The 12 Best Books Becoming Movies In 2026

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Where do movie ideas come from? For some filmmakers, it's simply a lightning bolt of an idea from nowhere. For others, it's a brand-mandated piece of intellectual property. And for some, all they have to do is take a look – for it is, indeed, in a book.

Some of our greatest and best movies are adaptations of books, from "Gone With the Wind" to "The Godfather" to even "Die Hard." It makes sense from the studio perspective — there's mitigated risk and a built-in audience — and it makes sense from a creative perspective, as it's interesting to see an artist find corners of their voice they couldn't on their own (sometimes making something better than the book). And we've got more book-to-movie adaptations coming down the pike to enjoy and analyze.

So, for all future film forecasters, please enjoy the 12 best books becoming movies in 2026. And if you haven't read any of these, you've now got a new slate to catch up on. After all, isn't it cool to be the one who gets to say, "Actually, the book was better"?

Greta Gerwig made a movie called "Barbie" that you might have heard of. After that global sensation, the talented filmmaker will be adapting something that makes more sense on paper: C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" fantasy series.

Unlike the previous 21st-century attempt at turning this into a film franchise, Gerwig will start with "The Magician's Nephew," which Lewis wrote sixth in the series but is chronologically first. In the book, two young kids travel to the creation of the interdimensional world known as Narnia, shepherded by the literal lion king Aslan (Meryl Streep). As the realm and its magic become sorted, a White Witch (Emma Mackey, seen above in "Emily") emerges to threaten the precarious balance.

One thing I love about Gerwig's filmmaking voice is a sense of irreverence, even when adapting something as beloved as "Little Women." Her editorial techniques in the 2019 take are stupendous and shocking, despite any internal biases of previous versions. So while I don't necessarily need a new big-screen take on "Narnia," I will welcome anything Gerwig makes with cautious optimism.

Filmmaker Bart Layton, who previously made the audacious art heist movie "American Animals," returns to familiar territory with an adaptation of "Crime 101," by Don Winslow (also a prolific crime writer).

Davis (Chris Hemsworth, seen above in "Blackhat") is a successful jewel thief with tons of scores to his name. How is he such a successful criminal? He lives by a code of conduct that he calls "Crime 101" – hey, that's the title of the movie! But when Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) comes sniffing around Davis' last score, things may start to go haywire, and Davis may have to break some of his precious rules.

Rounding out the star-studded cast are luminaries like Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte — a murderer's row of talent that may indicate we have a new crime classic on our hands. But even if the flick winds up mediocre at best, it should scratch the itch of a particular film fan into Michael Mann-esque, hard-boiled neo-noirs (of which this author is absolutely one).

Sir Ridley Scott, of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" fame, is directing a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film. Need I say more?

Okay, I will! His upcoming "The Dog Stars" comes from a novel by Peter Heller in which the world has been ravaged by a humanity-erasing pandemic (too soon?). A man (Jacob Elordi, seen above in "He Went That Way"), a gunslinger (Josh Brolin), and a dog named Jasper live in an abandoned airport hangar, broken but at peace with the idea that they're all that's left. But what happens when Elordi gets hold of a radio transmission through his vintage plane? Well, he travels across the vast nothingness to see if there's any hope left for the human race, of course!

At the risk of spoilers: Margaret Qualley plays a potential love interest for Elordi, and other cast members include the always-welcome Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong. I'm always down for sci-fi from Scott, and I think the inherently emotional hook of this particular story could do wonders for the director's sometimes chilly purview.

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Denis Villeneuve are all returning to the bleak, worm-filled world of "Dune" after two creatively and financially successful blockbusters.

This time, they're adapting the events of Frank Herbert's second book in the series, "Dune Messiah." In the book, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) has been the Emperor of the dang universe for many years, ruling alongside his beloved Chani (Zendaya). But toppling an empire, as Paul did in "Dune," comes with as much instability as power, and the political machinations surrounding the Muad'Dib start to intensify and close. Plus, complications arise with Paul and Chani's ability to produce a rightful heir to the throne, putting everyone's destiny in jeopardy.

