The 12 Best Books Becoming Movies In 2025

We've already seen some of the most anticipated movies of 2025, such as "Thunderbolts*" and "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," as well as unexpected blockbusters like "Sinners" and "Mickey 17." There's still a lot more great films to come as of this writing, some of which feature the theatrical returns of auteur directors like Spike Lee and Paul Thomas Anderson. However, you may not know that some of these highly-anticipated projects are actually inspired by books.

If you're one of the many people who believe that the movie is never better than the book it's based on, you're in luck. These 12 incredible books can be read months before they debut as major motion pictures, so you can later go watch the movie and see how it stacks up compared to the source material. From great books that Hollywood has needed to adapt into movies for a long time, to remakes of previous classic book adaptations, these are the books-turned-movies coming out in 2025 that you should keep on your radar. 

Lynne Ramsay is following up her critically acclaimed brutal thriller "You Were Never Really Here," itself based on a 2013 novella, with another book adaptation whose distribution rights were just snatched up by Mubi at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The buzz around the film already places it as a likely Oscar contender, with some speculating it could be the film that turns its star, Jennifer Lawrence, from a one-time Best Supporting Actress winner to a first-time Best Actress winner. 

Surprisingly, "Die, My Love" originated from Argentinian novelist Ariana Harwicz, who first published the story as "Matate, amor" in 2012, which didn't receive an English translation until 2017. Lawrence plays Grace, a woman grappling with postpartum depression after having her first child with her husband Jackson, played by Robert Pattinson. However, Grace's struggles with motherhood, her marriage, and moving across the country result in a psychotic break that turns this family drama into a surrealist thriller. 

The film ended up being nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, where it received a six-minute standing ovation after its premiere screening, though it lost to "It Was Just an Accident." Before this film sees its official release later this year, and subsequently becomes the talk of the town during next year's awards season, consider reading Harwicz's original novel. 

Austin Butler's got a lot of work cut out for him if he's going to escape the shadow of his performance as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 biopic. Though there are already better films than "Elvis" among Butler's best movies and TV shows, his next project might be his best yet. "Caught Stealing," releasing in August 2025 and based on Charlie Huston's 2005 book of the same name, stars Butler as Hank Thompson, a retired baseball player in the 1990s who becomes involved in the world of organized crime in New York City. If that premise isn't enough to get you interested, just wait until you hear who's directing: Darren Aronofsky.

Aronofsky is famous for making films that are pretty psychologically terrifying, whether it be the Jennifer Lawrence-led "mother!" or, most recently, Brendan Fraser's Oscar-winning turn in "The Whale" (which notably beat Butler's own award-winning performance in "Elvis"). It has yet to be seen if "Caught Stealing" will be similarly disturbing, but the trailer makes it seem as if it'll give "Uncut Gems" a run for its money in terms of thrilling suspense.

The supporting cast of "Caught Stealing" also boasts some incredible talent, including Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, and Regina King. If it's anything like its source material, "Caught Stealing" will make the theaters that screen it sound like a horror audience, so viewer discretion is advised ... especially for those who don't like to see blood. 

If the premise of "The Roses" seems familiar to you, you're likely recalling the 1989 film it's remaking, "The War of the Roses," a Danny DeVito-directed comedy that starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a married couple whose bitter divorce turns into a vicious brawl. That film was itself based on a novel of the same name by Warren Adler, which was released in 1981, though the new edition plans to change a lot about both versions of the story, not just the names of its leads.

"The Roses," releasing in August 2025, will star Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as the titular couple, Theo and Ivy, and features an all-star cast of comedy standouts, including Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney. This will likely be one of the most attention-grabbing comedies of the year, and not just because of its A-list cast, but thanks to the talent behind the camera as well. Jay Roach, the filmmaker behind the "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents" film franchises, directs, while the screenplay is penned by Tony McNamara, who recently penned "Poor Things" for Yorgos Lanthimos. 

While a sequel to the '80s version of "The War of the Roses" was in talks as early as 2013, "The Roses" will likely spawn a lot of interest not just in the original film, but the original novel as well. Hopefully, its earlier trailer incites enough moviegoers to catch the comedy when it comes to theaters. 

What are the ingredients for making a must-see movie in 2025? We have no idea, but it probably involves the team-up between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. Lee has directed some of Denzel Washington's best movies, including "Malcolm X" and "He Got Game," and the two are set to finally reunite in 2025 with a new crime thriller, "Highest 2 Lowest." 

"Highest 2 Lowest," as the name suggests, will be a remake of the Akira Kurosawa film from 1963, "High and Low," which itself was based on a 1959 novel, "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter). The original book follows a wealthy man being forced to choose between his own personal ambition with the life of a kidnapped child. In Kurosawa's "High and Low," Toshiro Mifune starred as a Japanese businessman whose chauffeur's son is held for ransom, but in Lee's version, that role will be played by none other than Washington himself.

