12 Book Adaptations To Get Excited For In 2025
By
1 hour ago
Film lovers, your 2025 reading list just dropped
In 1926, Virginia Woolf declared all film adaptations of books ‘disastrous’, describing cinema as a parasite feeding upon ‘the body of its unfortunate victim’ (novels). But Virginia Woolf never had the chance to see Paddington in Peru, One Day or Poor Things – masterful renditions of books for the big screen which garnered widespread popularity this year. Were she alive today, would Woolf be more susceptible to the adaptation obsession currently dominating our screens? There’s no way of knowing – but we have a sneaky feeling things have gotten better since the ‘20s. Here are the best book adaptations coming to the screen in 2025.
12 Books To Read Before Their Adaptations Are Released In 2025
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s timeless classic novel will land in UK cinemas on New Year’s Day. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp opposite Bill Skarsgard as the infamous monster, Nosferatu takes Dracula‘s famous German adaptation as a starting point, before delving deeper into Ellen Hutter than we ever have before. Find out more here.
Details: Nosferatu will land in cinemas on 1 January 2025.
Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The eighth novel by the Booker and Nobel prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun (2021), will become a film in 2025. And, delving into the world of AI, it’s more timely and frightening than ever. Telling the story of Josie (Mia Tharia) and Klara (Jenna Ortega), the former’s Artificial Friend, the film will question where we draw the line between human and machine. Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Amy Adams as Josie’s mother, it will also push us to consider how we can navigate an eerie fictional world that feels all too close to our own.
Details: Klara and the Sun’s release date is still to be confirmed, but the film is slated to land in cinemas in 2025.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Ever asked ‘what if’? This is the book-to-film adaptation for you. Matt Haig’s bestselling novel is being adapted into a film by StudioCanal and Blueprint Pictures, telling the story of about Nora who finds herself in a library suspended between life and death. Every book inside offers a glimpse of a potential life – the choices she didn’t make, the relationships she never chased, the job she didn’t get – which take her on an uplifting and life-affirming journey. Although the film remains in its early stages of development, Haig has said the film is in good hands and he ‘can’t wait to see Nora’s adventures through the multiverse translated to screen.’
Details: The Midnight Library’s release date is still to be confirmed, but the film is slated to land in cinemas in 2025.
Missing You by Harlan Coben
After the huge success of Fool Me Once, which launched on 1 January 2024, it’s only fitting that Netflix would release its next Harlan Coben adaptation exactly one year later. Starring Rosalind Eleazar, Ashley Waters, Jessica Plummer, Richard Armitage, Lenny Henry and more, it’s another thriller, this time centring on Kat Donovan, a detective whose fiance vanished 11 years ago – and she hasn’t seen or heard from him since. That is until one day she’s swiping on a dating app and she suddenly sees his face. Read all about the series here.
Details: All episodes of Missing You will land on Netflix on 1 January 2025.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
It’s official: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) is being adapted for Netflix. A fast New York Times bestseller, the story wraps us up in the mesmerising world of 1950s Hollywood. Glamour, stardom and scandal fill the pages of the novel and no doubt the film will follow suit. Although cast members are yet to be announced, the film will be directed by Leslye Headland who previously worked on Little Fires Everywhere for Hulu.
Details: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’s release date is still to be confirmed, but we expect it to land on Netflix in 2025.
The Twits by Roald Dahl
‘You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams,’ Roald Dahl writes in The Twits, a delightfully malicious tale about two grotesque people who revel in tormenting each other. Following the success of Netflix’s Matilda: The Musical, the animated adaptation of this time-worn story will debut on the streaming platform in 2025, featuring the voices of Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke, Johnny Vegas and Margo Martindale.
Details: The Twits’ release date is still to be confirmed, but we expect it to land on Netflix in 2025.
Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
She’s a cultural icon, timelessly relatable, and she’ll be back in cinemas on Valentine’s Day. With Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant returning to adapt Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, the trailer promises more of the Bridget Jones we know and love – except she’s notably Colin Firth-less now, with two children to boot. It seems our favourite character with her ‘enourmous panties’ has grown up – but not too much. Here’s what to expect.
Details: Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will arrive in cinemas on 14 February 2025.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
When it comes to film adaptations, Frankenstein is unparalleled: Frankenweenie, Young Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Curse of Frankenstein, Hotel Transylvania, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Addams Family – all of these films feature the same classic monster, invented by Mary Shelley in 1818. Whether you’re disgusted by his patchwork skin and hunched frame or moved by his loneliness, another iteration of Frankenstein’s infamous monster will appear in cinemas this year. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Jacob Eloridi will take on the iconic role (quite a change from The Kissing Booth), joined by Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance and more.
Details: Frankenstein’s release date is still to be confirmed, but the film is slated to land in cinemas in 2025.
The Hunting Wives by May Cobb
Based on May Cobb’s novel of the same name, here’s another gritty novel-turned-TV series we’re excited to sink our teeth into. Centring on Sophie O’Neill (Brittany Snow), The Hunting Wives is set in east Texas, where Sophie succumbs to socialite Margo’s charms – and her life is soon consumed by obsession, seduction and murder.
Details: The Hunting Wives’ release date is still to be confirmed, but the series is slated to air in 2025.
Mickey 17 by Edward Ashton
This upcoming sci-fi black comedy film is set to take viewers out of this world – literally. Based on the book by Edward Ashton, the titular Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is an ‘Expendable’ employee sent on a mission to colonise an ice planet. He makes his living by dying over and over again, regenerating each time with most of his memories intact. Written and directed by Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho, prepare yourself for more mind games…
Details: Mickey 17 will arrive in cinemas on 18 April 2025.
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
Following the success of the 1998 slasher film, Lois Duncan’s characters will return to the big screen next summer in an untitled sequel to the former film. Starring Jonah Hauer-King, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pigeon and more, though details are scant, we know Freddie Prinze Jr. will reprise his role as Ray Bronson.
Details: I Know What You Did Last Summer will arrive in cinemas on 18 July 2025.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Emily Henry’s sun-soaked romance novels have a cult following – and the first book-to-screen adaptation is expected to land on Netflix in 2025. Titled People We Meet On Vacation in the US but You And Me On Vacation in the UK, the 2021 novel centres on Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), two former best friends who fear they ruined everything by pushing the boundaries of their decade-long friendship two years ago. Also starring Sarah Catherine Hook, Jameela Jamil, Lucien Laviscount and Lukas Gage, we’re hoping it’ll be a summer hit.
Speaking of Emily Henry, novels Book Lovers, Happy Place and Funny Story all also have adaptations in the works.
Details: The release date is still to be confirmed, but the film is slated to land on Netflix in 2025.