The world is no stranger to the world of book to film adaptations. Several classics of the past few decades are testament to the phenomenon’s eternal staying power, from the Harry Potter franchise to Lord of the Rings and Twilight. Shakespeare’s plays have spawned a never-ending universe of loose adaptations; 10 Things I Hate About You was a modern twist on The Taming of the Shrew, The Lion King took inspiration from Hamlet, and cult film Ran by Akira Kurosawa was a masterpiece that took its cues from King Lear. Fans of Jane Austen’s period works—from Pride and Prejudice to Persuasion—have only grown in numbers in tandem with the popularity of the films.
True enough, it’s a tried-and-tested trick in the film industry that will only deliver us more cultural fodder to pour our conversations into. Films that get everyone asking: was the book or movie better? The former, often, emerges as the clear winner. Yet we’ll do it again and again. For every now and then, we’ll strike gold, with an adaptation like Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones’s Normal People.
These past few months alone have seen plenty of film releases originally based on novels, like Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, a zany adaptation of the science fiction book by Edward Ashton. Later this year, we’ll be seeing yet another attempt at Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein, as directed by Guillermo del Toro.
To keep us all on our toes, several other books have also been confirmed for adaptations and have begun production. In the past few weeks, Edgar-Jones has been confirmed to be working on Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. As for the Ali Hazelwood fans in the crowd? Look forward to the film remake of The Love Hypothesis, which will star Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman as its romantic leads.
The best thing one can do ahead of these film releases? Get ahead of these novels with Vogue Singapore’s list of titles to add to your bookshelves before they hit the screen.
1 / 15
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is no stranger to being adapted. First brought to the screen in 1931, this 1818 novel follows the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature though an unorthodox scientific experiment. This upcoming adaptation, by acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro and starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, promises a unique retelling of Shelly’s classic story, and undoubtedly in del Toro’s trademark gothic and dark fantasy style.
2 / 15
The Love Hypothesis
Booktok is popping off with this particular announcement. This romance read follows Olive Smith, a biology PhD candidate who starts a fake relationship with her renowned professor Dr. Adam Carlsen—all to prove to her best friend that her dating life is going just fine. Its casting perfection too, with Lili Reinhart playing Olive, whilst Tom Bateman (aka Daisy Ridley’s husband) will be starring opposite her as the professor. IYKYK.
3 / 15
Sense and Sensibility
This Jane Austen classic needs no introduction. Revolving around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, their lives are overturned one day when their father suddenly passes and leaves them with no income. Considering how revered its previous adaptations were—especially the one with Emma Thomson and Hugh Grant—there is much to live up to, but we’re hopeful for Daisy Edgar-Jones to hold her own.
4 / 15
The Odyssey
The epic of all epics. A tale of adventure, longing and redemption, Homer’s poem follows the king Odysseus, on his arduous journey to his homeland, Ithacus, and his beloved, Penelope. A journey riddled with trials and tribulations, he meets monsters and other gods like Zeus, Poseidon and Hermes along the way. Rich with subject material, the adaptation will be helmed by auteur Christopher Nolan and features a stacked cast of Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page and Mia Goth.
5 / 15
Project Hail Mary
By the same author as The Martian, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a moving science fiction narrative that centres on one man’s journey to space. The catch? He’s the sole survivor of this space mission—and all he knows is that should he fail, all of humanity might very well perish. As he slowly pieces back fragments of his memory together to figure out a way to save Earth, an unexpected ally turns up when he least expects it. In the 2026 film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Ryan Gosling will star as Ryland Grace.
6 / 15
Klara and the Sun
Written by winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun is a dystopian science fiction story set in an unspecified future. Told from the point of view of Klara, an Artificial Friend who is exceptionally intelligent and observational but has a limited understanding of the world around her, Ishiguro explores a fundamental question: what does it mean to love? In this ambitious adaptation, Jenna Ortega takes on the titular character of Klara with Taika Waititi set to direct.
7 / 15
The Nightingale
One that’s been long awaited. An emotionally-stirring tale of two estranged sisters, Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol, Kristin Hannah’s historical novel is set in the Nazi occupation of World War II. A quiet, powerful showing of female independence during the time, the adaptation will not only see Michael Morris as its director, but Hollywood sweethearts Dakota and Elle Fanning play the two sisters.
8 / 15
People We Meet on Vacation
Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation took BookTok by storm. Following best friends Poppy and Alex, the novel explores an unlikely friendship between two people who seemingly have nothing in common. Every summer the two of them go on a week long vacation together, until one trip two years ago causes them to stop speaking. A feel-good beach read that will give you all the butterflies, the adaptation stars Tom Blyth and Emily Bader.
9 / 15
Hamnet
Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet is a fictional account of William Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, who died at the age of 11 in 1596. A luminescent portrait of marriage, of which at the heart lies the loss of a child, the novel illustrates O’Farrell’s long-term fascination with the connection between Shakespeare’s little-known personal life and his theatrical masterpieces. Directed by Academy Award-winning Chloé Zhao, the adaptation will star Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.
10 / 15
You Deserve Each Other
The romcoms-to-be on this list are stacked. Sarah Hogle’s love story is centred around Naomi and Nicholas, an engaged couple who realise they can’t stand each other and begin to sabotage their relationship in order to get the other one to call it off—till they realise the reasons they fell for each other in the first place. Ready yourself for plenty of humorous banter, and on the film front? Nothing can go wrong with Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy as our leading couple.
11 / 15
The Running Man
Originally published in 1982, this Stephen King thriller novel is set in a dystopian United States during the year 2025, in which the nation’s economy is in ruins and world violence is on the rise. The story follows Ben Richards, an out-of-work father who is desperate to provide medical aid to his eighteen-month-old daughter. Down on his luck, Richards becomes a contestant in a reality show, where all he has to do is survive a team of murderous hunters determined to take his life. Starring the internet’s latest man crush Glen Powell, the film is set to be released theatrically in November this year.
12 / 15
Enigma Variations
André Aciman’s novel Enigma Variations is a feverish dream. Of one’s man path down the road of unfulfilled love and all-consuming desire, from unhealthy fixations on a cabinet maker in an Italian fishing village to passionate trysts with a woman in New York and sudden obsessions with a man he meets at a tennis court. It begs its readers to ask: do we know ourselves, or are we all just enigmas to one another? As for who will be taking up the lead as Paul? None other than heartthrob Jeremy Allen White.
13 / 15
Dune Messiah
Set 12 years after the events of the Frank Herbert’s epic Dune, the second book, Dune Messiah, follows the rule of Paul Atriedes as the Emperor of the Known Universe. Plenty of power play rages in his court where opposing forces like the Bene Gesserit and the displaced House Corrino attempt to bring the House of Atriedes back down. Conflict breeds in the privacy of his home as well—as he navigates his romance with Chani, despite his public marriage to Princess Irulan. Notably, the Dune Messiah will be the third instalment of the ongoing Dune franchise, and is set to see cast members such as Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy return to the screen, together with added names like Robert Pattinson.
14 / 15
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë’s undying classic has been adapted several times over, and soon enough, we’ll see a 2026 version of the novel. Of the trying romance between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the tale is enrobed in themes of revenge, star-crossed lovers, social class, obsession and tragedy—and will star Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as its main leads.
15 / 15
The Housemaid
Millie, a recent parolee who lost her home and her job, secures a position as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. As she gets more involved, Millie soon notices unsettling dynamics within the household, as the portrait of a happy family on the outside is not all that it seems. Prepare for a chilly holiday season as the film, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, is scheduled for a winter release.
