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60 New Page-to-Screen Adaptations to Add to Your 2022 Reading List

Photo: David Lee/Netflix

This article was originally published in January and has been updated with new releases.

It has been a big year for book adaptations: From the breakouts (My Policeman and Pachinko) to the sprawling, much-loved universes making a return to the screen (Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones), 2022 has been fruitful for book nerds and cinephiles alike. As the remaining months of the year tick down, there’s still much to look forward to in this arena. From adaptations of everything from fables to memoirs and short horror stories to novellas, here are the most anticipated, coming soon to a screen near you.

Photo: KTHTK

In Guillermo del Toro’s new Netflix horror anthology series, Cabinet of Curiosities (previously known as Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight), the world’s a stage for the creepy, disturbing, and horrifyingly beautiful. Over eight episodes, all with different directors (including the makers of The Babadook, Splice, and Mandy), Cabinet of Curiosities showcases creatures and stories from the dark corners of the imagination. Among the spooky tales, two are del Toro originals, while others are based on short stories by H.P. Lovecraft, ​​Michael Shea, Emily Carroll, and Henry Kuttner.

Cabinet of Curiosities, starring Rupert Grint, Ben Barnes, and Andrew Lincoln, is streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Puffin Books Ltd

The game is afoot — again! Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes is back and once more follows in the footsteps of her famous brother, Sherlock (here, Henry Cavill), to navigate the criminal underworld as a detective for hire. Nancy Springer’s novel inserts the younger Holmes into the Arthur Conan Doyle canon as a contrast to her older brother. She’s the firecracker of the family, and this sequel throws her into a dangerous new world when she accepts her first case as a pro sleuth. Investigating London’s gritty factories and high-society galas, Enola risks it all to solve the treacherous case of a missing sister.

Enola Holmes 2, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and David Thewlis, will be streaming on Netflix November 4.

Photo: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

This remake of a holiday classic takes the form of a musical comedy (and arrives before Thanksgiving). A modern retelling of Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, it sees Ryan Reynolds and former elf Will Ferrell join forces, with (it seems) the latter playing the miserable, Christmas-hating misanthrope taken on a magical journey. With its big musical numbers, this update is sure to ignite the holiday season in you … if the pumpkin spice hasn’t already.

Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer, hits theaters November 11 and Apple TV+ November 18. 

Dear Zoe, by Philip Beard
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Photo: Plume

This epistolary YA novel sees 15-year-old Tess attempt to get on with her life as she wades through her guilt about her half-sister’s death in a hit-and-run on 9/11. Through Tess’s youthful gaze, we see her parents’ decaying relationship fall apart and her own summer romance develop while she begins the emotional process of moving away from home. Every encounter and new venture is tinged with memories of her late sister.

Dear Zoe, starring Sadie Sink, Jessica Capshaw, and Theo Rossi, hits theaters November 14.

The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue
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Photo: Back Bay Books

Our beloved Miss Flo will return to the screen post–Don’t Worry Darling in Sebastián Lelio’s period drama The Wonder. Set in the Irish Midlands in 1862, the story follows English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh), a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign who arrives in a small village to observe an 11-year-old child said to have miraculously survived for months without food. Tourists flock to behold the miracle, and a journalist is sent to cover this force of nature who believes she’s living off manna from Heaven. Standing guard over the girl, Lib becomes responsible for the child’s life.

The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, and Toby Jones, hits theaters November 2 and Netflix November 16.

Photo: Random House Publishing Group

Taffy Brodesser-Akner adapts her 2019 debut novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, which charts the adventures of Toby, a recently divorced, bitter 40-something man trying to solve the mystery of his ex-wife’s disappearance. The Manhattanites’ amicable co-parenting arrangement dissolves in Toby’s hunt for the truth and an unraveling of what he believes about his relationship. Balancing his hospital work and his newly single status with this added responsibility, Toby sees his life fall apart before his eyes.

Fleishman Is in Trouble, starring Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg, and Lizzy Caplan, is streaming on Hulu November 17.

Photo: Penguin Press

On October 5, 2017, Pulitzer Prize–winning reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey published a bombshell article in the New York Times, the ripples of which are still being felt today: At the heart of their report was the breaking story of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment and abuse of numerous women. Their book, She Said, charts the untold story of the pair’s journalistic process as they brought this story to light.

