14 Great Movies That Are Based On Books To Watch (& Read) Next

Bookworms and movie buffs are cut from the same cloth: we all like staying up to date with the latest releases, inhaling it as soon as it becomes available so we can craft our hot takes and contribute to discussions. So, what if you’re both? Then you probably love watching films based on your favourite books, or racing through books that are about the hit the cinema. Looking for recommendations? Here are the best movies based on books to watch next – if you haven’t already.

Best Movies Based On Books

Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo in POOR THINGS. Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Poor Things

Did you know Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film is based on a book? Alasdair Grey published Poor Things – a bold take on the classic coming-of-age tale, following a unique woman named Bella Baxter – back in 1992, but sadly died before Lanthimos’ adaptation was created.

Click Here To Step Into The World Of Poor Things

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn’s critically acclaimed thriller novel Gone Girl arrived on cinema screens a mere two years after it was published. It has garnered somewhat of a cult following, with fans enthused by Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of Amy, a woman who is reported missing by her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) in a high profile case.

The Devil Wears Prada

This iconic, star-studded 2006 movie is based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, exploring the illustrious world of the fashion magazine industry – and sharply critiquing the people in it. If you loved the film, give the book a try – there are even two sequels, Revenge Wears Prada and When Life Gives You Lululemons, to keep you occupied.

© Signature Entertainment

The End We Start From

This brand new British film is based on a sparsely written but extremely moving book by Megan Hunter. Published in May 2017, acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch was so struck by Hunter’s writing that he snapped up the film rights before the novel had even hit the bookshelves. The movie adaptation of The End We Start From is led by Jodie Comer, who plays an unnamed mother who gives birth to her first child just as London is hit by an unprecedented environmental crisis.

Learn All About The Film Here

Fight Club

One of the more classic movies based on a book is Fight Club, which was released in 1999 and is based on Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel of the same name. It’s led by power trio Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, with the former two forming a ‘fight club’ to spice up the dissatisfaction of day to day life.

Atonement

A young Saoirse Ronan shines in this stylish adaptation of Ian McEwan’s 2001 wartime novel. Also starring Kiera Knightly, James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch, it gathered Oscars and BAFTAs aplenty, while the book was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize, a regularly wins a spot on lists of the best 100 novels of all time.

All Of Us Strangers

Another film on everyone’s lips is All Of Us Strangers, which has scooped up six BAFTA nominations, including Outstanding British Film and Adapted Screenplay. The clue is in the name for that latter one: All Of Us Strangers is based on Taichi Yamada’s 1987 Japanese novel Strangers.

Room

Emma Donoghue’s 2010 novel Room was met with bountiful critical acclaim, an international best-seller and even a finalist for the Booker Prize. It is told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack, who lives in a small outbuilding with his 26-year-old ‘Ma’ he calls ‘Room’. It was transformed into an Academy Award winning film in 2015, starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay in the leading roles.

Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name

At the beginning of 2017, Timothée Chalamet was relatively unknown – that is, of course, before Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of André Aciman romantic novel, Call Me By Your Name, catapulted him to global fame and acclaim. The atmospheric movie transports us to sun-soaked Italy in the 1980s, where 17-year-old Elio (Chalamet) is summering with his family, when 24-year-old graduate university student Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to assist Elio’s father’s archaeology research.

Little Women

Greta Gerwig’s 2019 Academy Award winning Little Women is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel of the same name. It’s another incredible flick starring none other than Timothée Chalamet once again, but it’s Saoirse Ronan who leads the star studded cast, which also consists of Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep and James Norton. It may not be a Christmas film, but the wintery vibes make it the perfect cosy watch – just make sure you have the tissues ready.

Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer in All Quiet on the Western Front, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

All Quiet On The Western Front

Netflix‘s 2022 German-language film scooped up an array of awards in early 2023 – including the revered Best Picture Academy Award and Best Film at the BAFTAs. All Quiet on the Western Front is based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque entitled Im Westen nichts Neues (‘nothing new in the west’), and while it had been adapted for the screen twice before, this is the first German adaptation. Drawing on Remarque’s experiences as a German veteran of WWI, it describes the extreme physical and mental trauma experienced by soldiers during the war, as well as the detachment they felt from normal life upon returning home.

American Psycho

This 2002 satirical psychological horror movie is based on Bret Easton Ellis’ disturbing 1991 novel of the same name – so if, for whatever reason, you enjoyed the movie, the content doesn’t end there. It’s a prime example of unreliable narrators, told in first person from the perspective of wealthy, narcissistic and vain investment banker Patrick Bateman, working on Wall Street in the 1980s.

(Center) DANIELLE BROOKS as Sophia in The Color Purple. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Colour Purple

A bold new adaptation of Alice Walker’s seminal classic novel, The Color Purple, is coming to cinemas – and while Stephen Spielberg’s 1985 version is among the greatest movies based on books of all time, we’re excited for this fresh take. The 2023 version is also based on the Broadway musical adaptation, which originally ran from 2005–08 and was revived from 2015–17. Either way, it tells the story of Celie, an African American woman living in the American South in the early 1900s.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

He may be one of the most famous authors in history, but adaptations of Charles Dickens’ novels are surprisingly sparse – in recent years, anyway. The Personal History of David Copperfield is a recent gem, based on Dickens’ even more complicatedly named The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (or just David Copperfield for short). A Victorian bildungsroman, this vibrant 2019 film adaptation is led by Dev Patel, with Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi, Morfydd Clark, Daisy May Cooper, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton and Ben Whishaw in supporting roles.