We’re slowly finishing up our Spring TBR list and preparing for our Summer reads. Along with new releases, we’re looking forward to seeing our favorite novels unfold on the big screen in a couple of months. From mystery thrillers authors Stephen King and Kotaro Isaka to strong female-led stories by authors Suzanne Allain and Delia Owens, we’ve found some of the most anticipated adaptations of the year. Here are some exciting book-to-movie adaptations making their way to us this summer!
The Lost Girls by Laurie Fox
Everyone knows the beloved classic tale of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Now we are introduced to the reimagined version by Laurie Fox titled, The Lost Girls. The novel follows Wendy Darling’s family and their generational experiences through love and loss. Unlike the women before her, Wendy chooses to outrun the pattern of falling in love, only to end up hurt again. While the Darling women fall for Pan and follow him to Neverland, Wendy’s decision to change this repeating course will impact the lives of future women to come. Fox highlights the women who fall for Peter Pan in this reimagined version of a classic tale. The Lost Girls will star Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Julian Ovenden and will be in theaters on June 17. We are curious about what we can expect from this book to screen adaptation.
The Black Phone by Joe Hill
Based on the 2004 short story from Joe Hill, The Black Phone is a chilling-supernatural movie that will no doubt have horror fans on the edge of their seats this summer. In suburban Colorado in 1978, a thirteen year old boy named Jack Finney is kidnapped by a serial killer and locked inside a soundproof basement alone. The walls are stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children. His only hope of escaping comes in the form of an antique phone on a disconnected land line. At night the phone rings with calls from the killer’s previous victims. Will these calls be enough to save Jack? Or will he experience the same fate as the children before him? The Black Phone movie adaptation will star Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw and be in theaters on June 24.
Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain
High Society has become a classic favorite over the past few years with our obsession with period dramas like The Crown or Bridgerton. If you need to fuel your obsession, the book-to-movie adaption of Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain will help light that fire. Suzanne Allain is adapting her book, which gives us more hope that the story will be embraced in the screenplay. Mr. Malcolm’s List is a novel that follows two young women in 1800s England who meet an arrogant bachelor who is insistent on finding the so-called “perfect wife.” One of the young women, Julia, hears about this vain bachelor and teams up with her friend Selina to give the man a taste of his own medicine. The story combines high-class London society with the rules of romance and comedy. The book to movie adaptation will star Ṣọpẹ Dìrís, Zawe Ashton, and Freida Pinto and is in theaters July 1st.
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka
What makes a mystery novel more intense? How about trying to escape a moving train with every type of trained murderer on board? Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka is your next favorite train ride thriller. The novel follows five passengers riding on Japan’s fastest bullet train Shinkansen. However, this is not your normal day on public transportation. Bullet Train asks the question, will these five people get off alive? Soon it is revealed that they have boarded with psychopaths, revenge seekers, assassins, and a suitcase of money they all want. The thriller unfolds with double-crossing and a murderous free for all while moving at 320kms per hour. The film adaptation will star Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and is out July 15.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico
A hard working-class Londoner, Mrs. Harris dreams of a life outside the upper-class homes she cleans for a living. While cleaning up the wardrobe of her client Lady Dant, Mrs. Harris finds a gorgeous Christian Dior gown. She is love-struck by its texture and style at the very first glance. From that moment, she decides to save her money to travel to the House of Dior in Paris to find her very own couture dress. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico highlights ambition and the lengths we will go to achieve our dreams. The screen adaptation will star Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, and Jason Isaacs and will be released July 15.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Maybe one of the most well-known adaptations already, Delia Owens’ New York Times best-selling novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, is a haunting murder mystery in the midst of a coming of age story. The story novel takes place in the late 1960’s where we meet abandoned Kyla Clark. The locals call her “Marsh Girl,” as she embodies the girl who haunts Barkley Cove in North Carolina. She becomes the prime suspect in a murder when a man she once knew, named Chase Andrews, is found dead nearby. The movie adaption features a stunning Taylor Swift soundtrack. Additionally, the novel is rumoured to be inspired by Owens’s family’s implication in a Zambian murder. The movie will star Normal People and Fresh actor Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, and Harris Dickinson and will hit theaters July 15.
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Yes, there will be another Stephen King Salem’s Lot adaptation. This popular novel was published in 1975 and is King’s second novel ever released. For those who don’t know, the horror novels follows troubled writer Ben Mears who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, to write about the Marsten House that terrified him as a kid for his next book. Under the guise of inspiration, Mears experiences something more sinister as a vampire named Kurt Barlow takes over the lot. A trip down memory lane becomes psychological warfare at the hands of vampires and the undead. The book to movie adaptation will feature stars like Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears and William Sadler Barlow. You can watch Salem’s Lot in theaters on September 9th. We’re excited to compare this adaptation to the previous ones and how it will live up to the cherished novel.
We can’t wait to watch these stories come to life on the big screen. We hope to see some of the best book-to-movie adaptations come from this list. However, there’s nothing quite like the original. As readers, we know how much can get lost in adaptations, but we’re hopeful they do our favorites justice.
Looking for more book to screen adaptations? Stay tuned for more updates here!