40 Books That Became Movies in 2015

1 Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

What it's about: A young girl from Ireland starts a new life in New York in the 1950s. She falls in love with an American but feels torn between him and her family back home.
Who's starring: Saoirse Ronan is set to play the lead opposite The Place Beyond the Pines' Emory Cohen.
Watch the trailer for Brooklyn.
Release date: Nov. 6

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2 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

What it's about: In the third Hunger Games book, Katniss fights against the corrupt Capitol from within District 13.
Who's starring: Jennifer Lawrence and other franchise cast members will reprise their roles in the adaptation, the second half of which is coming in 2015. See the whole cast here.
Watch the trailer for Mockingjay: Part 2.
Release date: Nov. 20

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3 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

What it's about: Mary Shelley's classic story follows Victor Frankenstein as he discovers the secret of life and puts together a body using corpses. Horrified by the monster he's created, Frankenstein flees until the monster returns to him.
Who's starring: Daniel Radcliffe will play Igor, the hunchback assistant to Dr. Frankenstein (James McAvoy) in the adaptation, titled Victor Frankenstein.
Watch the trailer for Victor Frankenstein.
Release date: Nov. 25

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4 Room by Emma Donoghue

What it's about: A 5-year-old boy grows up in a small shed, which becomes the only world he knows because his mother hides the truth — they're being held captive.
Who's starring: Brie Larson is starring as Ma, the mother — see who else is starring.
Watch the trailer for Room.
Release date: Nov. 6

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5 The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri

What it's about: An MI5 agent trying to solve a murder works for the FBI and uncovers a terrifying new truth.
Who's starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor will play the MI5 agent opposite Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
Watch the trailer for Secret in Their Eyes.

Release date: Oct. 23

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6 The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

What it's about: A young female department store clerk becomes obsessed with another woman in the store in this 1950s drama.
Who's starring: In the renamed Carol, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara play the leads, with Carrie Brownstein in a supporting role.
Watch the trailer for Carol.
Release date: Nov. 20

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7 The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff

What it's about: The story of real-life artist Einar Wegener, who was one of the first people to have transgender surgery.
Who's starring: Eddie Redmayne will star opposite Alicia Vikander and Amber Heard, while Tom Hooper will direct.
Watch the trailer for The Danish Girl.
Release date: Nov. 27

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8 In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

What it's about: The book tells the story of the Essex, a ship that was sunk by a whale in 1819, leaving the crew at sea for more than 90 days.
Who's starring: Ron Howard is adapting the book for the big screen, and the film will star Chris Hemsworth as first mate Owen Chase, Cillian Murphy as second mate Matthew Joy, and Benjamin Walker as Captain Pollard.
Watch the trailer for In the Heart of the Sea.
Release date: Dec. 11

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9 The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke

What it's about: After a 19th-century fur trapper gets mauled by a bear and then left for dead by thieves, he embarks on a journey for revenge.
Who's starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy will costar in the adaptation, which is being directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Watch the trailer for The Revenant.
Release date: Dec. 25

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10 The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen

What it's about: This sci-fi thriller follows a young boy after he suffers a near-fatal fall on his ninth birthday.
Who's starring: Aaron Paul is playing Peter and Jamie Dornan is playing Dr. Pascal.

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11 The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

What it's about: A 100-year-old mental patient, Roseanne McNulty investigates her past and unearths some troubling memories.
Who's starring: Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave will play the younger and older versions of Roseanne, respectively. Eric Bana, Theo James, and Jeremy Irons will costar.

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12 Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

What it's about: A young woman named Bathsheba Everdene has to deal with the difficult, sometimes tragic consequences of being in relationships with three different suitors at the same time.
Who's starring: Carey Mulligan, Tom Sturridge, and Matthias Schoenaerts will star in the film adaptation.
Watch the trailer for Far From the Madding Crowd.
Release date: May 1

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13 Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

What it's about: Two sisters live alone in a crumbling house and try to survive in the near future.
Who's starring: Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood will play the sisters, with Max Minghella costarring.

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14 A Hologram For the King by Dave Eggers

What it's about: A struggling businessman heads to Saudi Arabia for a fight to save his finances, hoping to steer clear of foreclosure and pay his daughter's college tuition.
Who's starring: Tom Hanks will star in the film adaptation, which Tom Tykwer is directing.

