Book to screen adaptations are in our blood. Hypable has you covered with all the 2019 book-to-TV and movie adaptations coming your way this year!
If there’s one thing the entertainment industry loves, it’s books. Not reading them, of course. Adapting them! With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of all the 2019 book-to-tv and movie adaptations slated for release this year. Some are coming to Netflix, others will be released theatrically, and some will be airing the old school way: week-by-week.
Check out our comprehensive list of 2019’s most highly anticipated book-to-TV and movie adaptations. If you’re like us, maybe this list will help you find some new books to add to your list before their tv and movie counterparts are released.
2019 Book-to-movie adaptations
‘The Rhythm Section’
Release date: February 22, 2019
Director: Reed Morano
About this adaptation: The Rhythm section follows a woman determined to get revenge against those that orchestrated the plane crash that killed her family. If that wild premise wasn’t enough for you, you’ll definitely want to tune in for the star-studded cast that includes Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Rhythm Section
Author: Mark Burnell
‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’
Release date: March 1, 2019
Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor
About this adaptation: In his directorial debut, Chiwetel Ejiofor will bring William Kamkwamba’s novel about a boy who builds a wind tower after reading about it in a book in order to help save his rural village.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Author: William Kamkwamba
‘The Aftermath’
Release date: March 15, 2019
Director: James Kent
About this adaptation: Keira Knightley continues her streak of period dramas with The Aftermath, the story of a British colonel (Jason Clarke) and his wife (Knightley) who move to Hamburg, Germany in the months following the end of World War II. Their move means living with a German man whose wife died during the war and things only get more complicated from there.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Aftermath
Author: Rhidian Brook
‘Five Feet Apart’
Release date: March 15, 2019
Director: Justin Baldoni
About this adaptation: If you loved The Fault in Our Stars, then you should definitely check out Five Feet Apart. Starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson, the film follows two teenagers who fall in love while fighting life-threatening illnesses.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Five Feet Apart
Author: Rachael Lippincott
‘The Informer’
Release date: March 22, 2019
Director: Andrea Di Stefano
About this adaptation: Based on the novel 3 Seconds, this adaptation from director Andrea Di Stefano starring Rosamund Pike, Joel Kinnaman, and Ana de Armas follows an ex-convict working undercover who chooses to get arrested and sent to jail so that he may infiltrate a mob at a maximum security prison.
Read it before you see it:
Book: 3 Seconds
Authors: Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström
‘Greyhound’
Release date: March 22, 2019
Director: Aaron Schneider
About this adaptation:Starring Tom Hanks, Greyhound is based on a novel titled The Good Shepherd about a navy officer grappling with what it means to be a leader in the midst of the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Good Shepherd
Author: C. S. Forester
‘Wounds’
Release date: March 29, 2019
Director: Babak Anvari
About this adaptation: Babak Anvari’s last film Under the Shadow was a hit at Sundance a few years ago and his newest film Wounds, adapted from The Visible Filth is his first English language movie. Starring Dakota Johnson, Zazie Beetz, and Armie Hammer, this is one horror film you won’t want to miss.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Visible Filth
Author: Nathan Ballingrud
‘The Best of Enemies’
Release date: April 5, 2019
Director: Robin Bissell
About this adaptation: Based on a true story, The Best of Enemies tells the story of the push for racial integration in public schools in North Carolina in the 1970s. The story follows civil rights activist Ann Atwater, played by Taraji P. Henson, as she squares off against Ku Klux Klan member C.P. Ellis, played by Sam Rockwell.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South
Author: Osha Gray Davidson
‘Pet Sematary’
Release date: April 5, 2019
Director: Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widnyer
About this adaptation: Stephen King adaptations are always a hit or miss, but we’ll find out soon enough if directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widnyer can turn Pet Sematary into a critical success.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Pet Semetary
Author: Stephen King
‘After’
Release date: April 12, 2019
Director: Jenny Gage
About this adaptation: Directed by Jenny Gage, this adaptation of Anna Todd’s hit novel follows the tumultuous relationship between a young girl and a boy with a dark secret.
