Hollywood has been mining the world of books for a long time—since 1899, according to some reckonings. The practice has been ramping up in recent years, thanks to the various streaming services and their constant need for new content.
 
In our latest roundup of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations, we’ve gathered here 24 high-profile projects slated for release in the next year or so. These include both feature films headed to theaters and series adaptations coming to networks or streaming platforms.

You’ll find relatively recent stories from authors including Esi Edugyan, Colleen Hoover, Kazuo Ishiguro, David Koepp, and Richard Osman. Plus an array of literary classics from Emily Brontë, Thomas Pynchon, John Steinbeck, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Plus, of course, Stephen King. It’s like death and taxes: At any given time, somewhere in the world, there’s a Stephen King book being adapted.  

We double-checked all the specifics, but keep in mind that these release dates get moved around all the time. Check your local listings.

This 2020 novella collection from Stephen King, our elder statesman of modern horror, features four tales longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. The collection’s second story, “Life of Chuck,” is a kind of reverse-chronology brain twist of cosmic wonder. The highly anticipated film adaptation, starring Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor, opens in theaters on June 13.

It’s baaaaaack. Lois Duncan’s 1973 thriller novel was resurrected for audiences with the hit 1990s film, and this year brings a fresh retelling of the slasher story. In the original novel, four teenagers kill a boy on his bicycle in a hit-and-run accident after a party. They make a pact to never mention their involvement, but someone knows what they did. Franchise favorites Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt are back for the new reboot, in theaters on July 18

With a nod to the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally, Emily Henry’s 2021 novel, People We Meet on Vacation, tackles the age-old question: Can men and women ever truly just be friends? Poppy and Alex have a friendship of the opposites-attract variety, and we learn their backstory through chapters that travel through time. After a falling-out, Poppy reaches out to Alex to mend the friendship (and possibly more) on one final trip. The film adaptation hits Netflix this year.

Based on author Freida McFadden’s popular book series, the upcoming thriller The Housemaid—starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried—is scheduled to hit theaters on December 25. In this twisted tale of control and desire, Millie is an ex-con with a past who comes to the Winchesters’ house as a live-in housekeeper. Nina, the lady of the house, may or may not be recovering from a psychotic break. Some messes can’t be cleaned

Andy Weir’s ambitious 2021sci-fi novel is similar in tone and scope to his 2011 blockbuster debut, The Martian. Both books are great examples of modern “hard SF,” grounded in science and physics and cold, hard reality. Project Hail Mary features another stranded astronaut, but with the stakes raised to extinction-level seriousness. The much-anticipated film adaptation, starring Ryan Gosling, is currently slated for release on March 20, 2026. Bonus trivia: The novel won the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Favorite Science Fiction book.