Gripping books to read before they become film adaptations in 2026

This year is set to be a huge one for cinemas as some of the best classic literature novels are set to be adapted into blockbuster movies.

2025 was a big year for book-to-movie adaptations, with the likes of Frankenstein, The Housemaid, and The Running Man all receiving high praise after debuting in cinemas.

The list of must-see films of 2026 is already gargantuan, so if you’re someone who prefers to read a book before you watch it… You’re in for a big year.

From high-brow literary classics to nostalgic children’s books, there’s a whole range of novels being adapted this year.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the books you may want to add to your reading list in 2026 before they hit the screen.

People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry’s novel People We Meet on Vacation has been picked up for adaptation by 3000 Pictures and Netflix – this time with Tom Blyth and Emily Bader at the helm.

People We Meet on Vacation was released in 2021 and debuted at number one on The New York Times bestseller list, selling over two million copies in the US, becoming Henry’s highest-selling book.

The story follows Poppy and Alex, a pair of best friends who are used to spending every summer together for a fun adventure. After falling out, the pair decide to once again take a trip together, where their friendship is put to the test.

People We Meet On Vacation debuts on Netflix on January 9.

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë’s revered 1847 gothic novel takes somewhat of an erotic turn in Emerald Fennell’s controversial adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

It’s the most fervently discussed movie of 2026 after fans were stirred up first by director Emerald Fennell casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles, and then by the decidedly raunchy first trailer for Wuthering Heights.

The trailer was met with shock and labelled ‘aggressively provocative’ by initial audiences, only adding to the anticipation for some.

The film focuses on a love story between Cathy Earnshaw and her adopted brother Heathcliff. The story takes place across decades in the Yorkshire moors and explores family ties, mortality, class, and agonising, destructive love.

Wuthering Heights is in cinemas from February 13.

The Magic Faraway Tree

The Magic Faraway Tree is a 1943 book from The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton.

The beloved book focuses on a modern family who learn to reconnect after being forced to move to the remote British countryside.

While in their countryside home, they discover a magical tree that transports them to a spectacular and fantastical lands.

The film is set to star Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy as Tim and Polly. The actors are former co-stars who appeared in the 2017 film Breathe.

Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Hiran Abeysekera, Pippa Bennett-Warner and Rebecca Ferguson also round out the all-star cast.

The Magic Faraway Tree is set to be released on March 27.

Verity

Hot off the heels of Regretting You and It Ends with Us, another Colleen Hoover book is set for an adaptation.

Hoover’s 2018 book, Verity, is being adapted into a movie by Amazon MGM Studios and will star Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, with Michael Showalter directing.

The story is a psychological thriller about Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling author who is hired to ghost-write the remaining books in a franchise by Verity Crawford, a writer who is paralysed after a car accident.

While living in the Crawfords’ home to write the books, Verity uncovers some sinister secrets and her feelings for Verity’s husband, Jeremy, begin to grow.

Verity is set to be released on October 2.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Adding yet another film to The Hunger Games franchise,Sunrise on the Reaping, which will follow the 50th Hunger Games, won by Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the original series).

The film has an impressive cast including Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons and Ralph Fiennes. Supporting rising stars include Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy and Whitney Peak as his love interest, Lenore Dove Baird, during the 50th Hunger Games.

It’s also been confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will also be reprising their respective roles from the original four films, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is in cinemas from November 20.

The Odyssey

Sir Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated next film is The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem across 24 books from over 2,600 years ago, around the 8th century BC.

The story follows Odysseus’s 10-year journey home after the Trojan War and will have an impressive cast including: Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel and Lupita Nyong’o.

The trailer for the ambitious film – with a reported budget of $250,000,000 (£218.6m) – and initial reactions had the film compared to ‘the gladiator but on steroids’.

The Odyssey is set to be released on July 17.

Dune Part Three

Denis Villeneuve is set to conclude his epic space story starring Timothée Chalamet, with Dune: Part Three. A third instalment, based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 sequel novel Dune Messiah.

The film sees Robert Pattinson join a sprawling cast that already includes Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The first two films received a lot of attention from the Academy Awards, winning gongs for best sound, editing, visual effects, score, cinematography and production design, so expectations are high for this grand conclusion to the tale.

Dune: Part Three hits cinemas on December 18.

Hamlet

Hamlet, directed by Aneil Karia, is the latest adaptation of a work from the Bard himself, William Shakespeare.

The movie breathes life into the genre by setting it in the Hindu community in modern-day London, while still preserving the original text (albeit an abridged version).

Joe Alwyn, Morfydd Clark and Timothy Spall play Laertes, Ophelia and Polonius in this tale, which was highly reviewed by Metro’s Asyia Iftikhar, who called it an ‘unexpected favourite’.

‘The added rich layer of subcontinent culture to this Shakespearean monologue makes for a surprisingly moving fusion,’ she said.

‘I would argue that, in a sea of rinse and repeat Hamlets often told from the same Western-centric lens, this offers a desperately needed breath of fresh air, even if it is not perfect,’ she added.

Hamlet is set to be released in UK cinemas on February 6.

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