Read it before you see it:
Book: After
Author: Anna Todd
‘The Sun Is Also a Star’
Release date: May 17, 2019
Director: Ry Russo-Young
About this adaptation: Based on a novel of the same name by the author of Everything, Everything, this movie adaptation is sure to be a hit with Young Adult novel enthusiasts and fans everywhere.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Sun is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
‘Artemis Fowl’
Release date: August 9, 2019
Director: Kenneth Branagh
About this adaptation: Almost 20 years after its original publication, Artemis Fowl is finally getting the big screen treatment. Starring newcomer Ferdia Shaw along side Hong Chau, Josh Gad, and Judi Dench, this adaptation from director Kenneth Branagh promises to be quite the adventure.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’
Release date: August 9, 2019
Director: Richard Linklater
About this adaptation: Maria Semple’s hit novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette was originally slated for release in March, but just this week got pushed to August. What this means for the quality of the movie remains to be seen, but with Cate Blanchett in the starring role, we sure hope Richard Linklater’s adaptation delivers the same magical dramedy energy that made the book so special.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Author: Maria Semple
‘It: Chapter Two’
Release date: September 6, 2019
Director: Andy Muschietti
About this adaptation: For those familiar with Stephen King’s novel, you’ll know that the book is split into two timelines: the story of the Losers Club as kids and as adults facing off against the same, terrifying clown. It: Chapter Two stars Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, James McAvoy and more as they come face to face with their worst fears one last time.
Read it before you see it:
Book: It
Author: Stephen King
‘The Woman in the Window’
Release date: October 4, 2019
Director: Joe Wright
About this adaptation: Billed as a sort of Hitchcockian thriller, The Woman in the Window is about an agoraphobic woman who loves watching her neighbors. Directed by Joe Wright and starring Amy Adams, you’ll want to catch this in theaters opening weekend or risk being spoiled!
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Woman in the Window
Author: A. J Finn
‘The Goldfinch’
Release date: October 11, 2019
Director: John Crowley
About this adaptation: This highly anticipated adaptation of Donna Tartt’s hit novel will hit theaters in October. Directed by John Crowley and starring Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, and more, the film tells the story of the events that follow a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the painting stolen from the rubble.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
‘The Good Liar’
Release date: November 15, 2019
Director: Bill Condon
About this adaptation: A con artist sets his sights on the life savings of an elderly woman who turns out to be less innocent than she first appears. This thriller is sure to be full of surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Good Liar
Author: Nicholas Searle
‘Little Women’
Release date: December 25, 2019
Director: Greta Gerwig
About this adaptation: This certainly won’t be the first Little Women film adaptation ever made, but with stars including Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, and Timothee Chalamet starring, this is sure to be one of the must see movies of the year. It will mark Greta Gerwig’s follow up to her hit film Lady Bird that earned her a Best Director nomination.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
‘Call of the Wild’
Release date: December 25, 2019
Director: Chris Sanders
About this adaptation: Jack London’s famous novel The Call of the Wild has received several film adaptations already, but director Chris Sanders will put his own spin on it later this year. Starring Karen Gillan, Harrison Ford, and Dan Stevens, this story of survival and companionship should be worth checking out.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Call of the Wild
Author: Jack London
‘All the Bright Places’
Release date: TBD
Director: Brett Haley
About this adaptation: We don’t know much about All the Bright Places, a film adaptation about the romance between two teenagers living in rural Indiana. The project stars Elle Fanning as a popular ex-cheerleader and Justice Smith who recently appeared in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Read it before you see it:
Book: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
‘The Irishman’
Release date: TBD
Director: Martin Scorsese
About this adaptation: Three years after his last film Silence, Martin Scorsese is returning to gangsters with his adaptation of I Heart You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. The movie will star some of Scorsese’s favorites including Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. The story follows the events around the murder of famed Jimmy Hoffa.
Read it before you see it:
Book: I Heart You Paint Houses
Author: Charles Brandt
‘The Last Thing He Wanted’
Release date: TBD
Director: Dee Rees
About this adaptation: After her hit movie Mudbound, director Dee Rees is back with her movie adaptation of the Joan Didion novel of the same name. The story follows a journalist that leaves her newspaper job and incidentally ends up working as a arms dealer for a covert government agency. If that doesn’t get your attention, I’m not sure what will.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Last Thing He Wanted
Author: Joan Didion
‘The Laundromat’
Release date: TBD
Director: Steven Soderbergh
About this adaptation: Although its release date is still unclear, director Steven Soderbergh will soon bring the Jake Bernstein’s book The Secrecy World to the screen. Bernstein’s book tells the true story of the journalists that helped uncover the Panama Papers, exposing millions of dollars in tax fraud. Meryl Streep is set to lead the cast in what will surely be one of the year’s most exciting movies.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Secrecy World
Author: Jake Bernstein
‘Native Son’
Release date: TBD
Director: Rashida Johnson
About this adaptation: Despite already premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it’s unclear how soon the rest of us will get to see Native Son, the adaptation of Richard Wright’s book of the same name. This adaptation, starring Moonlight actor Ashton Sanders, appears to be modernized — a significant update considering the book is originally set in the 1930s.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Native Son
Author: Richard Wright
2019 Book-to-TV adaptations
As the television studios continue to churn out more and more options for viewers to choose from, plenty of big studios are turning to adapting well-known novels, biographies, memoirs, and graphic novels for the small screen. The longform adaptation has some advantages over adapting for a screenplay. Characters have more time to develop, ancillary characters have room to expand their roles, and series can take on new life under the guidance of the right teams.
