Happy 2025—may it be better than 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 you expect. To that end, here are a selection of literary films and tv shows hitting screens large and small in the year to come. Might as well entertain ourselves while the world burns. (NB that premiere dates are subject to change, and plenty haven’t been announced yet, especially in the second half of the year.)
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Peacock, January 2
Literary bona fides: based on The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph (2021)
Colin Firth stars as Jim Swire in this adaptation of his nonfiction book, which he wrote about his quest for justice after the death of his daughter in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which killed 243 passengers and 16 crew members in 1988.
Watson
CBS, January 26
Literary bona fides: based on the collected work s of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Yet another take on the Holmes stories from CBS—this one starring Morris Chestnut as Dr. James Watson, who, after the supposed death of his partner Sherlock Holmes, has retreated to Pittsburgh and opened a medical clinic. Looks more House than Holmes from the trailer, but maybe things will change once Moriarty shows his face.
Dog Man
in theaters, January 31
Literary bona fides: based on the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey
“Part dog, part man, all hero.” Take your kids—and laugh at the sound of Pete Davidson as Petey, “world’s most evilest cat.”
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Peacock, February 13
Literary bona fides: based on Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding (2013),
Yes, folks, it’s Bridget Jones 4, and it’s a literary movie. The fourth Bridget Jones movie is based on the third Bridget Jones book, which is set 14 years after the events of The Edge of Reason (1999).
Mickey17
in theaters, March 7
Literary bona fides: based on Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (2022)
In this star-studded (Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo) black space comedy directed by Bong Joon-ho (!), our hero Mickey (Pattinson) signs up to be an Expendable—a “disposable employee” on a mission to colonize an ice planet. When his body dies, Mickey will be regenerated, as many times as it takes. That is, 17 times—before a snafu creates a Mickey 18. But there can only be one Mickey (at a time)…
The Electric State
Netflix, March 14
Literary bona fides: based on The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt star in this loose adaptation of Swedish artist Stålenhag’s graphic novel, set in an alternate 1994, in which the war with the robots is over, but one girl needs them to find her missing brother. Ke Huy Quan, Giancarlo Esposito, Martin Klebba, and Stanley Tucci also appear, and Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Alan Tudyk, Billy Bob Thornton, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo, Rob Gronkowski all voice robots.
*
A Working Man
Amazon, March 28
Literary bona fides: based on Levon’s Trade by Chuck Dixon (2014)
Nothing about this seems the least bit revolutionary—an ex-black ops agent pulled out of retirement for One Last Job—but I do love Jason Statham, who stars along with David Harbour, Michael Peña, and Jason Flemyng. Sylvester Stallone wrote the script with director David Ayer.
The Amateur
in theaters, April 11
Literary bona fides: based on The Amateur by Robert Littell (1981)
Rami Malek stars as a CIA cryptographer with a score to settle in James Hawes’ adaptation of Littell’s London-set thriller, along with Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Brosnahan. I love to see nerds prosper, and this movie looks like more proof, among other things, that you don’t need big muscles to kill bad guys.
*
Bonjour Tristesse
in theaters, Summer 2025
Literary bona fides: based on Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (1954)
Chloë Sevigny, Lily McInerny and Claes Bang star in a new adaptation of original brat Sagan’s coming-of-age classic, this one directed by essayist Durga Chew-Bose, which makes it doubly literary. The film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in September, but will appear stateside this summer.
*
Animal Farm
in theaters, July 11
Literary bona fides: based on Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)
This new animated feature based on Orwell’s classic allegory has been in the works for at least a decade, but it seems like Gollum Andy Serkis has finally hauled it into being, with a screenplay written by Nicholas Stoller. Will it be good? Do we need it? Time will tell.
*
I Know What You Did Last Summer 4
in theaters, July 18
Literary bona fides: based, faintly, on I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan (1973)
Just what we need. Both Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt are reprising their roles in this sequel. When someone asked Sarah Michelle Gellar if she would be back too, she was blunt: “I am dead.” So….no? Gotta love a logical fourth installment.
*
Regretting You
in theaters, October 24
Literary bona fides: based on Regretting You by Colleen Hoover (2019)
Allison Williams and Dave Franco star in the second Colleen Hoover movie, this one directed by Josh Boone (The Fault In Our Stars) from a script by Susan McMartin (After). The only question is, how much real-life drama will there be?