She Said, starring Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, and Patricia Clarkson, hits theaters November 18.

Devotion, by Adam Makos
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Photo: Ballantine Books

The comradeship among naval officers reaches new heights in Devotion, a retelling of the true story of loyalty between elite fighter pilots Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner. The pair were the U.S. Navy’s most celebrated wingmen during the Korean War, with Brown becoming the Navy’s first Black carrier pilot at a time when the U.S. was divided by segregation. In this film, both men are deployed to the Mediterranean, but when one gets captured behind enemy lines, the other must choose between his own life and saving his comrade.

Devotion, starring Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, and Christina Jackson, hits theaters November 23.

Photo: Griffin

Luca Guadagnino and Timothée Chalamet reunite after Call Me by Your Name in Bones and All, a love story about two teen wanderers who bond over their shared desire and their appetite for human flesh. Maren (Taylor Russell) is traveling to reunite with her father, but on her cross-country road trip, she finds fellowship in the form of a fellow cannibal (Chalamet). Blending horror with the road movie in the context of Reagan’s America, Bones and All shows a search for love in atypical places.

Bones and All, starring Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell, and Mark Rylance, is scheduled for release November 23.

White Noise, by Don DeLillo
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Photo: Penguin Classics

Noah Baumbach returns with a new navigation of the family dynamic in White Noise, an adaption of Don DeLillo’s career-defining 1985 novel. The family consists of Jack; his fourth wife, Babette; and their four children as they navigate a cataclysmic accident that has shed chemical waste over their town. With the lethal cloud floating above, the family must confront their mortality and decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to survive.

White Noise, starring Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Raffey Cassidy, is out November 25 in cinemas and December 30 on Netflix.

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Miriam Toews’s 2018 novel was loosely inspired by real-life events at the Manitoba Colony, an ultraconservative Mennonite community in Bolivia whose members were put on trial in 2011 for the rapes of upwards of 100 women. Sarah Polley’s adaptation takes place in a fictional isolated Mennonite colony where women have spent years being abused. The film begins after the abusers have been sent to jail, and through flashbacks, Polley’s narrative focuses on the fallout from this trauma.

Women Talking, starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley, will start a limited theatrical release December 2.

Photo: El Paso Norte Press

D.H. Lawrence’s infamous 1928 novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover was ahead of its time in its exploration of Victorian female sexuality and was once regarded as vulgar and pornographic. Banned upon its publication for “promoting adultery” and not published in uncensored form until 1960, Lady Chatterley’s Lover explores the title character’s steamy affair with her gamekeeper after she falls out of love with her baronet husband. At its core, the novel is an examination of the impact of love on the mind and body.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover, starring Emma Corrin, Faye Marsay, and Joely Richardson, will be streaming on Netflix December 2.

Photo: Penguin Classics

The 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio has already been the subject of one adaptation this year (Robert Zemeckis’s film for Disney+), but Guillermo del Toro’s star-studded animated version proves Carlo Collodi’s classic is still fertile ground for filmmakers. Del Toro’s version is based on artist Gris Grimly’s designs for the book’s 2002 edition, and the Oscar-winning director’s magic touch is sure to capture the energetic spirit of this fable, which follows the titular puppet’s desire to be a real boy.

​​Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, starring Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, and Tilda Swinton, hits select cinemas November 25 and Netflix December 9.

Photo: Washington Square Press

Marc Forster’s A Man Called Otto is a remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove — itself an adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s novel of the same name. The story follows the grumpy 60-year-old Ove/Otto, who is forced to retire from his job of 40 years after his wife dies. When he’s faced with this wall of bad news, his loneliness becomes unbearable, and he decides to commit suicide. His attempts are interrupted by some lively new neighbors, with whom he forms an unlikely friendship. The young family next door not only spoils his plans but shows him that life can become joyous again when it’s least expected.

A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, Rachel Keller, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, hits theaters December 14.

Photo: Knopf

Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich is widely regarded as one of the master’s greatest pieces of fiction. Living, its latest adaptation, follows Ivan, a high-court judge in 19th-century Russia who finds himself in an unhappy marriage after he discovers that his medical condition is terminal. Ivan desperately searches for a cure, but his pain becomes so intense he is forced to spend his dwindling number of days in bed. Here he comes face-to-face with his mortality through spiraling existential thoughts. He grows frustrated with his friends and family for not acknowledging that he’s approaching death, and he begins to question whether he really lived his life to the fullest.