If you're fully "Dune"-pilled, loving both of Villeneuve's first parts, you're gonna go see "Messiah" as soon as possible. And if you've read "Messiah," you might be going, "How on earth are they going to make that into a movie?" But Villeneuve pulled off the magic trick twice in a row, and it will be interesting to see if he can stick the hat trick.

Suzanne Collins has written another prequel to her beloved "Hunger Games" series titled "Sunrise on the Reaping," and in 2026, three years following "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," we're getting that film adaptation, too.

Director Francis Lawrence, who's helmed every "Hunger Games" title since "Catching Fire," returns for this title, featuring many new cast members playing the younger versions of familiar characters, including Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, and Joseph Zada (seen above in "Invisible Boys") as Haymitch Abernathy (originally played by Woody Harrelson, who turned it down twice). As for brand new characters, you'll see some inhabited by the likes of McKenna Grace, Glenn Close, and Billy Porter.

Haymitch is the central character of this tale, showing his initial selection as tribute in the 50th annual Hunger Games and the alliances and heartbreaks he discovers through the fight.

"The Hunger Games" film franchise has remained sturdily entertaining and appealingly political through its run, even as its mythology starts to fold in on itself in increasingly thin ways. Whether "Sunrise on the Reaping" is the final sunset for the franchise remains to be seen, though I'm not betting on it.

Horror heavyweights Steven Blum, James Wan, and Rob Savage are all collaborating on "Incidents Around the House," a familial, supernatural tale based on the novel by Josh Malerman, who previously wrote the book-to-film smash "Bird Box".

In this story, young girl Bela lives with her family: A mom, a dad, a grandma, and, oh yeah, "Other Mommy," a ghastly apparition that appears to Bela and asks to enter her heart. As Bela's real parents experience fissures in their marriage, Other Mommy finds more and more power in her malevolence. Can Bela and her parents conquer their ghosts, or will darkness prevail?

While their roles haven't been announced, the core trio of Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, and Dichen Lachman (seen above in "Severance) has been cast — and if I had to guess, Chastain is Mom, Duplass is Dad, and Lachman, with her otherworldly aura you've seen on "Severance," will be our scary/melancholy Other Mommy.

Savage's last movie, the eerie and effective "Boogeyman," feels in conversation with this one, as it also ties family trauma to a supernatural spirit and centers around a child actor. I think that movie works very well, and I'm curious to see how Savage has evolved since.

Every Christopher Nolan film is an event, and his next one meets that primal power at the source, drawing from one of the oldest stories we've got: Homer's "The Odyssey."

If it's been a minute since your high school required reading, "The Odyssey" follows the journey of Odysseus (Matt Damon, seen above in "The Last Duel"), a king just trying to get his butt home to his wife and son (Tom Holland) after the Trojan War. On his journey, he encounters a cyclops, a group of sirens, and the freaking witch goddess Circe. Can't a guy catch a break?

Nolan has made many period pieces throughout his career (including his most recent film, "Oppenheimer"), but has never dipped his toe into the realm of the "ancient." To fully convey this sure-to-be-epic vision, he and regular DP Hoyte van Hoytema are shooting the entire thing in IMAX film, marking the first time that's ever been done.

Combine all of this with a bugnuts ensemble cast — including Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and like 19,000 other A-listers — and "The Odyssey" just might be the 2026 blockbuster to beat.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are a pair of excellent comedy directors, muckraking formulas in "21 Jump Street" and "The LEGO Movie." But with "Project Hail Mary," adapted from the book by Andy Weir ("The Martian"), they may be making their most tonally serious flick yet, and may be making up for some of the space opera mojo they lost with the "Solo" firing debacle.

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, an astronaut suffering from amnesia who comes to learn he's the sole survivor on a spacecraft searching for any solution to a life-ending event on Earth. But as he tries his best to craft any sort of plan, he just might realize he's not as "sole survivor" as he thought.

