The past 10 or so years have been quite good for sci-fi adaptations of fan-favorite books. Andy Weir’s The Martian and Project Hail Mary were both turned into excellent movies. Blade Runner 2029, an extension of a film that somewhat loosely adapted Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has been retrospectively heralded as one of the best of its genre in the 2010s. And then there’s Ready Player One, which merged nostalgia, Steven Spielberg’s specific sensibilities, and Ernest Cline’s prose to solid effect back in 2018. Are there any books coming out within the next nine months that could prove to be just as successful were they brought to life on the big scree?
What follows are three examples of 2026 sci-fi novels that are coming to a shelf near you in the next few upcoming months. Each of them seems as though it’s a project that could work on the big or small screen, not unlike how Platform Decay is coming this year, which is part of The Murderbot Diaries series that inspired the Apple TV show with Alexander Skarsgård.
3) The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (April 7th)
image courtesy of tor books
Up until now, John Chu has published solely short fiction. And a few of them have been awards darlings. “If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” won a Nebula Award and a Hugo Award, amongst others. Similarly, “The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere” won a Hugo back in 2013.
But now he’s debuting his first novel, The Subtle Art of Folding Space, and there is plenty here that could make for a good movie. It follows a physicist who is trying to save the Earth from the very device she’s using to keep her mother alive. There’s plenty of internal conflict there. Then there’s the fact that Ellie, the protagonist, has a sister who is repeatedly trying to kill her.
2) The Franchise by Thomas Elrod (May 12th)
image courtesy of tor books
The Franchise is another case of an author experienced in short form storytelling making their novel debut. And what is this one about? Adapting a novel for the big screen.
The Malicarn is a fantasy novel that has been adapted as a film franchise. However, Malicarn is also a fantasy world, and those in it believe their lives are genuine. As far as one fan-favorite actor is concerned, the studio is making some shady decisions with the property, and now he has to grapple with how best to help the people of this fantasy world who just want to live.
1) Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim (June 2nd)
image courtesy of tor books
Last, we come to Isabel J. Kim’s Sublimation. Like with the other two entries, this is a novel debut by someone who has been having their short form works consistently published for a few years now (Five, in Kim’s case). And, while “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” won a Nebula Award for Best Short Story, this novel looks to be her most exciting project yet.
The plot of Sublimation can be summarized as such: If you immigrate to another country, a copy of yourself remains in the country you’ve left. Like with adopted children and their biological parents, it’s not unheard of for one to make contact with the other. Soyoung Rose Kang immigrated from Korea years ago, and now she’s returned after the passing of her grandfather. Kang has never conversed with her copy nor vice versa, but now the Korea-based copy has some nefarious plans to take Kang’s place and enjoy the life she’s built for herself. Even if the movie has a few people saying, “It sounds like Us,” its cultural twist makes it a project well worth developing. And the good news is that Universal International Studios did in fact acquire the rights to Sublimation in a three-book deal. However, since there hasn’t been consistent word on it since then, we’re including this one, if only to keep hope alive now that the book is nearly here.
What 2026 novel would you like to see adapted as a movie or TV show? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