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15 The Martian by Andy Weir

What it's about: Astronaut Mark Watney gets stranded on Mars and must survive alone while NASA tries to rescue him in this sci-fi novel.
Who's starring: Matt Damon is playing Mark Watney, while Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, and Kristen Wiig will costar. Ridley Scott is directing.
Watch the trailer for The Martian.
Release date: Oct. 2

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16 The Driftless Area by Tom Drury

What it's about: Pierre, a young bartender, experiences ups and downs in rural Iowa before falling for a mysterious woman named Stella.
Who's starring: Zooey Deschanel is playing Stella, and Anton Yelchin will play Pierre.

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17 A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion

What it's about: An American woman travels to Central America to reunite with her fugitive daughter. The country is on the brink of a violent revolution, and she is anything but prepared for what she sees.
Who's starring: Christina Hendricks has signed on to headline the film, and Campbell Scott is set to direct.

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18 The World Made Straight by Ron Rash

What it's about: A young man, Travis, gets wrapped up in the drug dealings of his town after stumbling upon a marijuana farm in 1970s North Carolina.
Who's starring: Jeremy Irvine is playing Travis, and Noah Wyle and Minka Kelly are costarring.
Release date: Jan. 9

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19 A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

What it's about: The humorous memoir follows an Iowa-born man who returns to America after 20 years in England to walk the Appalachian Trail.
Who's starring: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, and Nick Offerman are starring.
Watch the trailer for A Walk in the Woods.
Release date: Sept. 2

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20 Z For Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

What it's about: This postapocalyptic tale follows the last woman on Earth as she encounters two of the last men.
Who's starring: Margot Robbie is starring opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine.
Watch the trailer for Z For Zachariah.
Release date: Aug. 21

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21 Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill

What it's about: The true crime novel follows the infamous mobster Whitey Bulger, the head of the Irish mob in the '70s, and his relationship with childhood friend John Connolly, who grew up to work for the FBI.
Who's starring: Johnny Depp will play Whitey Bulger with Joel Edgerton as Connolly. Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, and Juno Temple are also in the supporting cast.
Watch the trailer for Black Mass.
Release date: Sept. 18

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22 Left For Dead by Beck Weathers

What it's about: In this 1996 true story, a group of climbers embarked on a journey to the top of the tallest mountain, and not all of them survived. Author Weathers was part of the group.
Who's starring: In the film adaptation titled Everest, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin (who plays Weathers), Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, and Sam Worthington star as the hikers.
Watch the trailer for Everest.
Release date: Sept. 18

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23 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

What it's about: The second installment of the Maze Runner series continues as the Gladers and Thomas have escaped the maze, but find themselves in their next test.
Who's starring: Dylan O'Brien will play Thomas again, along with much of the original cast; see who else is starring.
Watch the trailer for Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.
Release date: Sep. 18

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24 Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

What it's about: In E L James's sexy bestseller, college student Anastasia meets Christian Grey, a handsome billionaire who turns her world upside down when he approaches her about a sexual relationship.
Who's starring: Dakota Johnson will play Anastasia, and Jamie Dornan is Christian; see who else is in the Fifty Shades of Grey cast.
Watch the trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey.
Release date: Feb. 13

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25 Still Alice by Lisa Genova

What it's about: A woman experiences early-onset Alzheimer's and copes with her family.
Who's starring: Julianne Moore is playing Alice (and is up for an Oscar) for the role. Alec Baldwin plays her husband, while Kristen Stewart and Kate Bosworth star as her kids.
Release date: Jan. 16
Watch the trailer for Still Alice.

