It’s nothing new for producers and screenwriters to draw inspiration from books when making movies, but you may have noticed that literary adaptations have been becoming increasingly common over the past few years. It seems like every day brings an announcement that another book is getting a screen adaptation. And 2026 is shaping up to be the year of literary adaptations.
It’s November, and so far, we’ve already seen the release of People We Meet on Vacation, His & Hers, Wuthering Heights, and Regretting You, along with the success of Off Campus, the adaptation of After the Summer, which became a series based on the book, and classic stories such as The Odyssey. More recently, The Love Hypothesis also received an adaptation, while Verity is currently in theaters.
@thelovehypothesis via Instagram
These are just a few of the titles making headlines, and there’s still plenty more to come before the end of the year, including Sunrise on the Reaping, part of The Hunger Games series. But have you ever stopped to wonder why studios are investing so much in stories based on books?
The answer is simple: betting on something that has already proven successful and comes with an established audience is much safer than taking a risk on an entirely new story. If someone loves a book, they’re likely to be interested in watching the movie or series inspired by it, whether they end up loving it or criticizing it. That means the production already has a potential audience before it even comes out.
According to The Rewind Zone column, more than 75% of the films produced in Hollywood in 1984 were original works, whereas adaptations now account for a significant share of today’s productions. This shift is tied to financial security and the opportunity to reduce the risks studios face by investing in stories people already know. Rather than relying solely on original narratives, the industry is also investing in fictional worlds that have already won audiences over.
While the 2000s and 2010s were dominated by fantasy and dystopian franchises such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games, the 2020s are giving romance stories their moment on screen. According to a report by Dataintelo, contemporary romance is a prominent genre in literary adaptations, particularly through romantic comedies and young adult fiction. Interest in these stories is also connected to reader communities that recommend books, share their opinions, and help turn certain titles into major phenomena.
Streaming, BookTok, and the power of fan communities
The growth of streaming services has played a major role in this trend. Today, these platforms are responsible for a significant share of audiovisual productions, and services such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are investing in stories that already have established fan bases. Studios often choose to adapt a story as a series because the format allows for greater character and plot development while keeping audiences engaged for longer. One example is Bridgerton, a Netflix series whose first season premiered in 2020 and whose universe continues to expand beyond the books.
Another major driving force behind literary adaptations is the famous BookTok community on TikTok. Users share the books they’re reading, create recommendation lists, explain why they love certain stories, and highlight titles they believe deserve more recognition. In practice, BookTok serves as a barometer of what’s trending, and the publishing and audiovisual industries are paying increasingly close attention to this movement.
But reader communities influence more than just book recommendations. Online, fans also create their own stories using characters and fictional worlds they already know. These stories, known as fanfiction, allow readers to explore different possibilities for their favorite characters, imagine new relationships, and share their ideas with people who have similar interests.
Although fanfiction has grown significantly with the internet, it didn’t originate in the digital world. The practice of creating stories based on existing characters and fictional universes has been part of fan communities for decades. However, the rise of the internet made it much easier to publish these stories and connect with readers who share an interest in the same worlds.
Websites such as FanFiction.net and, later, platforms such as Wattpad and Archive of Our Own (AO3) transformed this relationship. Anyone could publish a story and receive feedback from other readers without having to go through a publishing house. As a result, audiences stopped being just consumers and began taking an active role in creating and reinventing the narratives they follow.
And some of these stories have moved beyond online communities and made their way into bookstores and onto screens.
One example is The Love Hypothesis, a romance novel by Ali Hazelwood that began as a fanfiction inspired by the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren from Star Wars, known among fans as “Reylo.” Originally published under the title Head Over Feet, the story was later revised: references to the franchise were replaced with original characters, Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen. In 2021, the story was published as a standalone romance novel and attracted a large readership. Years later, it also received a film adaptation.
Another well-known example is After by Anna Todd. The story began on Wattpad as a fanfiction inspired by Harry Styles, published under the author’s username “imaginator1D.” It built a large readership before becoming a book and, eventually, a film franchise.
These examples help explain why fanfiction platforms and fan communities have caught the attention of the publishing and audiovisual industries. A story published online can reach publishers with an existing readership, reader comments, and impressive view counts. Success within a fandom doesn’t guarantee that a work will be published or adapted, but it can indicate that an audience is interested in following the story.
For writers, these platforms also offer a space to experiment. Before entering the traditional publishing market, an author can post chapters, receive feedback, and discover which directions work best for their readers. Not every fanfiction story, however, is intended to become a book or movie. For many fans, writing is simply another way to participate in a fictional universe they love and share stories with people who have similar interests.
It’s easy to look at After or The Love Hypothesis and see fanfiction only as a gateway to the publishing and audiovisual industries. But reducing the phenomenon to that would overlook how important these stories are to the people who write and read them. Most fanfiction will never be published by a major publishing house or turned into a movie, and that doesn’t make it any less valuable to the communities that create it.
This relationship between creativity and community also helps explain the impact of BookTok and other social media platforms. According to a report by Ampere Analysis cited in the original text, the number of adapted works has increased since 2023, while social media has begun influencing content choices among a portion of younger audiences. The audiovisual industry has recognized the potential of this engagement and learned to pay attention to conversations taking place among readers and fans.
When stories leave the page and make it to the screen
Literary adaptations, however, are often controversial and tend to divide opinions. It’s natural for readers to expect a faithful retelling of a book, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a movie or series will follow every detail of the original work. Since books and audiovisual productions are different formats, many elements that work on the page can be difficult, or even impossible, to translate to the screen. The job of screenwriters and producers is to adapt these elements without losing the essence of the story.
This is where many fans become disappointed and end up disliking the result. But it’s important to remember that studios aren’t targeting only people who have read the book. They also need to win over audiences who haven’t read it and will be experiencing the story for the first time through the adaptation.
On the other hand, some changes can be very welcome. Older books can receive screen adaptations featuring more diverse and inclusive characters, expanding representation and helping more viewers relate to the story. At the same time, adapting a work requires making choices: some scenes need to be cut, characters may be given new traits, and certain events may be rearranged to work better on screen.
This process also shows how a story can transform throughout its journey. When fanfiction makes its way into the publishing industry, references to the original characters need to be removed or changed so the narrative can stand on its own. Even so, the community that followed the story from the beginning remains part of the journey it took to reach new audiences.
Creating a literary adaptation is a challenge. It requires finding the right balance between necessary changes and preserving the essence of the book. But when that balance is achieved, a story can win over both readers who already know the original and audiences discovering it for the first time.
After all, watching the characters we love leave the pages and our imaginations and come to life on screen is a special experience for many readers. And in a landscape where fan communities also help create, promote, and transform stories, the relationship between books, movies, and streaming continues to grow closer. Some stories begin on the pages of a book, others in online communities, but many eventually find their way to a wider audience.