Living, starring Bill Nighy, Aimée Lou Wood, and Tom Burke, hits theaters December 23.

Photo: Publisher

Since entering the public domain in 2020, Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game” has been prime material for screen adaptation, though it has been adapted a number of times already — most notably in the 1932 horror film by Irving Pichel and Ernest Schoedsack, starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks. This 2022 retelling also follows a father and son’s fight for survival after being marooned on a remote island and caught up in a hunt in which they are the prey.

The Most Dangerous Game, starring Tom Berenger, Judd Nelson, and Bruce Dern, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Photo: Publisher

Sometimes, “inspired by the book” is a loose description; this seems to be the case for The Legend of Molly Johnson, an adaptation of Henry Lawson’s dramatic short story “The Drover’s Wife.” Inspired by her own experience, director Leah Purcell reimagines this tale of a woman and her children living in the isolated Australian Outback through an Indigenous feminist lens. As writer, director, and star, Purcell will be all over this story of a fiercely protective mother who battles the power of nature.

The Legend of Molly Johnson, starring Leah Purcell, Rob Collins, and Sam Reid, is available on VOD.

Photo: Publisher

The Game of Thrones prequel we’ve all been waiting for, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before Game of Thrones and ties in chapters from George R.R. Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood to chronicle the downfall of House Targaryen and the eruption of the Targaryen war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons. This civil war threatens to tear the dynasty apart, with battles multiplying as the Targaryens try to desperately hold on to their power and the Iron Throne. In what promises to be a fight of loyalty vs. destiny, House of the Dragon’s sheer scope is impressive.

House of the Dragon, starring Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, and Olivia Cooke, is streaming on HBO Max.

Photo: Publisher

British novelist A. S. Byatt’s 1994 mythical tale “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” follows a scholar’s meeting with a djinn who offers three wishes in exchange for its freedom. The meeting takes place in an Istanbul hotel room, and the decisions lead to unexpected consequences. With Idris Elba as the djinn and Tilda Swinton as the scholar, the acting prowess is sure to sparkle in George Miller’s adaptation, Three Thousand Years of Longing, in which fairy-tale conventions are used to expose the rot in contemporary society.

Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Elba, Aamito Lagum, and Tilda Swinton, is available on VOD.

Photo: Publisher

In case you thought we didn’t have enough Lord of the Rings content, here’s some more. The novel and its appendices are the basis for the fantasy TV series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The lesser-known appendices — set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, during the Second Age of Middle-earth — offer more contextual details (including the histories, cultures, genealogies, and languages of Middle-earth) to bulk up this new addition to the lore.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, starring Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, and Markella Kavenagh, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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The fourth and final installment of the After cinematic series, a sequel to After We Fell, is based on book four of the After novel series by Anna Todd. What began as Harry Styles fanfiction has taken on a life of its own with Tessa and Hardin’s tumultuous relationship once again put to the test. As the young couple experience the plight of adulthood, their love is challenged by family hardships and personal tragedies. Ultimately, Hardin discovers he cannot brood his whole life, and Tessa learns sweetness can turn sour.

After Ever Happy, starring Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Carter Jenkins, is available on VOD.

Photo: Publisher

One evening, a young woman — our unnamed protagonist — leaves work to have sex in an underground parking garage with a stranger. It is a seemingly sudden interruption of her otherwise quiet life. Yet from this moment, she is utterly hooked on pursuing a purely sexual relationship with the ex-criminal (it’s never quite clear what he did, but he’s repeatedly and worryingly violent). With a stark and explicit approach to sex, violence, and drugs, True Things delves into the harsh realities of two very different addictive personalities.

True Things, starring Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke, and Hayley Squires, is available on VOD.

Blonde, by Joyce Carol Oates
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A cinematic account of Joyce Carol Oates’s novel Blonde has been in the works for years, with many actors considered to star as the legendary Marilyn Monroe, but it was Ana de Armas who secured the bag. Just from set images, she seems to be the perfect pick. Oates’s novel is a study of Monroe’s inner life, but don’t mistake this for a biography: Oates has said the book is entirely fictional. In the trailer for the film, Armas sits quietly in front of a dressing-room mirror, blinded by the flashing lights of paparazzi, as Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” plays. The film will hone in on the dichotomy of fame — to be seen by all but known by none.