Take a look at the longer running shows such as Game of Thrones, The Magicians, or Outlander. Each of these series has taken the source material, elevated what was on the pages, and taken the stories to new and exciting lands.
Here is a roundup of upcoming book to tv series you can expect to view from the comfort of your living rooms in the next calendar year.
‘Roswell, New Mexico’
Premiere date: January 15, 2019
Network: CW
About this adaptation: Melinda Mentz’s Roswell High series serves as the basis for the new CW drama. This is not the first time the series has been adapted for television, but the second following the first run of Roswell on the WB network starting in 1999. Julie Plec, who is no stranger to bringing successful supernatural/sci-fi shows to life (Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Kyle XY) directed the pilot.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Roswell High
Author: Melina Mentz
‘Deadly Class’
Premiere date: January 16
Network: SYFY
About this adaptation: Deadly Class comes to SYFY under unique circumstances. The comic series upon which the show is based is still publishing new issues. The creator of that series, Rick Remender, is still writing them, and he is co-showrunning the live-action adaptation starring Lana Condor, Benedict Wong, and Benjamin Wadsworth. The show follows a group of children taken in by Master Lin to live and study the deadly arts at King’s Dominion school. Tying in comic elements with the live-action (animated flashbacks!) gives the series a more meaningful connection to its source material.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Deadly Class
Author: Rick Remender
‘A Discovery of Witches’
Premiere date: January 17, 2019
Network: Sundance
About this adaptation: The entirety of season 1 of A Discovery of Witches finished airing in the UK in the last month of 2018. However, the series, based on book one in the All Souls trilogy by author Deborah Harkness has just arrived on the streaming platform Sundance Now. The first eight episodes molds the events of the first novel into a digestible chunk of drama led by Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode as Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont. To enhance your viewing experience, we recommend picking up the trilogy before spending a weekend binging this truncated, yet beautifully shot series.
Read it before you see it:
Book: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
‘Umbrella Academy’
Premiere date: February 15, 2019
Network: Netflix
About this adaptation: Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s Umbrella Academy will reintroduce viewers to Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Vanya and Number Five in the live-action Netflix series. The series follows a collective of seemingly unconnected people who were all born on the same day, by different mothers, and brought together by Sir Reginald Hargreeves to save the world. The lofty mission fails and the team disbands, but come back together following Hargreeves death. There’s aliens, super powers, and a mean violin to be heard by Ellen Page’s Vanya in this gothic adaptation.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Umbrella Academy
Author: Gerard Way
‘NOS4A2’
Premiere date: April 30, 2019
Network: AMC
About this adaptation: AMC is trying its hand at supernatural/horror genre with their 10-episode order of NOS4A2. Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings will lead the adaptation of Joe Hill’s novel (and yes, he is the son of Stephen King). Quinto’s character, Charlie Manx transports children to a land of his own making, Christmasland, but this is not the jolly place from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Manx sucks the souls of children for nourishment, until Cummings Vic McQueen poses a threat to his immortality.
Read it before you see it:
Book: NOS4A2
Author: Joe Hill
‘Good Omens’
Premiere date: Spring 2019
Network: Amazon Prime (US)
About this adaptation: Good Omens is more than a TV show. It is a promise being fulfilled by Neil Gaiman to Terry Pratchett. It is a fanbase getting a worthy adaptation of a beloved novel. At New York Comic Con the first-look at the series sent fans through the roof and as the stars of the series reflected on the production’s first season, it was evident that David Tennant and Michael Sheen are the perfect pair to bring Crowley and Aziraphale to Earth for a little fun.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Good Omens
Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
‘Catch-22’
Premiere date: Spring 2019
Network: Hulu
About this adaptation: Based on the Joseph Heller novel by the same name, Catch-22 will see Christopher Abbott in the lead role of Yossarian in Hulu’s adaptation. The limited series finds Abbott essentially trapped by a seemingly impossible rule by the Air Force carrying out dangerous missions. The series also stars Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie, and George Clooney, who is also the director and producer of the series.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Catch-22
Author: Joseph Heller
‘Watchmen’
Premiere date: 2019
Network: HBO
About this adaptation: Damon Lindelof wants one thing to be clear — he is not adapting Watchmen. The source material is, as he said in his Instagram letter to fans, “sacred ground.” But HBO, and the property owners Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, have given license for Lindelof to play in the sandbox and make something with the property. So what will you see on HBO this year? A modernized new story set in the Watchmen universe.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
‘I Am the Night’
Premiere date: January 28, 2019
Network: TNT
About this adaptation: Color us surprised, because TNT was not the space we were expecting to find the explosive duo of Patty Jenkins and Chris Pine. With a script penned by Jenkins’ husband Sam Sheridan, the limited series will consist of six episodes telling the tale of Fauna Hodel (played by India Eisley) who traces her past back to the “Black Dahlia” murder of Elizabeth Short. The reference material for the series is taken from the words of Fauna Hodel herself in One Day She’ll Darken. Pine will take the role of Jay Singletary, a once disgraced reporter who becomes entangled Hodel’s investigation and reconnected to the story that caused him to catch heat during his initial report.
