Some people complain that Hollywood has run out of ideas. But as long as studios can look to popular books for inspiration, they’ll never truly run dry. If you want to stay ahead of the entertainment curve, here are some books that will soon be coming to big and small screens near you.
There’s been a recent trend of famous authors collaborating with well-known figures from other fields. Writers like James Patterson and Louise Penny have teamed up with entertainers and politicians like Dolly Parton, Viola Davis and Hillary Clinton. One of the more eye-catching of these recent team-ups is Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. A novelist known for bittersweet love stories and a movie director famous for twist-filled thrillers seem like an unlikely pairing. This novel tells the story of two fragile people who meet and fall in love while grappling with supernatural discoveries. It should come as no surprise that a book co-written by a film director is already headed to the screen. The screen adaptation will star Jake Gyllenhaal and be directed by M. Night Shyamalan, of course. The movie isn’t due out for another year, but the book is out now.
Susan Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy spawned four blockbuster films, followed by a growing number of prequel novels and adaptations. The original series centered on Katniss, a rebellious and desperate teen forced to fight to the death in a brutal arena designed to entertain the wealthy elite. Collins’ latest novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is the second prequel and focuses on Katniss’ mentor as a young man, competing in the Games himself. The upcoming film adaptation will star Ralph Fiennes and Elle Fanning.
Homer’s The Odyssey is a centuries-old tale from ancient Greece. Though we know it today as a book, it began as an epic poem performed aloud, likely evolving with each retelling. It follows a hero’s long journey home after war, battling mythical monsters, dangerous magic, and even the gods. Now this epic story is becoming an epic film, featuring epic stars: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, and Charlize Theron, and directed by Christopher Nolan, known for his sweeping cinematic spectacles. The movie is scheduled to begin its voyage this summer.
The Martian by Andy Weir was a hit novel and film about an astronaut stranded on Mars and the efforts to rescue him. Weir’s latest book, Project Hail Mary, stays in similar territory, blending space travel with bold rescue missions engineered by brilliant scientists. The story follows a science teacher and biologist sent into deep space to find a solution to stop an astronomical phenomenon threatening all life on Earth. I’m being intentionally vague about it, unlike the movie’s preview trailer, which seems to reveal nearly every plot point of the story in two minutes. Still, the film looks like a lot of fun, especially for fans of space and science.
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