Page-to-Screen Adaptations Coming in 2026

Andy Weir, bestselling author of The Martian, brings readers back to the cosmos with this thrilling tale of a small-town science teacher who is enlisted to help save the universe. The big-screen adaptation, which hits theaters in March, will star Ryan Gosling as the scientist who is sent on a mysterious mission.  

The story continues as House Atreides begins to crumble. Can Paul save his people and his legacy? Dune heads back to the big screen this year with the third installment from Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya.

Rufi Thorpe’s bold and lovable story about a young woman who hatches an unconventional plan to make money is a poignant exploration into the lengths people will go to control their future. A series adaptation starring Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman will head to screens in early 2026.

After a series of troubling accusations against her husband, an esteemed professor must confront her own impulses to strike a balance between desire and power. A series starring Rachel Weisz, Leo Woodall and John Slattery is expected to debut on Netflix this year.

This funny and surprising mystery features a new breed of detectives. A movie adaptation is heading to theaters this year, starring Hugh Jackman as the human shepherd, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart will be voicing the herd of sheep. You’ve got to read it to baaaaa-lieve it.

This viral favorite from Emily Henry is a must-read for friends-to-lovers fans, and the big-screen adaptation will surely have the same appeal. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth star as Poppy and Alex, two best friends who embark on one more vacation to test their relationship. What could go wrong?

Carley Fortune draws on our nostalgic yearnings for simpler times in this stunning debut about young summer love. The television adaptation is heading to the small screen this summer as Every Year After.

Wuther you like it or not, Emily Brontë’s classic novel is getting a modern retelling starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. While the movie will allegedly veer from the book, this story is a classic tale of love gone wrong.

Legendary romance writer Nicholas Sparks joined forces with the master of thrills M. Night Shyamalan for a paranormal love story with a haunting twist, Remain. Now, the movie is heading to the big screen, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

The queen of Nantucket, Elin Hilderbrand, will get a big-screen adaptation with Five-Star Weekend, the story of a group of women who rally around their grieving friend, starring Jennifer Garner, Chloe Sevigny, Regina Hall and Timothy Olyphant.

This heartfelt novel on love, loss and grief chronicles the unlikely friendship between a widow and an unlikely companion. Sally Field is tapped to play the lead in this beloved story of a woman who takes up a job at an aquarium and strikes up a bond with Marcelus, an octopus.

Colleen Hoover’s edge-of-your-seat domestic drama will be getting a movie adaptation in 2026, featuring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The story follows a struggling writer who accepts a job ghostwriting for a famous author when she uncovers detrimental secrets in the form of an unfinished biography.

Not only was Sunrise on the Reaping a finalist for our Book of the Year, but the highly anticipated movie will land in theaters in November 2026 with a star-studded cast featuring Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemons and more. The Hunger Games prequel follows Haymitch as he heads to the arena to compete in the 50^th annual Hunger Games.

Tessa Thompson and John Bernthal are set to star in a Netflix series based on Alice Feeney’s psychological thriller about a small-town murder that divides the community.

Alice Feeney’s jaw-dropping thriller follows an author named Grady who runs into someone who looks just like his wife, a year after her mysterious and unsolved disappearance. While no cast has been announced yet, the story is set to be adapted to the big screen soon.

Mike Flannigan, who brought Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep to the big screen, will take on another classic King tale with a new miniseries based on the high school horror Carrie.

Everybody’s favorite grimpy gill will get his own time on the big screen, with Nick Offerman voicing the beloved Pout-Pout Fish.

Practical Magic, a book about the magical women in the Owens family, became an instant classic upon its publication, and the theatrical adaptation quickly garnered a cult following. In 2026, the sequel is getting its own movie adaptation with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman slated to return.

Many have attempted to bring the fantastical tales of The Odyssey to life, and Christopher Nolan will be delivering his big-screen rendition in the summer of 2026.

This chilling story of a young girl haunted by a horrifying entity will head to the big screen in May 2026 as the horror film Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain.

A movie adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s scientifically intertwined rom-com is already in the works, starring Lili Reinhardt as Olive, a Ph. D candidate who is forced to work with her sworn enemy for a science conference.

This classic Agatha Christie mystery about a prank gone wrong will get its own miniseries on Netflix.

Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel, Girls Like Girls, is inspired by her hit song (and viral music video) of the same name. This year, the highly anticipated movie based on the book based on the music video will hit theaters, written by Kiyoko herself.

Now a Netflix series, this skating rom-com follows an elite ice dancer who is torn between her skating partner and the one that got away.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, who starred in the on-screen adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, will lead this movie adaptation of the iconic Jane Austen tale. Will it be Willoughby, Ferrars or Brandon?

This harrowing classic, which follows a group of schoolboys who succumb to anarchy after being stranded on an island, has recently been given new life in the form of a BBC miniseries.

The classic John D. MacDonald novel about family, obsession and the lengths we go to protect ourselves will be adapted into a TV series this summer on Apple TV.  

The first book from master storyteller John Steinbeck will get another adaptation this year, starring Florence Pugh.  The classic story explores identity, love and consequences.

The timely sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale is a powerful call to action that teaches young people that their voices and choices matter.  Just like its predecessor, this tale will get its own screen adaptation this year.