Read it before you see it:
Book: One Day She’ll Darken
Author: Fauna Hodel
‘The Rook’
Premiere date: TBD 2019
Network: Starz
About this adaptation: Author Stephanie Meyer is adapting Daniel O’Malley’s novel concerning a secret UK government agency concerned with keeping supernatural affairs under control. Starz ordered The Rook straight to series with 10 episodes. It follows Myfanwy Thomas who sets off the series by waking up in an unfamiliar body, surrounded by dead bodies, with a note “To You” in her pocket. Set to star in the series is Emma Greenwell who previously starred opposite Aaron Paul in The Path.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Rook
Author: Daniel O’Malley
‘Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists’
Premiere date: 2019
Network: Freeform
About this adaptation: Goodbye high school, hello college. There is no denying the popularity of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series that sprouted on ABC Family and ended its run on Freeform under the guide of Marlene King. Now, King is taking a stab at another of Shepard’s related properties with The Perfectionists. The series premiere will feature former Liars stars, Janel Parrish and Sasha Pieterse.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Perfectionists
Author: Sara Shepard
Related: The 10 best episodes of Pretty Little Liars
‘The Name of the Rose’
Premiere date: TBD 2019
Network: Sundance Now
About this adaptation: A historical murder mystery set in 1327 in an Italian monastery. That is the premise of Umberto Eco’s 1980 best-selling novel, Il nome della rosa. Told over eight episodes, this could be one of the most compelling adaptations of 2019. Almost resembling a Holmesian feel, there is a labyrinth library complete with a mute librarian, poisoned pages, scorpions, locusts, and bodies piling up by the day. Keep your eyes out for this one on the Sundance Now streaming service, but also pick up a copy of Eco’s novel. It didn’t sell over 50 million copies for nothing!
Read it before you see it:
Book: Il nome della rosa or The Name of the Rose
Author: Umberto Eco
‘His Dark Materials’
Premiere date: TBD 2019
Network: BBC One (UK), HBO (US)
About this adaptation: At the risk of putting too much pressure on an adaptation, we politely request that this series be exquisite, charming, and capture Philip Pullman’s universe in the way that millions of readers imagined it for decades. His Dark Materials tells the adventures of 12-year-old Lyra Belacqua and her dæmon Pantalaimon as she dives into the secrets buried by her family. The casting announcements only added to the building anticipation for the series as the BBC confirmed Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel and Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter.
Read it before you see it:
Book: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Related: The Fandom Will Be Streamed: See where every big franchise is telling new stories
‘Cursed’
Premiere date: TBD 2019
Network: Netflix
About this adaptation: Cursed will not hit the shelves of booksellers until the fall of 2019, but the Netflix adaptation of the upcoming novel is set to retell the infamous Arthurian legend from Nimue’s point of view. As Arthur searches for Merlin, he runs into the future Lady of the Lake, who comes to discover her own courage and power on their journey. The YA version of the tale is to be penned by Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by Frank Miller. For the Netflix adaptation, Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) is set to step into the lead role.
Read it before you see it:
Book: Cursed
Author: Thomas Wheeler, illustrations by Frank Miller
Returning Book-to-TV series we can’t wait to keep watching in 2019
- Game of Thrones – season 8, April 14 on HBO
- American Gods – season 2, March 10 on Starz
- Handmaid’s Tale – season 3, TBD on Hulu
- Shadowhunters season 3B, February 25 on Freeform
- YOU – season 2, TBD on Netflix
- Outlander – season 4 currently airing on Starz
- The Magicians – season 4 currently airing on SYFY
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