Books

These 17 Movies & TV Shows Coming Out In 2018 Are All Based On Books

by Charlotte Ahlin

It feels like just yesterday we were all complaining about 2016, and yet we're already nearing the end of 2017. And as this tumultuous year draws to a close, there's only one question on everyone's mind: when is the Wrinkle in Time movie coming out? Never fear, because 2018 is stacking up to be a huge year for book-to-movie adaptations and book-to-prestige-television-show adaptations. Here are just a few of the movies and TV shows based on books that we can expect to see in 2018.

Back in the day, it was a little nerve-wracking to hear that your favorite book series was being turned into a big screen blockbuster, or stretched out into a TV show. You'd agonize over all the ways that Hollywood was about to crush your precious, literary dreams. But between Game of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale, American Gods, the new movie of It, and dozens of others, it's looking like book adaptations these days have the potential to be pretty darn good. I can't promise that all of these future adaptations will perfectly match the characters and settings in your mind, but I think it's still safe to get excited about these upcoming book-based movies and shows:

'Annihilation'

Jeff VanderMeer's bestselling novel is set to hit theaters this February. Annihilation follows the 12th expedition into the mysterious Area X: every previous expedition has reported something different, from a peaceful garden of Eden to a wasteland of madness. This new expedition is determined to get to the bottom of these otherworldly happenings... and Area X delivers.

Click here to buy.

'A Wrinkle in Time'

A Wrinkle in Time is finally coming out in March 2018, and it already looks like a pitch-perfect adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's beloved story. Young Meg Murry and her brainy little brother, Charles Wallace, must traverse space and time in search of their brilliant, missing father, with the help of three unusual women.

Click here to buy.

'Fifty Shades Freed'

Yes, the final installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is coming to the big screen at long last. I guess they're married now? If you want to see these two fictional characters fighting and then making out for several hours, check it out this coming Valentine's Day.

Click here to buy.

'Red Sparrow'

Red Sparrow is one hell of a post-Soviet spy thriller, and the movie comes out this March. The Sparrow School is a secret intelligence service that turns young people into weapons, and Jennifer Lawrence stars as the most dangerous Sparrow ever to make it through training.

Click here to buy.

'Castle Rock'

Fans of all things Stephen King won't want to miss Castle Rock: this new Hulu series is set in the extended King universe, adapting elements from It, The Shining, Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, Needful Things, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, and many, many more.

'Ready Player One'

This March, escape your humdrum life and enter The Oasis with the film adaptation of Ready Player One. In a future where virtual reality has all but replaced real life, one player must solve the deadly, pop culture based puzzles hidden within this digital word.

Click here to buy.

'Queen of Shadows'

Based on the Throne of Glass books by Sarah J. Maas, the fantasy epic Queen of Shadows is coming to Hulu in 2018. The story follows Celaena Sardothien, a female assassin fighting for her own freedom in a world that's increasingly under attack.

Click here to buy.

'The Haunting of Hill House'

Prepare to hide under your covers for most of 2018, because Netflix is adapting Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. This ultimate haunted house novel has been made into movies under the title The Haunting twice before, but this show promises to flesh out the terrifying mythology behind the Crane family.

Click here to buy.

'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'

For a slightly less terrifying tale, check out the upcoming movie based on The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Lily James stars as a journalist on the German occupied island of Guernsey during World War II, where she discovers an eccentric book club staying afloat despite the war.

Click here to buy.

'Where'd You Go, Bernadette'

This Mother's Day, look out for the film adaptation of Maria Semple's hysterical novel, Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Both book and movie follow Bernadette Fox, who vanishes just before a family vacation to head off on a strange, hilarious journey of her own.

Click here to buy.

Ophelia

Ophelia, Lisa M. Klein's darkly romantic retelling of Hamlet, is being adapted into a film starring Daisy Ridley and Naomi Watts. In this version of the story, Ophelia finally gets to take center stage as the intelligent, complicated young heroine of Elsinore.

Click here to buy.

'Who Fears Death'

We don't quite have a release date yet for Who Fears Death, but it already sounds like the best new show of 2018: George R.R. Martin will be an executive producer on the HBO project, adapting Nnedi Okorafor's super-powered, post-apocalyptic coming of age story.

Click here to buy.

'Sharp Objects'

Amy Adams will star in the HBO adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects, so prepare yourself for a twisted, psychological thriller. Reporter Camille Preaker is fresh out of the psych ward and ready for a new assignment... but a grim murder investigation will lead her back into her own past, to confront the demons she's been running from.

Click here to buy.

'Good Omens'

Speaking of demons, Good Omens is coming to television! The much loved theological comedy by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett will be produced by BBC Studios and Amazon. And yes, Michael Sheen stars as an angel and David Tennant stars as a demon, and it's going to be great.

Click here to buy.

'Crazy Rich Asians'

We'll have to wait until August 2018 for this one, but it'll be worth the wait: Kevin Kwan's hilarious, bestselling novel will star Constance Wu as an American econ professor who finds herself sucked into the unbelievable world of the Singaporean super-rich.

Click here to buy.

'The Hate U Give'

Angie Thomas' stunning novel, The Hate U Give, will be coming to theaters sometime in 2018, with Amandla Stenberg starring as Starr. 16-year-old Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend at the hands of a police officer, and finds herself torn between two worlds as she struggles to speak the truth without putting herself and her loved ones in even greater danger.

'Love, Simon'

Love, Simon, based on Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, is the major studio gay romance you've been waiting for your whole life. Starring Nick Robinson, this one hits theaters March 16, and it's sure to be the romance of spring.

Click here to buy.