As part of our ongoing 2026 film releases coverage, a compelling array of book adaptations is lined up for theaters and streaming next year. Spanning gothic classics, sci-fi adventures, and contemporary thrillers, these projects include fresh takes on works by Emily Brontë, Andy Weir, Suzanne Collins, and more.
Emerald Fennell's gothic reinterpretation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights opens the year on February 13, starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. The film features an atmospheric soundtrack by Charli XCX and supporting cast including Alison Oliver, Owen Cooper, and Hong Chau.
On March 20, Amazon MGM Studios presents Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut teaming with an alien to save Earth from Weir's bestselling novel.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives May 1, adapting Lauren Weisberger's sequel Revenge Wears Prada. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt return under David Frankel's direction for a story of fashion-world rivalries.
Christopher Nolan's ambitious The Odyssey follows on July 17, with Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and a star-studded cast including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and Mia Goth.
In September, Sense & Sensibility on September 11 stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as the Dashwood sisters facing love and loss in Jane Austen's classic.
October delivers thrillers: Verity on October 2, directed by Michael Showalter, with Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett in Colleen Hoover's tale of dark family secrets; and M. Night Shyamalan's Remain on October 23, a supernatural romance starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor, drawing from Nicholas Sparks.
November features Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping on November 20, centering young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) in the 50th Games. Greta Gerwig's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew follows on November 26, originating the series for theaters and Netflix.
The year ends with Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Messiah on December 18, starring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy amid imperial intrigue.
This selection highlights literature's enduring influence on 2026 cinema.