Obviously, there are enough reasons to see a Spike Lee movie given the director's iconic filmography, but its supporting cast is stacked with the likes of Jeffrey Wright, Wendell Pierce, as well as musicians A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice (the latter making her acting debut). It seems like a match made in heaven to combine Kurosawa with Spike Lee, so if you've never read the original book or seen the 1963 film, let this one surprise you in the theaters in August 2025.

Some of the best movies ever made were adapted from Stephen King novels, including "The Shining" and "The Shawshank Redemption," but even recent years have seen the horror director's work go mainstream with "It" and "The Life of Chuck." However, fewer films have been made about King's work under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, the most famous example being "The Running Man" (which we'll get to later). However, in 2025, one will finally be leaving development hell: "The Long Walk." 

"The Long Walk" centers on the contestants of a fascist government's televised competition wherein a hundred men must walk three miles per hour nonstop down U.S. Route 1, with the failure to do so resulting in execution and the winner being the last man standing. Notably, "The Long Walk" is a historical entry in King's extended bibliography as the first novel he ever wrote, inspired by the real-life horrors of the Vietnam War while King was in high school, with its completion predating the publishing of "Carrie" in 1974. 

The 2025 adaptation will be directed by Francis Lawrence, whose prior credits include novel adaptations like "I Am Legend" and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Its cast includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Judy Greer, as well as Mark Hamill as the Major, the enigmatic antagonist of the book. 

Call your film bro friends, because this year there's going to be a new Paul Thomas Anderson movie coming out. Anderson's best feature films include "There Will Be Blood," "Boogie Nights," and "Punch-Drunk Love," with his most recent release being 2021's "Licorice Pizza." His follow-up to that nostalgic dramedy will be "One Battle After Another," starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an amateur American revolutionary, with co-stars including Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Alana Haim. While very little is known about the film beyond DiCaprio stumbling through a revolution in the trailer, it's supposedly a modern re-interpretation of a very famous piece of American fiction.

The American fiction in question is "Vineland," a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon (often considered one of the postmodern novelist's greatest works), but it takes place in 1984, where the fallout of Ronald Reagan's re-election forces radical hippies from the 1960s to revolt. This won't be the first of Pynchon's novels to be adapted by PTA, as his 2014 film "Inherent Vice" was based on the author's book published in 2009. 

"One Battle After Another" is currently slated to be released theatrically (including IMAX theatres) by Warner Bros. in September 2025, and even though it's the first collaboration between DiCaprio and Anderson, the two have enough individual histories at the Academy Awards to make it a big contender for the upcoming awards season. Anderson has yet to let fans down, so we're excited to see this one hit the big screen. 

After the past year, it wouldn't be hyperbolic to say the last thing anyone wants is another adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel. She's the author behind 2024's infamous "It Ends With Us," of which good intentions and committed performances couldn't escape the stigma of Hoover's doomed book. Buckle up, because Hoover's work is set to hit the big screen again this year with "Regretting You," based on a novel she wrote in 2019, which may win back some of those who felt scorned by the author after watching "It Ends With Us."

"Regretting You" follows Morgan, a woman in her 30s whose teenage daughter, Clara, whom she had when she was a teenager herself, is dealing with the aftermath of the sudden death of Morgan's husband and Clara's father. As Morgan's life unravels from there, the novel deals with intense subject matter such as infidelity, motherhood, and grief, which may be much more palatable to audiences who were turned off by the themes of domestic abuse that were pervasive in "It Ends With Us."

At the very least, "Regretting You" doesn't have Justin Baldoni behind the camera, with directorial duties instead helmed by Josh Boone, who directed "The Fault in Our Stars." Its cast includes Allison Williams as Morgan, Scott Eastwood as Chris, and Mckenna Grace as Clara. It's releasing in theaters in October 2025, so only time will tell if this adaptation resonates with audiences. Judging by reactions to the book, it very well could. 

A biopic about the life of a rock legend like Bruce Springsteen is a tall order for any actor, but knowing how Jeremy Allen White got his kitchen experience preparing for "The Bear," he might be the right person for the job. Thankfully, the biopic has a great book it's being based on, 2023's "Deliver Me From Nowhere" by Warren Zanes. The biography centers on a specific moment in time in which Springsteen was recording his 1982 record "Nebraska," a deeply personal album that predated his huge mainstream moment with "Born in the U.S.A." in 1984. 

Alongside White, the characters from Springsteen's life as depicted in "Deliver Me From Nowhere" will include producer Jon Landau (played by Jeremy Strong), love interest Faye (played by Odessa Young), and father Douglas Springsteen (played by Stephen Graham). Knowing how unflattering Springsteen has admitted his own life to be in comparison to other music icons, "Deliver Me From Nowhere" might be a rare musician biopic that is more honest than it is glamorizing.