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26 Paper Towns by John Green

What it's about: The Fault in Our Stars author Green tells the story of Q and Margo, childhood friends united by a mystery.
Who's starring: Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne will play Q and Margo, respectively.
Watch the trailer for Paper Towns.
Release date: June 19

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27 Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

What it's about: This thriller from the author of Gone Girl tells the story of Libby Day, whose mother and sisters were murdered at the family's farmhouse when she was only 7. Her testimony sent her older brother, Ben, to prison for life, and 25 years later, Libby decides to meet with the Kill Club, a group of crime enthusiasts who investigate the case and force her to rethink what really happened.
Who's starring: The Dark Places cast includes Charlize Theron — also a producer — as Libby Day, plus Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Watch the trailer for Dark Places.
Release date: Aug. 7

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28 Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

What it's about: Childhood best friends Alex and Rosie are separated as teenagers when Alex's family moves from Ireland to America. Rosie feels lost and plans to join him in Boston, but a surprise pregnancy keeps her tied to Ireland, and they struggle to navigate true love.
Who's starring: Lily Collins and Sam Claflin star in Love, Rosie, the film adaptation.
Watch the trailer for Love, Rosie.
Release date: Feb. 6

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29 The Mortdecai Trilogy by Kyril Bonfiglioli

What it's about: Charlie Mortdecai is a sophisticated art dealer who finds himself caught up in a web of mystery.
Who's starring: Johnny Depp will play Charlie Mortdecai in the film, titled just Mortdecai.
Watch the trailer for Mortdecai.
Release date: Jan. 23

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30 Serena by Ron Rash

What it's about: Newlyweds George and Serena move from Boston to North Carolina in 1929 to start a timber business. The pair is ruthless in building their empire, and when Serena finds out that she can't have children, she sets out to kill George's illegitimate son.
Who's starring: Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper team up again, now as George and Serena Pemberton.
Watch the trailer for Serena.
Release date: March 27

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31 Insurgent by Veronica Roth

What it's about: In Roth's follow-up to Divergent, Tris and Four leave the crumbling Dauntless and seek help to get to the bottom of what's going on in their dystopian society.
Who's starring: Shailene Woodley is playing Tris, and Theo James is playing Tobias. See the whole Insurgent cast here.
Watch the trailer for Insurgent.
Release date: March 20

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32 The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

What it's about: The love stories of two couples — an elderly one and a young one — are intertwined in a North Carolina setting.
Who's starring: Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson are playing the younger couple.
Watch the trailer for The Longest Ride.
Release date: April 10

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33 True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel

What it's about: Based on a true story, a former New York Times writer recounts his bizarre downfall. As he was about to be fired for fabricating details on a big story, Finkel learned that an arrested mass murderer named Christian Longo had posed as Finkel while he was on the run.
Who's starring: Jonah Hill and James Franco are starring in True Story.
Watch the trailer for True Story.
Release date: April 17

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34 Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

What it's about: A former policeman, Leo Demidov, gets tangled up in tracking a cruel killer of women and children in Soviet-era Russia, which is based on a true story.
Who's starring: Tom Hardy is playing Demidov, Noomi Rapace plays his wife, and Gary Oldman also stars.
Release date: April 17
Watch the trailer for Child 44.

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35 The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney

What it's about: A young boy — the seventh son of a seventh son — is training to become an exorcist under the guidance of a Spook, a man who fights supernatural creatures.
Who's starring: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, and Jeff Bridges are all in the movie, which is called Seventh Son.
Watch the trailer for Seventh Son.
Release date: Feb. 6

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36 Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman

What it's about: When two little girls, Alice and Ronnie, find an infant in an abandoned stroller, a terrible incident shatters three families. Years later, the girls are 18 and trying to find a new start, but the crime keeps haunting the families and the police — especially when another child disappears.
Who's starring: Dakota Fanning and Danielle Macdonald star in Every Secret Thing's film adaptation, which also features Diane Lane as one of the girl's mothers and Elizabeth Banks as the lead police officer.
Watch the trailer for Every Secret Thing.
Release date: May 15

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37 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

What it's about: Emma Bovary marries to escape her father's farm, but she soon tries to leave that behind too via her affairs and the glitter of high society.
Who's starring: Mia Wasikowska is playing Emma, opposite Ezra Miller and Logan Marshall-Green.
Watch the trailer for Madame Bovary.
Release date: June 12

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38 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

What it's about: Two awkward high schoolers, Greg and Earl, befriend a terminally ill girl, Rachel.
Who's starring: Olivia Cooke is playing Rachel, with Thomas Mann as Greg and RJ Cyler as Earl. Connie Britton and Nick Offerman also star as Greg's parents.
Watch the trailer for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
Release date: June 12

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39 2015 Books to Movies

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