There's no denying that 2020 was a difficult year for the movie industry [1] (and everyone else). With theaters closed, a number of films were pushed from their scheduled release dates all the way into the new year. As a result, there's a huge number of books becoming movies in 2021 [2]. (Then again, a few adaptations that were scheduled for release this year — Marry Me, The Nightingale, The Stars at Noon have sadly been pushed to 2022.) From the long-awaited release of director Denis Villeneuve's take on Frank Herbert's Dune to the highly anticipated conclusion of Hannah Todd's After series, readers have an exciting year ahead of them.
— Additional reporting by Maggie Panos
The Dig by John Preston
- What it's about: A reimagining of the events of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, The Dig is a lush historical drama about a widow who finds an invaluable discovery on her property.
- Who's starring: Lily James, Carey Mulligan [3], and Ralph Fiennes [4]
- Watch the trailer for The Dig [5].
- Read The Dig. [6]
- Release date: Jan. 15
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
- What it's about: Aravind Adiga is a sweeping tale that explores class and privilege in India through the eyes of a poor villager who becomes a savvy businessman.
- Who's starring: Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, and Priyanka Chopra
- Watch the trailer for The White Tiger [7].
- Read The White Tiger [8].
- Release date: Jan. 22
French Exit by Patrick DeWitt
- What it's about: A New York socialite spends the last of her late husband's money on a move to Paris with her son.
- Who's starring: Michelle Pfeiffer [9], Lucas Hedges, and Imogen Poots
- Watch the trailer for French Exit [10].
- Read French Exit [11].
- Release date: Feb. 12
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
- What it's about: In the third and final To All the Boys . . . film, Lara Jean's choice of college could mean letting go of Peter Kavinsky and moving away from her family.
- Who's starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Janel Parrish
- Watch the trailer for To All the Boys: Always and Forever [12].
- Read Always and Forever, Lara Jean [13].
- Release date: Feb. 12
Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
- What it's about: Writer Jessica Bruder took to the road to meet a growing population of older Americans who have taken up the nomadic lifestyle.
- Who's starring: Frances McDormand
- Watch the trailer for Nomadland [14].
- Read Nomadland [15].
- Release date: Feb. 19
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
- What it's about: Inspired by her mother's days as a wild child, a suburban teen attempts to fight back against the misogynistic culture at her school by anonymously producing a zine.
- Who's starring: Amy Poehler [16], Hadley Robinson, Alycia Pascual-Pena
- Watch the trailer for Moxie [17].
- Read Moxie [18].
- Release date: March 3
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
- What it's about: The long-delayed Chaos Walking follows a young man who grows up believing all the women in the world have died due to a virus that also cursed men with the ability to hear each other's thoughts. When the boy discovers a girl named Viola, they set off on a dangerous journey together.
- Who's starring: Tom Holland [19], Daisy Ridley, and Nick Jonas [20]
- Watch the trailer for Chaos Walking [21].
- Read The Knife of Never Letting Go [22].
- Release date: March 5
Cherry by Nico Walker
- What it's about: Joe and Anthony Russo direct this film about an Army medic with PTSD who turns to robbing banks after he becomes addicted to opioids.
- Who's starring: Tom Holland [23], Bill Skarsgård, and Ciara Bravo
- Watch the trailer for Cherry [24].
- Read Cherry [25].
- Release date: March 12
SAS: Red Notice by Andy McNab
- What it's about: SAS soldier Tom Buckingham is the only one who can save a train full of innocent passengers when they are taken hostage . . . under the Atlantic Ocean. (Yes, it's one of those books.)
- Who's starring: Sam Heughan, Ruby Rose, and Andy Serkis
- Watch the trailer for SAS: Red Notice [26].
- Read SAS: Red Notice [27].
- Release date: March 16
Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
- What it's about: After a Baltimore drug lord kills his girlfriend, a CIA operative goes on a quest for revenge.
- Who's starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner‑Smith, and Jamie Bell
- Watch the trailer for Without Remorse [28].
- Read Without Remorse [29].
- Release date: April 30
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
- What it's about: A professor finds his wife slain, his young daughter untouched across the hall. Set in a small town in New York, All Things Cease to Appear (movie title: Things Heard & Seen) is a murder mystery, a marriage thriller, and a character study all wrapped in one.