Blonde, starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, and Bobby Cannavale, is streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Publisher

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is the oddest title on this list. Shawn Mendes is the titular crocodile — certainly an interesting career move for the 24-year-old, though I can’t blame him for taking the opportunity to star (vocally, as a humongous animated crocodile) opposite Javier Bardem and Constance Wu. This children’s-book adaptation is also a musical (suspiciously, there’s no sign yet of James Corden) that follows a young boy trying to settle into a new home in NYC when he discovers a giant singing crocodile in the attic. Big-city antics ensue.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, starring Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, and Shawn Mendes, is now in theaters.

Photo: Publisher

Every year in the village of Gavaldon, two children are kidnapped. Sophie, a perfectionist and top student, and Agatha, a villainous personality with a black cat, are about to discover where those missing children end up. The enchanting fantasy film sees the pair’s destinies reversed in the Endless Woods: Sophie is dumped in the School for Evil to take uglification, death-curses, and henchmen training, while Agatha is placed in the School for Good with princess-etiquette and animal-communication classes. By being put in each other’s shoes, the two best friends learn more about themselves.

The School for Good and Evil, starring Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, and Laurence Fishburne, is streaming on Netflix.

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Sure to be both beautiful and devastating if it packs the same punch as Bethan Roberts’s novel, My Policeman is a tragic tale of thwarted love and besotted longing. Fair warning: It’ll make your heart hurt. Set in the 1950s, British policeman Tom (Harry Styles) falls for Brighton schoolteacher Marion (Emma Corrin), then finds himself passionately infatuated with museum curator Patrick (David Dawson) in a time when homosexuality was illegal. Director Michael Grandage has one hell of a task to live up to in putting this beautifully rendered story on the page — though, with this cast, it’s looking promising.

My Policeman, starring Emma Corrin, Harry Styles, and David Dawson, is now in theaters.

Photo: Publisher

It’s about drive; it’s about power — it’s about Dwayne Johnson portraying Black Adam in the character’s cinematic debut! Set in the DC Extended Universe, Black Adam, the archnemesis of Shazam, joins the likes of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman with a solo movie. The Rock professed his excitement at playing “the most ruthless villain/anti-hero of all time finally coming to life” on Instagram.

Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo, and Aldis Hodge, is now in theaters.

Photo: Publisher

The rich are put under a microscope in ​​Anatomy of a Scandal, a scandalous (naturally) political drama about Britain’s elite. James and Sophie Whitehouse look like they have it all, but their whole world is about to be snatched away. James is a Westminster government minister who finds himself at the center of a political scandal, and his wife is dragged into the web of manipulation to help clean it up. The high-profile marriage begins to unfurl under the pressure of a determined prosecutor who is set on proving James guilty. The six-episode courtroom drama–cum–psychological thriller becomes a gripping exploration of deeply held secrets and haunting memories.

​​Anatomy of a Scandal, starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, and Rupert Friend, is streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Publisher

Loosely based on American graphic novelist Adrian Tomine’s short comics — “Amber Sweet” and Killing and “Dying,” from the book of the latter’s name, and “Hawaiian Getaway,” from the book Summer Blonde — Jacques Audiard, Céline Sciamma, and Léa Mysius’s adapted screenplay captures the same melancholic tone of its source material. The film, in its interweaving of Tomine’s comic stories, focuses on the lives of four adults (Émilie, Camille, Nora, and Amber) who flit between friends and lovers in their navigation of adulthood.

Paris, 13th District, starring Lucie Zhang, Makita Samba, and Noémie Merlant, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Photo: Publisher

The combination of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Andrew Garfield is bound to be lethal in Under the Banner of Heaven, as they play Brenda Lafferty and Detective Jeb. It has been a long time coming: Krakauer’s book was originally adapted for a Ron Howard film back in 2011, but more than a decade later it is materializing as a Hulu show, adapted by Dustin Lance Black. Centered on the horrors of Ron and Dan Lafferty’s heinous crimes, Under the Banner of Heaven is an investigation of what led the two fundamentalist Mormon brothers to murder. While examining their unyielding faith and polygamist lifestyle, Krakauer’s investigation raises provocative questions about devout belief.

