Upcoming 2020 Book-to-Film Adaptations!

A new year means a whole new slew of book-to-movie adaptation! A few of these were actually on my post last year for 2019 adaptations....but they didn't end up coming out in 2019, so they're here again--and I actually think it's final! I always have mixed feelings about adaptions because there's a part of me that is always disappointed when they aren't exactly what I want, but there's a larger, more rational part of me that understands a film is an entirely different format and interpretation than a book and you can't expect them to be just like the book. That being said, it's always interesting to see what direction creators take for an adaptation!  My biggest peeve, though, is probably when they decided to modernize a period story.
And if we're being honest, I haven't actually been to a movie theatre in... well, more than a year, so unless they are on a streaming service that I own I probably won't see any right away, but still, maybe I'll actually go see a movie next year.

The Turning (The Turn of the Screw) by Henry James
Release Date: January 24th, 2020
Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, Barbara Marten
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Format: Movie
IMDB Description: "A young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James' novella 'The Turn of the Screw'."

This was on last year's list as well for 2019 releases, but that didn't happen. However, there's actually a trailer and whatnot so I'm pretty sure it's actually going to come out this January!

The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Release Date: February 21st, 2020
Starring: Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens, Harrison Ford
Director: Chris Sanders
Format: Movie 
IMDB Description: "A sled dog struggles for survival in the Alaskan wild." 

This was also on my list last year! Funny how movies never come out when they say they might, but that's how it goes with most businesses. I was also under the impression last year that it was going to be animated, but it isn't. I think the dog is CGI, but everyone else is real. I'm not sure why they chose to make the dog CGI since there are plenty of dog actors out there, but hey, I'm not in charge.

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Release Date: February 28th, 2020
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Director: Leigh Whannell
Format: Movie
IMDB Description: "When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see."

This seems like a very different take on The Invisible Man, so I'm not sure what to expect and I can't say I'm feeling overly optimistic about it, but I'll wait til I see a trailer to decide my thoughts.

The Luminaries by Eleanor
Release Date: 2020
Starring: Himesh Patel, Ewen Leslie, Benedict Hardie
Director:
Format: TV Mini-Series
IMDB Description: "Adventure mystery set in the midst of New Zealand's 1860's gold rush."

I love that this has been adapted and I'm so interested to see how it works out! It looks like it's going to be pretty high quality and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Release Date: 2020
Starring: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Jane Goldman
Director: Ben Wheatley
Format:  Movie
IMDB Description: "A young newlywed finds herself in living in the shadow of her wealthy husband's previous wife."


I love the book Rebecca and I'm actually cautiously excited for an adaptation. I'm not a huge fan of the cast list so far, but I'm keeping an open mind. And I hope they haven't modernized this one too much!

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Release Date: October 9th, 2020
Starring: Gal Gadot, Kenneth Branagh, Armie Hammer
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Format: Movie
IMDB Description: "While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress."


Who doesn't love a new Agatha Christie adaptation? Gal Gadot seems like a positive addition to this plus it has a fun setting, so I'm eager to see the finished product!

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgsen Burnnett
Release Date: April 17th, 2020
Starring: Cloin Firth, Julie Walters, Amir Wilson
Director: Marc Munden
Format: Movie
IMDB Description: "An orphaned girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her strict uncle's estate."

Okay, confession: I still haven't read The Secret Garden. I really need to, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I'll read it before the movie comes out, but I'm not betting on it. This adaptation has a wonderful cast and I think it's just going to be a beautiful movie based on what I've seen.

Dune by Frank Herbert
Release Date: December 18th, 2020
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Format: TV Series
IMDB Description: "Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.."

It's no secret that I am not a fan of Dune in any way, but I do know how excited people are for this adaptation still so I wanted to be sure to include it. I'll wait and check out a trailer and maybe I'll check it out also, but as of now I'm not really planning to watch. I'm really excited about other people's excitement, though, and I'm a big fan of Timothee Chalamet!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Release Date: August 14th, 2020

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito
Director: Thea Sharrock
Format: Movie
IMDB Description: "A gorilla named Ivan tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Stella as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity."

I'm so excited to see how they adapt this one! It's a really adorable story and I'm looking forward to its release.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Release Date: 2020

Starring: Rosemarie DeWitt, Jordan Elsass, Joshua Jackson

Director: Lynn Shelton

Format: TV Mini-Series

IMDB Description: "[None provided at the time of making this post.]"