Beyond Lord, Miller, Weir, and Gosling, there's a great crew of exciting talent at the core of "Project Hail Mary," including and especially screenwriter Drew Goddard, whose "Cabin in the Woods" screenplay I maintain to be one of the 21st century's best. Watch the first "Project Hail Mary" trailer here!

Here's an odd collaboration: Nicholas Sparks, the romance writer known for weepies like "The Notebook," and M. Night Shyamalan, the horror filmmaker known for twist endings like "The Sixth Sense."

The two are in cahoots on "Remain," a story germinated by both from the start, told as a novel by Sparks and, in 2026, a film by Shyamalan. Architect Tate Donovan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal, and not, confusingly, by the actor Tate Donovan) is struggling deeply after the death of his sister, and her revelation that their family can see ghosts and spirits. When he heads to Cape Cod for a job and, hopefully, some mental clarity, he meets a woman (Phoebe Dynevor) who turns his life upside down — and I'd have to imagine those ghosts come into play!

Shyamalan's work has classically dealt with familial traumas that border on the sentimental and ideas of spiritualism that border on the religious. While his last few works have had an appealingly harder, pulpier edge (think "Trap" or "Old"), it will be interesting to see him return to a more unfettered version of his voice, bolstered by Sparks.

For fans of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," and for those who still aren't over the "Coyote vs. Acme" mishap, 2026 is bringing us a new live-action/animation hybrid comedy: "Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie," based on the droll and unique novel by Leonie Swann.

Hugh Jackman is George Hardy, a kind shepherd who's taken care of his flock with sensitivity. And what does he get for his troubles? Murdered, that's what! So his eccentric flock of sheep, led by the appropriately named Miss Maple (add an 'r' in there and you'll see what's going on), take it upon themselves to solve their beloved leader's untimely demise.

Obviously, I am going to see the comedy-thriller movie where a bunch of anthropomorphized sheep solve a murder. Add an appealingly eclectic ensemble cast, including Sir Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, and Emma Thompson (who's gotta be voicing Miss Maple, right?), and I will be fully seated.

Comedy maestro Michael Showalter will take a big genre pivot in 2026, adapting the romantic thriller "Verity," based on the novel by Colleen Hoover (who has a lot of movies coming after "It Ends With Us").

Dakota Johnson is a struggling writer in need of a break. So she makes a deal with the devil — in the form of a very handsome Josh Hartnett, whose wife, the titular Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), is a successful but injured author in need of a ghostwriter. But when Johnson's character starts to poke around Verity's manuscripts, she uncovers some deadly secrets. And, well, she just might be falling for the devil, too! Can you blame her?

To me, this seems like the perfect 2026 date night movie, the kind of "grown-up thriller" Hollywood used to produce in buckets that we could use much more of among the loud, tentpole-driven claptrap. Plus, Showalter and Hathaway collaborated on the surprisingly lovely romcom "The Idea of You," and it will be interesting to see their collaboration blossom in a darker tone.

Emily Brontë's classic gothic romance tragedy "Wuthering Heights" has received numerous live-action feature film adaptations, including William Wyler's 1939 take starring a less than polite Laurence Olivier. And in 2026, psychosexual thriller auteur Emerald Fennell ("Saltburn" and "Promising Young Woman," neither of which had any controversy) will take a crack at the material, likely resulting in the darkest version yet.

Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie, also producing) is a lady of high nobility. She is bequeathed to the similarly high-class Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), but holy cannoli, is Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) a stormy, tortured, romantic, and decidedly low-class fly in the ointment! What results is a tale of pained romance, betrayal, violence, and generational trauma.

While I think "Promising Young Woman" was highly successful, I found "Saltburn" to tip over into unintentional camp and edgelord posturing, making me a little worried about future Fennell projects. But I cannot deny that this material is perfect for her voice and purview, and I cannot deny that an audience will at least be entertained by her audacious adaptational choices.