2018 is set to be a killer year for book adaptions for the big screen. We’re anticipating adaptations of everything from children’s classics to classic horror, and some of the biggest names in the business starring in them! Whether you’re a Beatrix Potter fan, an E.L James Stan, a YA lover, or a Vonnegut connoisseur, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten page-to-screen extravaganzas to look out for next year.
1. Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
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This classic tale follows the adventures of Potter’s most famous mischievous rabbit. Fans of the beautiful original illustrations will be interested to see how these translate to 3D animation when the film is released on February 9th. It will star James Corden voicing the titular role, alongside big names such as Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie.
2. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
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For those looking for something a little racier than Peter Rabbit, also coming out on February 9th is the final installment of E.L James’s hit Fifty Shades series, once again starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. This Danny Elfman scored flick follows Ana and Christian who are now married, and the outside forces threatening Ana’s life.
3. Maze Runner: The Death Cure by James Dashner
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The third installment of Dashner’s dystopian trilogy will be hitting screens on February 17th, a year later than planned after star Dylan O’Brien sustained injuries working on set in Vancouver. This story follows Thomas and the Gladers as they fight to find a cure for the disease which has wiped out most of the world’s population. Alongside O’Brien will star Kaya Scoldelario, Thomas Brody-Sangster and Aiden Gillen.
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
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Sci-Fi nuts will love this adaptation of L’Engle’s 1962 novel about life and death, good and evil, and time travel. The star-studded cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey, and you can expect to see all of their lovely faces on March 9th.
5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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Another one for Sci-Fi fans is this Spielberg adaptation of Cline’s 2011 novel. Coming out on March 30th, the movie starring Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, and Olivia Cooke follows the struggle in the year 2044 to find an Easter Egg left behind by the head of an MMO, the finder of which will inherit a fortune.
6. The Invisible Man by H.G Wells
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This classic horror, set for release on April 13th, follows a mad scientist who makes himself invisible. It is not yet known if the upcoming movie, starring Johnny Depp, will stick more closely to the original novel than the 1933 version (which featured some major differences in plot), or if it will just be a modern remake. The Invisible Man is set to be the second installment of Universal Pictures’ Universal Monsters series, which began with The Mummy (2017) and will be followed by The Bride of Frankenstein (2019)
7. Meg by Steven Alten
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What’s a year in cinema without a killer shark movie? Steve Alten’s novel about a megalodon, a prehistoric shark and the largest sea predator to ever exist, will be chomping its way to a screen near you in August 2018. The story follows paleontologist Jonas Taylor, the survivor of a megalodon attack, and his attempts to prove the beast still exists. Ruby Rose and Jason Statham are set to star.
8. Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
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Calling all Vonnegut fans! You can expect to see his novel Bluebeard coming to the big screen on October 29th. Little else is known about this project as yet, but we’re super excited to see who will star as Vonnegut’s reclusive painter protagonist Rabo Karabekian!
9. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
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The New York Times touted this YA book as perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park, and judging by how well TFIOS did at the box office, we’re guessing this tale of two teens helping each other through their respective problems will be a hit. Set to star Elle Fanning in the role of Violet, a teen struggling with the death of her sister, the film will be released on an undisclosed date in 2018.
10. Ophelia by Lisa Klein
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Shakespeare fans can look forward to Klein’s retelling of the classic story of Hamlet from the point of view of Ophelia, which will hit screens on an as-yet unknown date in 2018. The cast includes Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen and Tom Felton as Shakespeare’s classic characters battling for love and revenge in the kingdom of Elisnore.
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