A new era of film has seemed to make headlines in recent times, a type of film that has been around for a long time but has recently become more abundant and popular. It started from way beyond the screen instead found inside another familiar form of entertainment, reading.
Book to film has recently seemed to skyrocket in popularity, starting in 2025 and gaining even more momentum in 2026. For book lovers who finally get to see their favorite novels come to life, and nonreaders, book to film adaptations offer an entrance into the world of reading from a new perspective. However, despite the growth of adaptations, fans of the novels remain concerned about the accuracy and care being brought into these projects. Notwithstanding the amount of information, time and energy being placed into these adaptations: the films will never be 100% identical to the books nor will it ever look how imagined as that is the beauty of reading, it’s built on the creativity of the reader.
Book to film is no easy feat, it’s taking a loved and highly regarded novel and attempting to bring it to life on the screens. The production of the film must include enough information for non-readers to understand the plot as well as the complexity of the characters, while still maintaining the integrity of the author’s characters. This aspect makes book to film difficult considering many novels include in-depth backstories, details and narration that all contribute to the plot, meaning and depth of the characters. There is only so much information that can be put into a two hour movie or an eight episode show. A book of 300+ pages contains a whole world of description and emotion that is at times hard to translate into film. It can’t achieve certain aspects that novels hold, like internal narration or minor details that are symbolic. Instead it has to be conveyed through glances, facial expressions and pure acting. The amount of time, energy and money put into an adaptation is significant to note. All three factors can make or break an adaptation, for certain projects some aspects need to be altered in order to fit the budget or time available.
Certainly at this moment, all novels and book series seem to be getting picked up as adaptations by Amazon Prime and Netflix which begs the question, do all books need an adaption? When making adaptations it is inevitable that some parts of the book will be cut out purely due to time, budget and energy. Unfortunately, some people fear that this will result in harming the overall product and final production. In many novels small moments can connect to the overall comprehension of a character, why they are the way they are, and can even affect the impact and understanding of the plot. However, while these books are held near and dear to readers’ hearts it’s important to remember that adaptations are just that, adaptations. They will never be identical to the novel or replicate it perfectly, they embody the story and try to represent and follow the book as closely as possible.
Below here are some adaptations to look forward to:
The Deal (Off-Campus Series) by Elle Kennedy: The interconnected hockey and college based romance series was picked up by Prime Video and is planned to release season 1, which focuses on the first novel “The Deal,” on May 13th, with season two already approved for filming.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter: The young adult romance novel, has no official release date but was announced in March 2026 that it was picked up by Sony Pictures.
Emily Henry Novels: Emily Henry, an author known for adult rom-coms, recently adapted her novel “People We Meet on Vacation” into a film with Netflix. Soon after the film’s release, it was announced that Henry’s other novels, including “Happy Place,” “Beach Read,” “Book Lovers,” and “Funny Story,” were picked up by Netflix and other studios to be adapted into films and TV shows.
Binding 13 and Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen Series) by Chloe Walsh: The series is known for discussing mature topics and heavy themes, such as bullying, abuse and addiction. The “Boys of Tommen” was picked up by Prime Video as a TV series, with a planned eight episode season focusing on the first two novels, “Binding 13” and “Keeping 13,” targeting a 2027 release.
Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: The prequel novel to “The Hunger Games” series was picked up by Lionsgate and is planned to be released on November 20th, 2026.
Lights Out (An Into Darkness) by Navessa Allen: The first novel in the “An Into Darkness” series, was announced in February 2026 that it was being adapted into a TV series by Netflix and is currently in early production.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: The first book in a three book, in a planned five, romance fantasy series was picked up by MGM Amazon as a TV show planning for each book to be a season and is currently in pre-production with no other information available.
Butcher and the Black Bird (Ruinous Love Trilogy) by Brynne Weaver: The first novel in the “Ruinous Love” trilogy, is currently in pre-production after being picked up by Ryder Picture Company and Lyrical Media.
Windy City Series by Liz Tomforde: The interconnected, five book, sports romance series was picked up by MGM Amazon as a TV series, most likely focusing on the first novel “Mile High” for the initial season, though is waiting on confirmation from the author.