- Who's starring: Amanda Seyfried [30], Natalia Dyer, and Karen Allen
- Read All Things Cease to Appear [31].
- Release date: April 30
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- What it's about: Peter Rabbit is back in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. This time around, the mischievous bunny leaves the garden behind in search of a place where his troublemaking skills will be appreciated.
- Who's starring: James Corden, Daisy Ridley, and Margot Robbie
- Watch the trailer for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway [32].
- Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit [33].
- Release date: May 14
There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones
- What it's about: During a summer abroad program, a gifted violinist falls for a movie star who teaches her how to have fun until his fame begins to come between them in Finding You.
- Who's starring: Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre, and Katherine McNamara
- Read There You'll Find Me [34].
- Release date: May 14
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
- What it's about: This tense thriller opens with a young man witnessing a murder. He must run for his life while a forest fire rages, threatening his safety at every turn.
- Who's starring: Angelina Jolie [35], Nicholas Hoult, and Jon Bernthal
- Read Those Who Wish Me Dead [36].
- Release date: May 14
Two Kisses For Maddy by Matthew Logelin
- What it's about: Titled Fatherhood, the movie tells the true story of a father who raised his daughter on his own after his wife died one day after childbirth.
- Who's starring: Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, and Deborah Ayorinde
- Read Two Kisses For Maddy [37].
- Release date: June 18
Fear Street by R.L. Stine
- What it's about: A group of teens realize that spooky events in their hometown of Shadyside, OH, may be interconnected in the first of three movies acquired by Netflix.
- Who's starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch, Emily Rudd, and Gillian Jacobs
- Read Fear Street [38].
- Release date: Summer 2021
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
- What it's about: Detective Hercule Poirot is back on the case when a woman is murdered on a luxurious cruise down the Nile River.
- Who's starring: Gal Gadot, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey
- Watch the trailer for Death on the Nile [39].
- Read Death on the Nile [40].
- Release date: Sept. 17
The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz
- What it's about: This trippy sci-fi film is titled Infinite, and it focuses on a schizophrenic man who realizes his hallucinations are actually memories from his past lives.
- Who's starring: Dylan O'Brien, Mark Wahlberg [41], and Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Read The Reincarnationist Papers [42].
- Release date: Sept. 24
Dune by Frank Herbert
- What it's about: Paul Atreides, a young man destined for greatness, leads an army as he they fight to control the desert world of Arrakis.
- Who's starring: Timothée Chalamet [43], Zendaya [44], Oscar Isaac, and Jason Momoa [45]
- Watch the trailer for Dune [46].
- Read Dune [47].
- Release date: Oct. 1
The Last Duel by Eric Jager
- What it's about: The Ridley Scott-directed historical drama chronicles the last sanctioned duel in France. After Marguerite de Carrouges alleges that her husband's best friend raped her, her husband challenges his friend to a duel to the death.
- Who's starring: Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Matt Damon [48], and Ben Affleck [49]
- Read The Last Duel [50].
- Release date: Oct. 15
Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith
- What it's about: A couple's open marriage takes a potentially dark turn when the wife's lovers begin to go missing, leaving her husband as the prime suspect.
- Who's starring: Ana de Armas, Ben Affleck [51], and Jacob Elordi [52]
- Read Deep Water [53].
- Release date: Nov. 13
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
- What it's about: This dark novel takes place in the world of sideshows. One young carnival worker has a penchant for manipulation and when he meets his match, the two use their talents to swindle those who have come to pity and laugh at them.
- Who's starring: Bradley Cooper [54], Cate Blanchett [55], and Rooney Mara
- Read Nightmare Alley [56].
- Release date: Dec. 3
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
- What it's about: Blonde is a fictionalized account of the life of movie legend Marilyn Monroe.
- Who's starring: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody [57], and Bobby Cannavale
- Read Blonde [58].
- Release date: TBA
Dear Zoe by Philip Beard
- What it's about: After her little sister dies, Tess turns to her biological father and the troublemaking boy next door to help her process her grief in this coming-of-age tale.
- Who's starring: Sadie Sink, Jessica Capshaw, and Theo Rossi
- Read Dear Zoe [59].
- Release date: TBA
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
- What it's about: Based on a true story, Killers of the Flower Moon will be Martin Scorsese [60]'s first western. Set in Oklahoma, the movie focuses on the suspicious deaths of a number of people who found oil on their land, and how the newly formed FBI cracked the case.