Under the Banner of Heaven, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Andrew Garfield, and Sam Worthington, is streaming on Hulu.

Photo: Publisher

After The Handmaid’s Tale and Shirley, Elisabeth Moss seems to have developed quite the penchant for gripping dramas. Her next venture is The Shining Girls, in which she stars as a Chicago newspaper archivist whose memory of a traumatic assault arises when a recent murder mirrors her own case. She grows utterly determined to uncover her attacker’s identity, a man who seems to have a pattern of murdering bright young women who fall into his orbit. The metaphysical thriller sees Moss’s Kirby turn the tables as she sets out to hunt the hunter.

Shining Girls, starring Elisabeth Moss, Jamie Bell, and Phillipa Soo, is streaming on Apple TV+.

Happening, by Annie Ernaux
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Photo: Publisher

Annie Ernaux’s novel focuses on the plight of a 23-year-old student who falls unexpectedly pregnant in 1960s France, a time when abortion in a medical setting is illegal and self-induced termination is a criminal offense. The book follows Annie looking back on her experience, while Audrey Diwan’s upcoming drama is situated in this young woman’s present day as she desperately seeks a solution. A harrowingly raw and timely account of unwanted pregnancy, Happening tells this story through a deeply empathetic and personal lens.

Happening, starring Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, and Luàna Bajrami, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Firestarter, by Stephen King
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Keith Thomas’s cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s Firestarter will be the second time this book has been interpreted for the screen. The first, Mark Lester’s 1984 film, received divisive reviews: a 37 percent on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. Thomas, no doubt, will be hoping for a better reception for his version, which sees a couple desperately sheltering their daughter who has an unprecedented gift: pyrokinesis, the ability to create and control fire. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, federal agencies are very keen to seize the young girl and harness her power but come up against the barrier of a protective father.

Firestarter, starring Zac Efron, Gloria Reuben, and Kurtwood Smith, is streaming on Peacock.

Photo: Publisher

After the success of Normal People, it was only a matter of time before the Sally Rooney Extended Universe became a reality. The second of Rooney’s book-to-screen adaptations is Conversations With Friends, a story that follows tight-knit university friends and former lovers Frances and Bobbi as they meet an older married couple, journalist Melissa and actor Nick. When Frances and Nick’s flirtation gives way to an intense affair, the bond between all four is put to the test. Conversations With Friends’ exploration of relationships between a tangled foursome has big shoes to fill, but with Normal People’s crew also embarking on this adaptation, the show could very well live up to the hype.

Conversations With Friends, starring Alison Oliver, Joe Alwyn, and Sasha Lane, is streaming on Hulu.

Photo: Publisher

A reimagining of the classic tale of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Laurie Fox’s novel chronicles four generations of women in the Darling family. The Lost Girls follows Wendy as she is trying to outrun the perpetuating pattern of young love and loss that the women before her encountered. The Darling women repeatedly fall for Pan and are whisked away to Neverland, but how will this fantastical trip change the course of Wendy’s life? And when her own daughter comes of age, how will she cope with seeing her child fall into Peter’s orbit? In examining Wendy’s inclination for fantasy, Fox is not interested in the men with Peter Pan syndrome but rather the women who fall in love with them.

The Lost Girls, starring Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Julian Ovenden, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

The Black Phone, by Joe Hill
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Joe Hill’s 2004 short horror story, The Black Phone, set in a suburban Colorado town in 1978, is a supernatural stranger-danger written warning: Thirteen-year-old Jack Finney is kidnapped by a serial killer and locked inside a windowless, soundproof basement. Five children have gone missing before him, and from the bloodstains on the floor, it’s not looking good for him. Isolated in the cellar, an old disconnected landline phone is Jack’s only connection to the world beyond his four walls, and in the dead of night, the phone rings. The voices on the line are the victims of the killer who has him trapped, and they may just be the key to his escape.

The Black Phone, starring Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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Lieutenant Commander James Reece returns home devastated after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed and killed. Home should be a safety net for this veteran, but when he lands on American soil, he finds his government may be against him. He becomes wrapped up in a conspiracy, with no one close to support his homecoming, and his desire to avenge his fallen team leads him to the upper echelons of power in an attempt to hold those in charge accountable. Chris Pratt is Reece, because he’s playing every action hero, including Mario, right now.

