From a return to Narnia to the latest Hunger Games prequel, here’s what to look forward to this year.
Last year, I shared eight of the best book adaptations that would soon be on our screens, and 2026 is shaping up to be another great year for new movies and TV shows.
Plus, there are even more that haven’t yet received a release date, such as Mike Flanagan’s Carrie TV series and the highly anticipated Neuromancer adaptation. So, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop with them – and more – as the year progresses.
But until then, these are the best 2026 book adaptations that you won’t want to miss.
Sunrise On The Reaping
Expected release date: (November 20, 2026)
Sunrise On The Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)
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The phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch’s story.
And, how could we put together this list without mentioning Sunrise On The Reaping? From the incredible casting announcements – we cannot wait to see the likes of Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes and Jesse Plemons play younger versions of Effie Trinket, President Snow and Plutarch Heavensbee, respectively – to young stars like Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak joining the hit dystopian franchise, there’s also the exciting news that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will be making their return.
The second Hunger Games prequel to be released, if you’ve not had a chance to pick up the book yet, it is set during the Second Quarter Quell, the year that Haymitch Abernathy – famously played by Woody Harrelson – was the victor. And it is easily one of our most anticipated movies of the year.
The Magician’s Nephew
Expected release date: (November 26, 2026)
The Magician’s Nephew
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The first title in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
It’s been over 15 years (how is that possible?) since the last Chronicles of Narnia movie was released, yet 2026 sees a new addition to the universe with The Magician’s Nephew. Even though it was actually the sixth Narnia book to be released, chronologically it is the first, and it precedes the events in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And we can’t wait to return to the magical world as adults.
Set to debut in cinemas at the end of November, before streaming on Netflix on Christmas Day, it will star Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, and Daniel Craig, as well as what we anticipate will be a slew of new stars, with Barbie director Greta Gerwig taking the helm.
Remain: A Supernatural Love Story
Expected release date: (October 23, 2026)
Remain: A Supernatural Love Story
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Collaboration between the globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thrillers like The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan.
Now, this sounds like a bit of a wild ride, but one that we are totally on board for. Bringing together the author of The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks – as well as famous director – and now author – M. Night Shyamalan, Remain: A Supernatural Love Story is what it says on the tin – a supernatural romantic thriller. If that hasn’t piqued your interest yet, it will star Jake Gyllenhaal alongside Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor, with him playing a depressed man who has just recently been discharged from a psychiatric facility.
Oh, and on her deathbed, his sister just happens to let slip that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, and this gift runs in their family. Are you getting some The Sixth Sense vibes, like we are? So, when he forges an immediate connection with a young woman named Wren, what could this mean for them both?
Scarpetta
Expected release date: (March 11, 2026)
Scarpetta
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Inspiration for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Scarpetta – starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The first of two 2026 book adaptations starring Nicole Kidman, Scarpetta sees Kidman take on the role of forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta in the Amazon Prime Video show, with it being based on the long-running and bestselling series by Patricia Cornwell.
With 29 books worth of material to draw from, the show will follow Scarpetta’s life across two different timelines – from when she first got started as a Chief Medical Examiner in the late 1990s, to the present day where she is back in her hometown investigating a gruesome murder. Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker and Ariana DeBose also star, and thankfully we don’t have too long to wait before we’re able to tune in.
Imperfect Women
Expected release date: (March 18, 2026)
Imperfect Women
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Inspiration for a limited series adaptation starring Scandal’s Kerry Washington and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss.
With a stellar cast including Elizabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara, Araminta Hall’s novel of the same name debuts on Apple TV this month. And we have a feeling that if you enjoyed Big Little Lies, you’ll definitely want to give it a go.
When a seemingly perfect woman – and one of their friends – is murdered, Eleanor and Mary’s (played by Washington and Moss) lives are upended as they begin to discover how little they knew about Nancy (Mara). Causing them to question how much they even know about one another or themselves, there’s plenty of betrayals, secrets and guilt ready to come to the surface, too.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Expected release date: (April 15, 2026)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
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Inspiration for upcoming series from A24 + Apple TV starring Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nick Offerman.
Starring Elle Fanning in the titular role, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer and Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman as her parents, when Margo finds out that she’s pregnant after having an affair with her English professor, she finds herself drawn to OnlyFans as a possible way to provide for her and her child.
However, after getting a couple of tips from her ex-pro wrestler father (Offerman), she doesn’t expect to become the viral online sensation that she does. Coming to Apple TV, this engaging family drama mixed with a coming of age story also stars Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Thaddea Graham and Nicole Kidman.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Expected release date: (May 8, 2026)
Remarkably Bright Creatures
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Instant New York Times Bestseller, and soon to be a Netflix film.
We have a feeling that if you’ve had a stroll through a bookstore over the past few years, you might have spotted an octopus front and centre on the cover of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling Remarkably Bright Creatures. And a movie version of it comes to Netflix this May.
With Sally Field playing Tova, a widow who begins working the night shift at her local aquarium following the loss of her husband. It’s there that she forms an unlikely bond and friendship with Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus. Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney and Joan Chen also make up the cast, with Marcellus helping Tova to finally discover what happened to her son who disappeared over thirty years ago, all before it’s too late.
Other Mommy
Expected release date: (October 9, 2026)
Incidents Around the House
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.
For horror fans, Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around The House will appear on the big screen right in time for Halloween under the name Other Mommy. Starring Jessica Chastain, the story centres around a little girl called Bela. She has her Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Ruth, but there is also Other Mommy, a malignant entity who asks her over and over if she can go inside Bela’s heart to reside within her.
When Bela fails to give her an answer, alarming incidents start to occur and she begins to realise that unless she says yes, bad things will happen to her family. And with Other Mommy only becoming stronger and more audacious, time is starting to run out.
Verity
Expected release date: (October 2, 2026)
Verity
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Too Late and It Ends With Us.
It might not be the first Colleen Hoover book to be adapted, with It Ends With Us, Reminders Of Him and Regretting You all getting the same treatment, but Verity is the first one that I’m truly excited for. And who could blame me when it has Anne Hathaway playing the notable role of Verity herself, alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.
For those not familiar with the story, it follows Lowen (played by Johnson), a flailing writer who accepts a job to finish the bestselling series of books by the famed author Verity Crawford, who lies in a coma upstairs following a mysterious accident. Yet, things aren’t quite what they seem once Lowen arrives at Verity’s family home. And this only escalates when she discovers an unfinished autobiography by Verity hidden away in her office. This was the kind of book that we couldn’t put down, so we can’t wait to see how it translates to the screen.
Ellis is a freelance journalist, based in the UK, with a love of all things books. She also routinely chairs bookish events up and down the country, getting the scoop from some of the biggest and bestselling authors to keep you in the know.