Furthermore, "Deliver Me From Nowhere" might not just get audiences interested in Springsteen's discography, but the making-of movie of his best album could reignite modern-day appreciation for "Nebraska." Make sure to catch it in theaters in October 2025, as it'll likely be as much of an Oscar contender this year as "A Complete Unknown" was this past awards season. 

Remember I said we'd get back to "The Running Man?" Well, now's the time. The upcoming 2025 adaptation is not the first feature film adaptation of Stephen King's dystopian novel from 1982. That adaptation, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, famously starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a military commander in an alternate future. Ben is framed up for a police massacre and forced into fighting for his survival in the titular reality television series, where contestants are hunted by assassins. 

The new adaptation, set for release in November 2025, will be directed by Edgar Wright as his follow-up to the 2021 thriller "Last Night in SoHo," with Schwarzenegger's role being taken over by internet boyfriend and handsome man Glen Powell, with other cast members including Josh Brolin, Katy O'Brian, and Colman Domingo. This could be an opportunity for "The Running Man" to redeem itself, as both negative reviews of the 1987 film, as well as King's dislike of the adaptation, marred its reputation in the years to come.

Since it'll have a prime release time of late fall 2025, odds are "The Running Man" could see a lot of box office success, though it could also end up in a similar situation to last year's highly anticipated but ultimately disappointing "Gladiator II." Speaking of "Gladiator II..."

Don't worry, chronically online adults, because Paul Mescal will be returning to the big screen in 2025, though it's yet to be seen if his shirt will ever come off during the movie. "Hamnet" is an adaptation of the 2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell, a Northern Irish author, and centers on the lives of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, following the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. It won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020, so it stands to reason that its film adaptation has the potential to really captivate audiences. 

Mescal stars as the Bard himself, with Jessie Buckley also taking center-stage in the role of Agnes, and its supporting cast includes Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn. It's also directed by Chloé Zhao, the Oscar-winning director of "Nomadland," whose latest project was the 2021 MCU film "Eternals." Given that Zhao was able to make a cosmic superhero family dispute really complicated, it'll be no surprise if she manages to pull an entertaining drama out of a subject like Shakespeare. 

However, as those who've read the book know, it's really Agnes' story more so than Will's, but whether you're already a Shakespeare fan or not, it may recolor how you reread (or re-watch) every single one of the author's plays and sonnets. If you're too impatient to wait until late November 2025 to see it in theaters, maybe check out the book to bide the time. 

By now, classic monster novels like Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" have been adapted to death, but there's maybe no other filmmaker who could turn something classic into something that feels fresh better than Guillermo del Toro. If you've seen every del Toro movie, then you know how genuine and intricate the director's interest in horror, monsters, and fairy tales is. His most recent film, the animated "Pinocchio," reinterpreted a classic children's tale in fascist Italy, so it stands to reason that his upcoming "Frankenstein" adaptation for Netflix will do the same.

As is well-known, del Toro's "Frankenstein" centers on the titular mad scientist, played by Oscar Isaac, whose attempts to create life result in a deadly monster, who will be played by Jacob Elordi. The supporting cast includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and David Bradley, and though it has yet to premiere, rest assured, it will likely end up very high in rankings of the best Frankenstein movies. 

The only downside to this film is Netflix's ownership of it, meaning it'll likely see a very limited theatrical release, unless del Toro can secure a widespread distribution deal for his macabre epic. Whether you end up having to watch it on a computer or get lucky enough to see it on the big screen, odds are Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" will be yet another feather in the cap of a prolific director who keeps getting better with age. 

If you read and loved Freida McFadden's 2022 thriller novel "The Housemaid," then you have a terrifying holiday season in your future. After director Paul Feig was scared to make "Another Simple Favor" (which released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year), he's once again stepping outside his comfort zone with a firm entrance into a brand-new genre for him by adapting "The Housemaid." The film is set to be released in theaters on Christmas Day 2025, but don't let that date fool you, as this is likely the opposite of a cozy wintertime watch. 

"The Housemaid" follows Millie, a recently-released convict who takes a job as a, you guessed it, housemaid to a very wealthy family led by matriarch Nina Winchester, only to discover that her boss' increasingly-concerning behavior is tied to the family's dark secrets and dissatisfaction with her own marriage to her husband Andrew. Without spoiling the rest of it, it's a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, so if Feig does his job correctly, it'll certainly do the same for moviegoers when the film adaptation is released.

As for its cast, Sydney Sweeney will be playing the role of Millie, while Amanda Seyfried plays Nina, and Brandon Sklenar plays Andrew. We're excited to catch this one when it releases ... but we may need to watch "Elf" immediately after as a palate cleanser.