- Who's starring: Leonardo DiCaprio [61] and Robert De Niro [62]
- Read Killers of the Flower Moon [63].
- Release date: TBA
The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
- What it's about: Told across two timelines, The Last Letter From Your Lover chronicles a London journalist's attempts to track down a pair of lovers who had an affair in the 1960s.
- Who's starring: Shailene Woodley, Joe Alwyn, and Felicity Jones
- Read The Last Letter From Your Lover [64].
- Release date: TBA
Last Looks by Howard Michael Gould
- What it's about: A former cop retreats to the woods in hopes of living a quiet life, but a PI finds him and draws him into a murder investigation.
- Who's starring: Charlie Hunnam [65], Mel Gibson [66], and Morena Baccarin
- Read Last Looks [67].
- Release date: TBA
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
- What it's about: This emotional love story follows a maid living in post World War I England who plans a secret meeting with the man she's in love with shortly before his wedding to another woman.
- Who's starring: Olivia Colman, Colin Firth [68], and Josh O'Connor
- Read Mothering Sunday [69].
- Release date: TBA
Passing by Nella Larsen
- What it's about: Set in 1929, Passing follows two high-school friends whose unexpected reunion could threaten the carefully constructed life of a Black woman who is passing as white.
- Who's starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, and Alexander Skarsgård [70]
- Read Passing [71].
- Release date: TBA
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
- What it's about: Two brothers own the biggest ranch in Montana, where they fight to preserve an antiquated idea of what it means to be a man. When one of the brothers marries the town widow, the other becomes obsessed with destroying her.
- Who's starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst [72], and Jesse Plemons
- Read The Power of the Dog [73].
- Release date: TBA
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
- What it's about: The book is a loose retelling of the Old Testament's Book of Hosea set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush. The movie follows Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a young child, and the love she finds with a man named Michael.
- Who's starring: Abigail Cowen, Nina Dobrev [74], and Eric Dane [75]
- Watch the trailer for Redeeming Love [76] now.
- Read Redeeming Love [77].
- Release date: TBA
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
- What it's about: A new student becomes embroiled in a mysterious string of murders at her high school as it becomes apparent that the senior class is being targeted by a serial killer.
- Who's starring: Sydney Park, Théodore Pellerin, and Sarah Dugdale
- Read There's Someone Inside Your House [78].
- Release date: TBA
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
- What it's about: A 10-year-old named Rob discovers a tiger caged in the woods near his home and enlists the help of a maid and his friend from school in saving the beautiful creature.
- Who's starring: Dennis Quaid, Queen Latifah [79], and Christian Convery
- Read The Tiger Rising. [80]
- Release date: TBA
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- What it's about: Based on the classic William Shakespeare play, the film follows Macbeth, a Scottish Lord, who believes he's destined to become king after three witches predict there is greatness in his future.
- Who's starring: Denzel Washington [81], Frances McDormand, and Brendan Gleeson
- Read The Tragedy of Macbeth [82].
- Release date: TBA
True Things About Me by Deborah Kay Davies
- What it's about: A woman who lives life as an outcast becomes drawn to a mysterious stranger.
- Who's starring: Ruth Wilson and Jude Law [83]
- Read True Things About Me [84].
- Release date: TBA
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
- What it's about: An agoraphobic woman spies on a family across the street and spots something she wasn't supposed to see. This movie has been in the works for a while, but has suffered delay after delay.
- Who's starring: Amy Adams [85], Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman
- Watch the trailer for The Woman in the Window [86].
- Read The Woman in the Window [87].
- Release date: TBA
After We Fell by Anna Todd
- What it's about: Tessa and Hardin just cannot get it together in the third book of Anna Todd's After series. If you enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey and haven't dipped into this sexy franchise, it's time.
- Who's starring: Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin
- Watch the trailer for After We Fell [88].
- Read After We Fell [89].
- Release date: TBA
The Dry By Jane Harper
- What it's about: An Australian federal agent returns to his hometown following the grisly and mysterious death of his former best friend. He'll uncover things he never wanted to know while reopening old wounds from his adolescence.
- Who's starring: Eric Bana [90] and Genevieve O'Reilly
- Watch the trailer for The Dry [91].
- Read The Dry [92].
- Release date: TBA
