s revolutionary period. Tom Michell (played by Coogan in the film) travelled to Argentina in the 1970s and became an English teacher for children at a boarding school. Grumpy and disillusioned with life, Tom has a hard time adjusting to his new surroundings until a fateful visit to the beach, which unexpectedly changes his life. He spots a penguin struggling in an oil slick, and, motivated to impress a woman, decides to save it. But the penguin becomes attached to him, and he decides to introduce it to his class, despite the reservations of the school’s headmaster (Johnathan Pryce).
Where to watch: Prime
Nickel Boys
Nickel Boys was one of last year’s most acclaimed films, and while it didn’t secure any awards at the Oscars, it cemented itself as a critical favourite. It’s based on the book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, published in 2019. The narrative centres on two African American boys who are sent to a reform school in Florida: Elwood (Ethan Herrise) and Turner (Brandon Wilson). The drama charts their experiences there, and the school is based on a real Florida institution that was known for its highly abusive practices. As both try to lead normal lives despite the abuse and the racism they face during the Jim Crow era, the film weaves in plenty of social commentary about America both then and now, and is a must-watch.
Where to watch: Nickel Boys
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club has become one of Britain’s most popular books in recent years and has cemented itself as the epitome of the “cosy crime” genre. It was only a matter of time before it got a film adaptation, and it’s arriving on Netflix on 22nd August. The adaptation boasts some big names attached, with Helen Mirren playing Elizabeth, Pierce Brosnan playing Ron, Ben Kingsley playing Ibrahim, and Celia Imrie playing Joyce. The basic plot follows a group of retirees who together become amateur sleuths as they seek to solve the mysterious murder of a property developer in the fictional Cooper’s Chase retirement village. Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, is behind the camera, while Steven Spielberg’s company, Amblin Entertainment, is one of the production companies.
where to watch: netflix
The Woman in Cabin 10
The Netflix thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ruth Ware, and features Keira Knightley in the central role of a woman who is sure she’s seen something horrifying during the night. Laura (Knightley) is a roving reporter who is invited to preview and report on the maiden voyage of a new luxury cruise ship. Everything on the cruise seems pretty perfect and as luxurious as you’d expect, but one rainy night, the journalist awakens to spot a body being thrown by mysterious figures overboard. Laura is shocked by what she saw, but no one else seems to have been a witness, and she ponders if she might have dreamt it. She’s desperate nonetheless to uncover the culprit, and realises that someone doesn’t want her to find out more.
Release date: October 10th
Upcoming
Project Hail Mary
Ryan Gosling, lost in space, with no idea how he got there… that’s the premise of the upcoming Project Hail Mary, a sci-fi adventure film based on the cult novel by Andy Weir. Ryland Grace, an astronaut (Ryan Gosling), awakens on a ship in deep space to find that he is apparently the sole survivor of some kind of serious accident. He also realises that he has no idea how he ended up there, or what his original mission was, but knows that time is running out for him to survive. As he unravels what happened, he discovers the head of the project that sent him there, Eva (played by Sandra Huller), warned that humanity is facing an existential threat. But is Ryland actually alone? Milana Vayntrub, Lionel Boyce and Ken Leung also star.
Release date: 20th march 2026
Sense and Sensibility
Hold onto your hats, Austen fans: another adaptation of the beloved author’s works is coming to screens in the near future. Sense and Sensibility, which was memorably made into a film starring Emma Thompson in the 90s, is being remade with a new cast led by Daisy Edgar-Jones. She’ll be playing Elinor, one of the Dashwood sisters who are forced to leave their affluent, comfortable house to live in a more modest abode on a distant relative’s property. The film will follow how Elinor and her sister Marianne come to experience love and loss throughout their lives, as well as the relationship between two very different sisters.
Release date: TBD