*
The Running Man
in theaters, November 7
Literary bona fides: based on The Running Man by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman (1982)
King’s 1982 novel—in which a reality show sends hitmen after contestants hoping to survive to win money—is actually set in 2025, which makes it fun to reboot this year (it was already adapted into a 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in orange spandex). Probably by November America will be even more of a totalitarian dystopia like the one King describes….but maybe Glen Powell can save us?
*
Wicked: For Good
in theaters, November 23
Literary bona fides: based on Wicked by Gregory Macguire (1995)
Part two of the biggest merchandising event of 2024! We will be holding space for our pink lunchboxes in the meantime.
*
The Housemaid
in theaters, December 25
Literary bona fides: based on The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (2022)
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried star in Rebecca Sonnenshine’s adaptation of McFadden’s bestselling thriller, which is set to be released on Christmas day this year.
*
Expected but unconfirmed in 2025:
Long Bright River
Peacock, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on Long Bright River by Liz Moore (2020)
Amanda Seyfried stars as Mickey, a Philly police officer who begins to think that the murders in her neighborhood, half-destroyed already by the opioid crisis, have something to do with her past, in this adaptation of Moore’s bestseller.
*
Frankenstein
Netflix, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
Oscar Isaac is Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi the monster in Guillermo del Toro’s long awaited take on the ur-Gothic novel. (A match made in heaven, or at least a very good lab, if you ask me.) Mia Goth, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, Felix Kammerer, and Christoph Waltz also star.
NB: there is a second Frankenstein-ish movie coming out this year: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!, which is a reimagining of the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. It’s a stretch, I’d say, to call it a literary adaptation, but it’s at least in the area, and who doesn’t love Maggie Gyllenhaal (or the idea of Christian Bale as the monster)? Look for it in theaters on September 26.
*
The Twits
Netflix, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on The Twits by Roald Dahl (1980)
This adaptation of Dahl’s ill-mannered classic—which he famously wrote to “do something against beards”—has been kicking around for almost two decades; now that Netflix owns the Roald Dahl Company, it’s finally coming to fruition in feature film form, with Margo Martindale starring as Mrs. Twit, and Johnny Vegas as Mr. Twit, plus Natalie Portman and Emilia Clarke.
*
Klara and the Sun
TBD
Literary bona fides: based on Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021)
Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Nobel laureate Ishiguro’s robot novel, written by Dahvi Waller, should be powering up this year with the help of Jenna Ortega (as Klara) and Amy Adams.
*
Wildwood
TBD
Literary bona fides: based on Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis (2011)
Laika has been developing a stop-motion adaptation of the Decemberists frontman’s debut novel for children since it came out in 2011; it may finally, actually come out this year. Either way, the voice acting cast is on point, including Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.
*
Washington Black
Hulu, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Hulu has ordered a 9-part series adaptation of Edugyan’s novel, a Booker Prize finalist, in which an enslaved boy with a talent for drawing escapes the plantation in Barbados where he was born and heads out on a journey toward Nova Scotia. Ernest Kingsley Jr. stars as Wash, along with Sterling K. Brown, who also produces.
*
The Thursday Murder Club
Netflix, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020)
Holy cast, Batman: Chris Columbus’s adaptation of Osman’s lighthearted novel, in which a group of septuagenarian amateur sleuths attempt to solve a real live (or real dead) murder, has an ensemble cast that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, and Richard E. Grant, just for starters. Steven Spielberg produces; the whole thing should be fun.
*
We Were Liars
Prime Video, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (2014)
Julie Plec adapts Lockhart’s bestselling YA thriller for Amazon Prime; Emily Alyn Lind, Subham Maheshwari, Esther McGregor and Joseph Zada play the liars in question, while Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Candice King will appear as the Sinclair sisters. As for the plot, better less said than more.
*
His & Hers
Netflix, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on His & Hers by Alice Feeney (2020)
Tessa Thompson stars and executive produces in this adaptation of Feeney’s psychological cat-and-mouse thriller.
*
The Woman in Cabin 10
Netflix, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (2016)
In this adaptation of the Agatha Christie-infused bestseller, a journalist on assignment on a cruise (Keira Knightley) sees a passenger tossed overboard, but no one else seems to believe her—or no one will admit it. Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, and David Ajala also star.
*
It: Welcome to Derry
HBO, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on It by Stephen King (1986)
It’s a prequel. Yawn.
*
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO, TBD
Literary bona fides: based on the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin (1998-2010)
Another prequel series, though at least this one is based on its own series of books…