The Terminal List, starring Chris Pratt, Taylor Kitsch, and Constance Wu, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Photo: Publisher

If your period-drama appetite isn’t satiated by the latest Bridgerton season, Mr. Malcolm’s List should be at the top of your must-sees. Adapting her own novel for the screen, Suzanne Allain’s book and screenplay follow two young women in 1800s England who come up against a conceited and arrogant bachelor irritatingly insistent on selecting the perfect wife. Julia has warned her best friend, Selina, about the man’s hunt for a spouse and gets her on board with a revenge plot to give Mr. Malcom a taste of his own medicine. Mr. Malcolm’s List is a tale of women navigating high-class London society that becomes both a Regency romance and comedy of manners.

Mr. Malcolm’s List, starring Freida Pinto, Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, and Zawe Ashton, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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Murder on the Orient Express, step aside: The propulsive thriller Bullet Train is looking to take the lead in the genre of mystery films set on a moving train. It follows five individuals riding on Japan’s lightning-fast Shinkansen. They board the train, but will they all get off alive when they arrive at their destination? On board are psychopaths, revenge seekers, assassins, and a suitcase of money that everyone wants. The train trip becomes a journey of double-crossing and murderous motivations moving at 320kms per hour.

Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is in theaters now.

Photo: Publisher

It seems ​​Reese Witherspoon loved her Book Club pick Where the Crawdads Sing so much she had to add it to her production company’s roster of upcoming projects. Owens’s debut novel’s cinematic adaptation already has a crooning Taylor Swift soundtrack, and if “Carolina” is indicative of what’s to come, prepare for a haunting murder mystery. Crawdads, which may or may not be inspired by Owens’s family’s implication in a Zambian murder, revolves around North Carolina’s Marsh Girl and the suspicious death of Chase Andrews. The jury is out on whether it will be possible to make the stunning Daisy Edgar-Jones look like she lives in an isolated, swampy marshland.

Where the Crawdads Sings, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, and Harris Dickinson, is in theaters now.

DC League of Super-Pets
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DC Comics has provided a boatload of cinematic fables, but its next story pivots from superhumans to superpets. DC League of Super-Pets is a computer-animated superhero comedy movie, and the gang is a ragtag team including Krypto the Superdog (Superman’s pet dog that shares his Kryptonian powers), Ace the Bat-Hound (Batman’s dog that has superstrength and invulnerability), PB the potbellied pig (Wonder Woman’s pet that can grow in size), Merton the turtle (Flash’s pet that acquires super-speed), and Chip the squirrel (Green Lantern’s pet that gains electrical powers).

DC League of Super-Pets, starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Vanessa Bayer, is in theaters now.

Photo: Publisher

This ten-part HBO series based on Jeff Pearlman’s book is a detailed account and an all-access courtside seat to the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers during an era that forever changed the NBA and America’s sports entertainment. A sporting dynasty, in the height of their success known by the moniker Showtime Lakers, the team was revered and unstoppable, with unprecedented success: winning five NBA championships within a decade. Pearlman pulls back the curtain on the success of key players and coaches — Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Riley — to reveal personal stories, intense rivalries, and an era-defining decade on the court.

Winning Time, starring John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, and Solomon Hughes, is streaming on HBO Max.

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This historical romance novel takes place in 1850s Gold Country California and follows Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a child and knows nothing but this torturous existence. Angel meets Michael, a man who seeks out her heart and obeys God’s wish to marry her. She warms to Michael but remains skeptical about his pursuit of affection. Rivers’s book is a retelling of the Bible’s Gomer and Hosea story, dealing with the central notion that God’s love can redeem wrongdoings. (Hence the title.)

Redeeming Love, starring Abigail Cowen, Nina Dobrev, and Tom Lewis, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Munich, by Robert Harris
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Harris’s Munich sees Neville Chamberlain desperate to preserve peace as he negotiates the ill-fated 1938 Munich agreement with Adolf Hitler, who is ready for war. This WW2-era spy thriller is fact-based historical fiction told through the eyes of two civil servants: one German and one English. These two young men were friends at Oxford University but now find themselves on opposite sides. Witnessing the dawning of Europe’s darkest hour as it unfolds, the novel’s tense dramatization is carefully balanced on the precipice of war.

