The best book adaptations coming to a screen soon
With some of this year's small screen smash-hits The Handmaid’s Tale, Poldark, Game of Thrones and American Gods all adapted from fiction, there’s no wonder screenwriters are inspired by their bookshelves when looking for inspiration.
Here's our pick of the new TV series and films adapted from books that we can't wait to watch.
The Miniaturist
Adapted from Jessie Burton’s Sunday Times best-selling debut novel, The Miniaturist has been shot and produced by The Forge and adapted by John Brownlow. Set in Amsterdam in 1686, it’s the story of 18-year-old Nella Oortman, a new marriage, and the gift of an exceptional dolls house. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy & Romola Garai, the three part series is set to be as much of a smash-hit as the book when it airs on BBC One later this year.
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Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling
Written by J. K. Rowling under her Robert Galbraith alias, the three Cormoran Strike novels follow the private detective & his assistant Robin Ellacott as they navigate the streets and crimes of modern London. The TV adaptation of the first book, titled Strike: The Cuckoo’s Calling, stars Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger as Strike & Ellacott, who are called to investigate a suspicious suicide in London's wealthy Mayfair district. The three part adaptation of Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling is on BBC iPlayer now, with the second adaptation, The Silkworm airing at 9pm on 10th September 2017.
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This Netflix original film starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford premieres on the platform on 29th September 2017, and is based on the book of the same name by Kent Haruf. Completely shortly before his death in 2014, Our Souls at Night is a love story about growing old with grace set in Colorado, USA. Watch the full film trailer for Our Souls at Night below.
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The City & The City
The TV adaptation of China Mieville's genre-busting thriller is being produced by Mammoth Pictures for BBC Two, and is pencilled in to air in 2018. Set in the fictional city of Beszel and starring David Morrissey as Inspector Borlu, who in the course of a murder case unravels a secret that the city of Besźel has spent years trying to keep under the surface. The four part drama has been shot on location in Manchester and Liverpool, and also stars Maria Schrader, Christian Camargo & Mandeep Dhillon.
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Alias Grace
Hot on the heels of one of the most talked about shows of the year - The Handmaid’s Tale - Alias Grace is the next Margaret Atwood book being adapted for the small screen. Based on the novel of the same name, with was inspired by the true story of Grace Marks, an Irish immigrant in 19th-century Canada accused of murdering her employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery. The six hour mini-series adaptation of Alias Grace premieres on Netflix in November 2017, and you can watch the full trailer below.
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Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
Based on the memoir of the same name by Peter Turner, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is the story of a Hollywood film star, her Liverpudlian former lover and the exceptional circumstances in which they were reunited. This moving, heartwarming film's all star cast includes Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Jamie Bell and Annette Bening and is released in UK cinemas on 17th November 2017.
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Goodbye Christopher Robin
You probably know Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger too, but what about their owner? Goodbye Christopher Robin, which is released in UK cinemas on October 13th 2017 is adapted from the acclaimed biography of the A. A. Milne by Ann Thwaite, with a screenplay co-written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The film will offer a unique glimpse into the life of one of the world’s best-loved children's authors, and the impact of fame on an otherwise ordinary family in interwar Britain.
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Selection Day
As part of Netflix’s recently launched programme of original Indian drama, Selection Day, by Booker-prize winning author Aravind Adiga is being adapted into a drama series for the subscription based platform. The novel is a coming-of-age story of two Indian brothers being raised by a sport-obsessed father, set in a world of cricket and corruption, and it is out in paperback now.
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The Woman in White
Often cited as the first mystery novel, and certainly an inspiration for today’s crime writers, Wilkie Collins’ 1859 classic is being adapted into a five part drama for BBC One this year. The series will star Ben Hardy as Walter Hartright, and Jessie Buckley, of War and Peace fame as Marian Halcombe. The Woman in White is being published into the Macmillan Collector’s Library in Spring 2018, and is available to pre-order now.
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