The book-to-film adaptation is one of the most popular Hollywood hacks, with a built-in audience who can’t wait to see their stories played out on the silver screen. Crave looks at five of the most anticipated book-to-film adaptations for 2017.
The Circle (April 28, 2017)
In 2013, Dave Eggers penned The Circle, a novel chronicling Mae Holland (Emma Watson), a young tech worker who joins a powerful Internet company and quickly moves up the ranks. The company, headed by Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), is not quite what it seems. Dark secrets lurk, creating distrust, betrayal, and death—a reminder of the nature of corporate power in the twenty0first century. The film also stars John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, and Bill Paxton. James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) is directing.
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Wonder (November 17, 2017)
Lionsgate
In 2012, R.J. Palacio published Wonder, the middle-grade novel about August “Auggie” Pullman (Jacob Tremblay, best known for Room), a 10-year-old boy born with a rare facial deformity. After being home-schooled his entire life, his parents (Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson) decide to enroll him in a private school, where he makes friends, gets betrayed, gets bullied—the usual middle-school mess with the added strain of looking unlike everyone else. The film is a story of conquering difference and the fear and hate it inspires. The book ends with his mother whispering in his ear, “You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.” Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is directing.
Before I Fall (March 3, 2017)
Continuing along the young adult narrative, Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall (2012) is the first-person account of Samantha “Sam” Kingston (Zoey Deutch), a 17-year-old who had it all, until she dies in a car accident that she is then forced to inextriably relive every day for a week. She is desperately trying to figure out what went wrong, and keeps trying to take new actions to change her fate. Described as a combination of Groundhog Day and Heathers, the film is directed by Ry Russo-Young, who won a special jury prize at Sundance for Nobody Walks in 2014.
IT (September 8, 2017)
New Line Cinema
And now for your worst fears of childhood realized—ahh yes. Does it get any better than a film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic 1986 horror novel It? Seriously, would the killer clown phenomenon of last fall have had so much bite if Pennywise hadn’t been inhabiting our nightmares for more than three decades? It follows the exploits of seven children who are being preyed on by “It,” the phenomenon of fear and terror that takes the form of a clown to attract small children. The film, which has been in development since 2009, has made folks wary as it has been fraught with issues, including the loss of its original director due to budget issues. Still… Andrés Muschietti (Mama) is directing, and Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant) plays Pennywise.
The Snowman (October 13, 2017)
Fox Searchlight / Aschehoug
The Snowman is the seventh entry in author Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series. The book, published in 2007, tells the story of a series of murders of women around Oslo. Detective Harry Hole is called to investigate the disappearance of a women whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. He soon recognizes he is on the trail of Norway’s first serial killer. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, the film stars Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Jones, and Chloe Sevigny.
Murder on the Orient Express (November 22, 2017)
The Weinstein Company / Collins Crime Club
In 1934, Agatha Christie penned the ultimate whodunit with a mystery novel titled Murder on the Orient Express. The book tells the story of the surprising death of Mr. Samuel Ratchett, who was stabbed many, many times in his private compartment in the first class car of the legendary train, the Orient Express. Celebrated detective Hercule Poirot (Johnny Depp) is left to piece it all together, and the resolution is one of Christie’s greatest denouements in a oeuvre that spans more than 90 titles. The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh stars Branagh, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafore, Judi Dench, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley, among others.
Annihilation (TBA 2017)
Marvel Studios / Farrar, Straus and Giroux
In 2015, author Jeff VanderMeer published Annihilation, the first novel of his Southern Reach trilogy, telling the story of a team of four who set out to find a missing man in an environmental disaster zone known as Area X. They are the 12th expedition to make the search, and, as the title suggests, it’s a dark path. The all-star cast includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, and David Gyasi. Alex Garland (Ex Machina) is directing.
The Dark Tower (July 28, 2017)
Columbia Pictures
Let’s face it. These Stephen King adaptations will make you wait, but as a child growing up with classics like The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, and Christine…. It’s. Stephen. King. And I don’t even like horror novels or horror movies. But the genius of the film adaptations of his books simply cannot be denied.
The Dark Tower is a series of eight books that goes the length, combining elements of dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western into a quest toward a tower that is both physical and metaphorical in nature. The film features the last living “gunslinger” Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) in search of the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), and ultimately the Dark Tower, said to be the nexus of all universes. Nikolaj Arcel is directing. Stephen King, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer are producing. Sony has announced a TV series to follow in 2018—because never has a metaphor been so apt for our day and age.
Top Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Miss Rosen is a journalist covering art, photography, culture, and books. Her byline has appeared in L’Uomo Vogue, Whitewall, Dazed Digital, Jocks and Nerds, and L’Oeil de la Photographie. Follow her on Twitter @Miss_Rosen.