Munich — The Edge of War, starring George MacKay, Jeremy Irons, and Jannis Niewöhner, is streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Publisher

Interweaving science fiction and historical romance, The Moon and the Sun is set in 17th-century France under Louis XIV’s rule of glory, wealth, and fortune that knows no bounds. He tasks a philosopher with seeking immortality in the form of endangered, mythical sea monsters, the flesh of which will supposedly imbue the consumer with eternal life. Marie-Josèphe, a low-ranking member of Louis’s court, is happy to assist her philosopher brother; she sketches the creatures and discovers they are not monsters but mermaids. She must now convince the court of her discovery, that is if anyone will listen.

The King’s Daughter, starring Pierce Brosnan, Kaya Scodelario, and Benjamin Walker, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Photo: Publisher

Cyrano is an adaptation of the 2018 theater show, itself based on Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play, Cyrano de Bergerac. The eponymous protagonist is infatuated with Roxane, the most beautiful woman in Paris, who is in love with another man, Christian de Neuvillette. Love feels out of reach for Cyrano, who believes his appearance and class ranking will make his destiny a lonely one. However, he realizes he can use his poetic penmanship on Christian’s behalf to write declarations of love to Roxane, allowing her to fall in love with his words with no preconceptions.

Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ben Mendelsohn, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Photo: Publisher

Child’s Jack Reacher series, comprising 27 novels, has already been the basis of two film adaptations: Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, both starring Tom Cruise. Now the first of Child’s Reacher novels, his 1997 award-winning debut, Killing Floor, will be the basis of a Prime Video original show. Reacher, an ex-military policeman, is an enigma drifting through life, cities, and worlds. It is when he passes through Margrave in Georgia that the jaws of fate catch up with him; he’s arrested for a murder he didn’t commit and thrown into a criminal underworld.

Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson, Willa Fitzgerald, and Kristin Kreuk, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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Is it possible the most cursed casting of the year has peaked in February? It will be hard to top Death on the Nile, an adaptation of Christie’s classic Hercule Poirot detective novel, in which a luxury cruise is headed straight for tragedy. The film is a follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express and observes a couple’s tranquil holiday on Egypt’s River Nile as it turns deadly. When a body is found, Poirot is entrusted to solve the crime before the killer strikes again. A tale of blood-stained lies, deceit, and death, this adaptation will certainly cause a stir.

Death on the Nile, starring Kenneth Branagh, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, and Letitia Wright, is streaming on HBO Max.

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This graphic novel is a new variation on the accidental relationship rom-com trope — a pop superstar is preparing for a huge wedding when she finds out her fiancé has been unfaithful. In a moment of desperation, she decides to spontaneously marry a random fan in the crowd who is holding a “Marry Me” sign. The unlikely romance sees the two strangers navigate new love with the eyes of millions analyzing their every move. Out in time for Valentine’s Day, Marry Me is a modern love story where celebrity and reality collide.

Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and Maluma, is streaming on Peacock.

Photo: Publisher

This adaptation marks the 20th-anniversary release of Pratchett’s children’s fantasy novel, in which the titular and sentient ginger cat is a scam artist. Maurice gathers a gang of talking rats and, inspired by the legend of the Pied Piper, hatches a streetwise con to make money. Arriving at the town of Bad Blintz, they meet the mayor’s daughter, Malicia, and a bunch of ratcatchers who threaten to destroy their entire plan. With a whole host of riveting characters, a moral conundrum of ethics is at the heart of Pratchett’s playful story.

The Amazing Maurice, starring Emilia Clarke, Himesh Patel, and Gemma Arterton, is in theaters soon.

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Mrs. Harris is a salt-of-the-earth Londoner, a working-class widow who is a house cleaner for the homes of the upper-class. While tidying Lady Dant’s wardrobe, she comes across a stunning Dior gown and is awestruck by its beauty. She sweeps her modest ambition to the side and begins saving to travel to the House of Dior in Paris in search of another haute couture dress. Lesley Manville is at the helm as the indomitable Mrs. Harris, and if her exemplary performance and knowledge of textiles in ​​Phantom Thread is anything to go by, she’s perfect for this role.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, starring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, and Jason Isaacs, is in theaters now.

