Based on the Book: 6 Upcoming Book Adaptations
Content Editor Michael Woodson offers a reading list of books to read before watching their upcoming adaptations.
As much as I adore books and writing, I love film and television just as much. In fact, I think writers can learn a lot from these forms of storytelling to make their written work stronger.
So, you can imagine my excitement when a book I devoured is turned into an upcoming film or TV show. When a book we loved is interpreted on screen, it reminds us of how individual our experiences are with stories. How a director or screenwriter approaches a story may be different than how I see it in my own mind, but that doesn't bother me—in fact, I find it encouraging. I'm also not of the mind that an adaptation must (or even should) be a carbon copy of the work off of which it is based—nor do I always think the book is better than the movie. Sometimes, a book I felt tepid about works so well on screen that my relationship with the story evolves for the better. Don't dismiss film and television and their storytelling strengths.
That being said, I think the best chance you have of enjoying both a book and its adaptation is to read first and with plenty of time before you see the adaptation. Here are six upcoming film and TV series adaptations I'm looking foward to.
The Long Walk by Stephen King
Format: Film
Coming: September 12, 2025
Synopsis: In a dystopian near-future, America has fallen on hard times. Sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as the Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour day and night, without ever stopping. The winner gets “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—forever
Why I'm Seated:The Long Walk was the first book by Stephen King I ever read. I was a sophomore in high school, and its casual cruelty terrified me and kept me turning the page—and would become a precursor for my love of political and dystopian storytelling.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Format: Film
Coming: November 7, 2025 to Netflix
Synopsis: Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror
Why I'm Seated: There have been several iterations of Frankenstein over the years to varying degrees of success, but if there’s one contemporary filmmaker who is tailor-made for the job, it’s Guillermo del Toro. His love for monsters is no match for Victor Frankenstein. My only grievance thus far is that it's on Netflix—I hope I have the chance to see this on the big screen, but time will tell.
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Format: Netflix Miniseries
Coming: TBD (Currently in production)
Synopsis: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live with their five daughters. Jane, the eldest daughter, falls in love with Charles Bingley, a rich bachelor who moves into a house nearby with his two sisters and friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy is attracted to the second daughter, Elizabeth, but she finds him arrogant and self-centered. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, she refuses. But perhaps there is more to Darcy than meets the eye.
Why I'm Seated: Listen, I know. Do we need another adaptation of Jane Austen’s most-beloved novel? Probably not. Is Jane Austen one of my favorite authors of all time, therefore rendering me incapable of objectivity in this matter? A thousand times yes. The 1995 miniseries and the 2005 film adaptation are on continuous rotation in my house, and I would be very surprised if the new adaptation will mean as much to me as those two already do—no matter, I’ll be tuning in to find out to hear, yet again, Mr. Darcy confess his ardent love for Elizabeth Bennet.
Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
Format: Film
Coming: TBD (Currently in production)
Synopsis: Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love
Why I'm Seated: And while we’re on the topic: Recently there’s been a debate over Austen’s Sense and Sensibility in the literary world as not her strongest, and maybe not even the strongest of its time. I disagree. Sense and Sensibility is my favorite of Austen’s books (and was my first of hers to read, and I believe whichever Austen is your first will always be your favorite, even if it's not technically her best). It’s politically and economically complicated, and it houses her funniest cast of characters. Emma Thompson’s 1995 adaptation is one of my favorite films of all time, and I’ve never dipped my toe into any other version for that reason—but, I’ve decided that I will break my own rules and tune in when the time comes.
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Format: Film
Coming: December 12, 2025
Synopsis: England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.
Why I'm Seated: Hamnet is, in my view, one of the best books of the 2020s, and one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a masterclass on historical fiction, of combining what we know with what we invent. The trailer for the adaptation was recently released, and if first impressions are anything, then director Chloé Zhao (who also wrote the screenplay alongside O'Farrell) captured the beauty of the language perfectly. This is my most anticipated movie of 2025.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Format: Film
Coming: November 20, 2026
Synopsis: As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight ... and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Why I'm Seated: I just can't quit the Hunger Games series. Suzanne's sparse and emotional writing style is so effective, you simply can't look away from the horrors. And Sunrise does something that I think is difficult to pull off: I felt somewhat middling about the previous Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but after reading Sunrise, so much came into focus for me with Ballad that it almost instantly changed my relationship with that book. And so far, the adaptations of these novels have been so spot-on, I hope they're able to continue the victor-streak. (See what I did there?)
Michael Woodson is the content editor at Writer's Digest. Prior to joining the WD team, Michael was the editorial and marketing manager for the independent children's book publisher Blue Manatee Press. He was also the associate editor for Artists Magazine and Drawing magazine, and has written for Soapbox Cincinnati, Watercolor Artist, and VMSD magazine. An avid reader, Michael is particularly interested literary fiction and magical realism, as well as classics from Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and E.M. Forster. When he's not reading, he's working on his own stories, going for a run at his favorite park, or cuddling up to watch a movie with his husband Josh and their dog Taran.