I still haven't read this book, but I honestly don't think I've heard one negative thing about this book from those I know that have read it. I hope this adaptation lives up to everyone's hopes, and I hope I actually get a chance to read this book and maybe (?) see the movie!

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Release Date: 2020

Starring: Stuart Walker, Jeanie Hackman, Summer-Joules

Director: Owen Harris

Format: TV Series

IMDB Description: "[None provided at the time of making this post.]"

This is apparently going to stream on a service called Peackcock (?) and I have no idea what that is, but if you do and you have it, then hooray for you! I think a new adaptation of this one will be interesting and I'm intrigued to see how it ends up.

Have you read any of these books? Are you looking forward to any of these adaptations or any I didn't mention? Let me know!

Top Ten Anticipated Book-to-Television Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly book blog meme hosted by the lovely girls over at The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is anything related to Fall TV, so in honor of that I am listing my top ten most anticipated TV shows based on the book. Now, this was sort of odd for me to make, because I generally am rather skeptical of book-to-TV adaptations, but in the spirit of this topic I decided to overlook that and pick the ones that are based off of some books I enjoyed and that could potentially be great. So let's dive in!

     

1. American Gods

Adapted from: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Air Date: 2017

Available on: Starz

I'm actually legitimately excited for this one because the cast looks incredible and so far the trailer is amazing! I love how much involvement it seems Gaiman has had during the filming, so I'm hoping this one lives up to expectations.

     

2. Lucifer

Adapted from: Lucifer by Mike Carey and The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Air Date: 2015

Available on: Fox

Okay, so I know that this is technically already out, but I've yet to sit down and watch it and it looks like a great adaptation.

     

3. A Series of Unfortunate Events

Adapted from: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Air Date: 2016

Available on: Netflix

I have wanted a remake of this series for years. The movie was always so odd to me since it seemed to combine all three books into one, which was just plain confusing. I'm super excited this is given a second chance with what seems to be more detail and quality put into it. (Though I did love the actor and actresses that played the children in the movie!)

4. His Dark Materials

Adapted from: His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

Air Date: TBA
Available on: BBC

Another one in which the movie didn't quite cut it for me. I generally trust BBC with making good mini-shows, so I'm expecting this to be much better than the movie!

5. The Handmaid's Tale

Adapted from: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Air Date: 2017

Avilable on: Hulu

I'm super skeptical of The Handmaid's Tale being made into a television show because I just have no idea how it can be done. I never pictured this on a screen, but I am really interested to see how it works out.

 

6. Brave New World

Adapted from: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Air Date: TBA

Available on: Syfy

There is very little information regarding this one that I can find online, but it is supposedly going to be adapted to air on Syfy by Amblin Television. If they make this into a successful series, this could be really weird and also really awesome.

7. Hyperion

Adapted from: Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Air Date: TBA

Available on: Syfy

I have never made it through the book Hyperion, so maybe a TV show would help me gather the confidence to finally get through it... or maybe I'll just watch and enjoy the TV show!  Either way, I think this could be a stunning creation if adapted correctly. Bradley Cooper will be the producer, and apparently he has been wanting to turn this into a series for years - who knew?

8. Strange New Things

Adapted from: The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

Air Date: TBA

Available on: TBA

I'm excited and also anxious about this potential adaptation. Like others, it's still in the incredibly early stages from what I can tell, and I have absolutely no idea how they would make this a movie, but I loved Faber's book and am interested to see how they handle it. Though, the track record of Faber adaptations isn't great... 

     

9. Riverdale 

Adapted from: Archie Comics 

Air Date: October 2016

Available on: The CW

I remember reading the Betty and Veronica comics when I was extremely young and having such a blast. I don't remember a whole lot, but I think this adaptation could be a ton of fun, and I'm excited to see how it is developed!

10. The Kingkiller Chronicles

Adapted from: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Air Date: TBA
Available on: TBA

Look, the odds of this happening anytime in the somewhat near future are slim to none, but I'd still be pretty excited to see how they handle Kvothe's story in a television format. It will supposedly be produced by Lionsgate and will be written by Lindsay Beer, known for writing Transformers 5. That's not overly encouraging to me, but hey, let's just wait and give it a chance before we start to judge - plus, I'd like to give Ms. Beer props for writing in such a male-dominated field.


LAST MINUTE UPDATE: Apparently V. E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic is also going to be a television series, so I am beyond excited for that!



Are you excited for any book-to-TV adaptations? Are you also skeptical of your favorite books being moved into film? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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