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The sixth book in Gabaldon’s Outlander series of novels, A Breath of Snow and Ashes is the basis for the eight-episode sixth season of Outlander. With more than 1,400 pages to adapt, season six has plenty of choices for where to take its time-traveling couple. The story takes place in 1772; Jamie is called upon by the king to protect the land, yet he already knows what the future of this action will hold. Central to this narrative is the effort to manage the present while avoiding disaster in the future. With plenty of drama, brutality, and romance, A Breath of Snow and Ashes makes for rich adaptation material.

Season six of Outlander, starring Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, and Sophie Skelton, is streaming on Starz.

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This tender story of Scott and Austin, father and son, is as inspiring as it is tearjerking. The Unbreakable Boy is Scott’s written ode to his son, an 18-year-old who is living with the challenges of osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease, and autism. Embracing both the tragedies and triumphs of life, this saga of family, faith, and fortitude unfolds with searing sincerity. However, Austin’s resilient spirit underscores any and all of the overwhelming ordeals this family endures, especially for his father, whose struggle with addiction is debilitating.

The Unbreakable Boy, starring Jacob Laval, Zachary Levi, and Meghann Fahy, is not yet available on VOD.

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The much anticipated second season of Bridgerton, Netflix’s Regency drama from Shonda Rhimes, sees ​​Simon and Daphne step out of the limelight as the latter’s brother, Anthony, takes center stage. Taking inspiration from Quinn’s second novel in the Bridgerton Family’s series, The Viscount Who Loved Me, Bridgerton season two tracks Anthony’s striding toward his commitment to marrying for duty rather than love. In a new Netflix teaser clip, it seems a new character, Kate, has caught Anthony’s eye and attention. It gives off a Darcy-Bennett feel, where beneath the coldness, affections are blossoming.

Bridgerton season two, starring Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, and Charithra Chandran, is streaming on Netflix.

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Directed and produced by Kogonada and Justin Chon, based on the novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko is an upcoming series that follows a​​ Korean immigrant family over four generations throughout 20th- century Japan. This expansive but intimate saga journeys between Korea, Japan, and America (also told across three languages) against the backdrop of Japan’s annexation of Korea, as a Korean family is exiled from their home amid political warfare. The eight-episode show, if true to the novel, will chart from 1910 to 1989 and revolve around Sunja, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to spoil her proud family’s reputation.

Pachinko, starring Youn Yuh Jung, Lee Minho, and Jin Ha, is streaming on Apple TV+

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This crime-comedy Scholastic book series centers on a gang of notorious criminals who are renowned for their legendary heists in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist. Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Tarantula have the desire to be reformed villains and put their lives of crime behind them to avoid jail time. However, they may have bitten off more than they can chew when it comes to being agents of good who restore peace; a new villain has arrived, and the gang’s commitment to behaving like model civilians is waning.

The Bad Guys, starring Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, and Anthony Ramos, is streaming on Peacock.

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The internet’s beloved queer Tumblr-originated webcomic Heartstopper charts the friendship (and maybe more?) of two British teens, Nick (an openly gay chronic overthinker) and Charlie (a soft-hearted rugby player). Oseman writes and illustrates the ongoing graphic novel on which the new Netflix series will be based. Heartwarmingly sweet, this story of friendship, trust, and coming out is delightfully penned. The show has been brilliantly cast with a whole host of young and exciting actors who resemble Oseman’s illustrations perfectly.

Heartstopper, starring Kit Connor, Joe Locke, and Yasmin Finney, is streaming on Netflix.

Bonus

Photo: DAVID GIESBRECHT/NETFLIX

New York Magazine’s “How an Aspiring ‘It’ Girl Tricked New York’s Party People,” by Jessica Pressler

From the very beginning, the jaw-dropping true story of Anna Delvey was destined for cinematic adaptation. The Netflix series Inventing Anna is based upon the New York Magazine article “How an Aspiring ‘It’ Girl Tricked New York’s Party People” by Jessica Pressler, who is a producer on the new Netflix show. Told through the perspective of an investigative journalist (a character based on Pressler), the show unpacks how Delvey tricked every New York socialite she came into contact with for money, power, and Instagram followers. Inventing Anna is a highly addictive retelling of Delvey’s daring antics and the fallout of her stolen life.

Inventing Anna, starring Julia Garner, Anna Chlumsky, and Alexis Floyd, is streaming on Netflix.

60 Page-to-Screen Adaptations to Add to Your Reading List