The art of adaptation has been put into practice a lot in film, and the trend is not stopping in 2019. Now, some of our favorite classic novels are hitting theaters. Here are ten of them to look out for.
Release Date: September 6, 2019
It's back, and The Losers' Club is all grown up. Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, It: Chapter Two is the sequel to It, which was released in 2017 to critical and commercial success. Set in 2016, the sequel will follow the now–adult Losers' Club as they return to Derry and fulfill the promises they made 27 years earlier to defeat the resurfaced evil entity known as It. Bill Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise, and James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, and Isaiah Mustafa will portray the adult members of The Losers' Club.
2. Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
Release Date: August 9, 2019
Based on the 2012 comedy novel by Maria Semple, this adaptation will follow 15–year–old Bee Branch, who convinces her family to go on a family trip to Antarctica. However, the situation changes after her agoraphobic mother, Bernadette Fox, goes missing. Bee must gather clues to figure out her mother's true whereabouts. Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, and Kristen Wiig will star in the upcoming film.
3. Artemis Fowl
Release Date: August 9, 2019
This upcoming fantasy film, based on the novel Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, will follow Artemis Fowl II, a young criminal mastermind. In order to free his criminal father and restore their family fortune, Artemis captures and exploits reclusive, magical fairy people with Butler, his servant and bodyguard. Ferdia Shaw will make his acting debut as Artemis Jr., and Lara McDonnell, Nonso Anozie, Judi Dench, and Josh Gad will star.
4. Little Women
Release Date: December 25, 2019
The eighth adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved 1868 novel Little Women is written and directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. The movie will focus on the adult lives of sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March in 1860s Massachusetts. However, the film will not be presented in chronological order and is said to focus more on themes rather than narratives.
Release Date: October 4, 2019
This upcoming mystery thriller is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Dan Mallory, who wrote under the pseudonym A.J. Finn. The Woman in the Window will star Amy Adams as Dr. Anna Fox, an agoraphobic psychologist who observes a crime while spying on her neighbors and is faced with a difficult decision: whether or not to intervene. Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, and Anthony Mackie will also star.
Release Date: March 15, 2019
Based on Rhidian Brook's novel, this upcoming drama—set in 1946 Germany—will feature Keira Knightly as Rachael Morgan, who moves into a new house to join her British colonel husband Lewis (Jason Clarke) as he rebuilds a decimated German city. After Lewis decides to move them into a house with a single German father played by Alexander Skarsgård and his daughter, Rachael is torn between her commitments and the promise of passion and forbidden love.
Release Date: November 22, 2019
Written by Mark Burnell, this novel tells the story of Stephanie Patrick, a woman on the hunt to find the truth behind a mysterious plane crash that killed her family—a plane she was meant to be on. After determining the crash was not an accident, Stephanie tries to track down those responsible. Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown will star.
8. To All The Boys I've Loved Before sequel
Release Date: TBA
A sequel to Netflix's 2018 summer hit To All The Boys I've Loved Before was officially announced and is currently in the works. The unnamed sequel will be based on Jenny Han's 2015 novel P.S. I Still Love You, in which high school student Lara Jean Covey struggles between her loving yet turbulent relationship with Peter and her developing feelings for her childhood crush John Ambrose. Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Janel Parrish are likely to reprise their roles in the coming film.
Release Date: May 17, 2019
In this adaptation of the novel of the same name by Nicola Yoon, Natasha Kingsley is met with a question of fate. The same day Natasha and her family are set to be deported from New York City back to Jamaica, she meets Daniel Bae, who she believes is the love of her life. Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton will star as Natasha and Daniel, respectively.
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Based on the true story of Osha Gray Davidson's The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South, this drama follows an unlikely friendship made in the 1960's in Durham, North Carolina. Ann Atwater, a civil rights activist, and C. P. Ellis, a Ku Klux Klan leader, meet on opposing sides of a court–ordered desegregation decree. However, they find they have many similarities, which leads to an alliance in the midst of intense intolerance. Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell will portray Atwater and Ellis respectively.
Whether you're excited to see your favorite book come to life or to watch these stories for the first time on the silver screen, we can all look forward to a promising year of adaptations.
