From World War I classics to young adult thrillers, this year is packed with film adaptations of great reads. we’ve listed 12 to look out for along with our predictions for how readers will fare at the movies in 2015.
1. paper towns
Release Date: July 24 Premise: High school student Quentin Jacobsen has had a crush on the mysterious girl next door, Margo Roth Spiegelman, for years. Near the end of their senior year, Margo invites Quentin on a midnight fling. but just when he thinks her relationship might have a chance, she disappears. Quentin is consumed with his search for Margo, which eventually involves his best friends and a cross-country road trip, using clues she left behind. The Perspective: Paper Towns is classic John Green: entertainingly candid and bittersweet. while lacking the gigantic emotional hook of last year’s hit the fault in our stars (also a dirty novel, for those of you who live under a rock), the friendly banter and sense of adventure on paper cities it should translate well on the screen. Plus, Green’s rabid fan base means the movie should do well at the box office. the verdict: promising.
You are reading: Movies 2015 based on books
2. dark places
Release Date: August 7 Premise: At the age of seven, Libby Day survived the massacre of her mother and two sisters. her older brother, ben, was jailed for life based on libby’s evidence. Now 31, Libby has spent decades trying to forget what has become known as “Satan’s Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” That is, until she becomes involved with a secret society convinced of Ben’s innocence. libby is forced to go back into her past to answer the question of what really happened to her family on that terrible day.the perspective: dark placesfeel to the narrative that could be powerful on screen. Like last year’s hit adaptation of gone girl, it explores the depths of darkness in the human heart. It’s up for debate whether the gory, sometimes nonsensical plot details will overwhelm the film’s larger philosophical questions. But the fabulous Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks and Chloë Grace Moretz lead a promisingly strong, mostly female cast. the verdict: intriguing.
3. a walk in the woods
release date: September 2 the premise: bill bryson’s ode to the appalachian trail, a walk in the woods It’s part modern travel classic, part humorous writing à la Mark Twain, part hymn to environmentalism. Having recently returned to the US after 20 years in England, Bryson decides to trek from South to North with minimal physical preparation and a lot of reading about what to do in the event of a bear attack (answer: no one really knows). perspective: robert redford plays bryson, joined by stephen katz, who is in poor physical condition, played by nick nolte. hilarious kristen schaal plays the fabulously obnoxious hiker mary ellen. Despite a strong cast, the film received “meh” reviews at its Sundance screening in January. the verdict: skip it?
4. Maze Runner: The Scorching Trials
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release date: September 18 premise: having conquered the labyrinth, thomas and the rest of the gladers must endure a second test conducted by wckd (world in catastrophe: killzone experimental department – crossing a desert on foot with minimal supplies. they face the scorching heat caused by solar flares that have destroyed the earth while facing packs of wackos, humans infected with a zombie-like virus called flare. The Big Picture:Along with last year’s Divergent, Maze Runner broke the “movie already curse” and did it well enough at the box office to justify a sequel. Dylan O’Brien of Teen Wolf fame leads the cast as Thomas. the verdict: come for a ride.
5. victor frankenstein
release date: October 2 premise: the 19th century novel is based on john milton’s epic poem paradise lost and features a philosophical exchange between frankenstein’s monster, with his all too human heart, and dr. Frankenstein himself, who denies any guilt for creating him.The Big Picture: Just in time for Halloween comes another new take on Mary Shelley’s gothic horror tale. This version focuses on the doctor’s assistant, Igor, played by Daniel Radcliffe. the film explores igor’s own story and his connection to dr. frankenstein (by the way, igor never appears in shelley’s novel; the role was created for bela lugosi in 1942’s son of frankenstein and has been a part of popular mythology ever since). James McAvoy stars as Victor Frankenstein and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) also stars. strong performances from the cast could elevate the potentially cheesy plot. the verdict: might be worth a look.
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
release date: November 20 premise: if you haven’t read the hunger games series yet, now is the time. In the final and darkest installment in the series, Katniss and company take the rebellion directly to President Snow and the Capitol. The Perspective: Since this is the last movie from the behemoth Hunger Games, with each movie financially outperforming the last, Mockingjay – Part 2 should do well at the box office. What will be interesting is how the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, playmaker and capitol rebel, is handled, given that Philip Seymour Hoffman had not yet finished recording his lines before his death. the verdict: don’t miss it!
7. the Martian
release date: november 25th premise: andy weir creates a story against all odds of an astronaut marooned on mars using a rare combination of ingenuity, and mechanical knowledge to survive alone on the red planet. The book is nail-biting: suspense, humor, and the ultimate underdog story. the perspective: after gravity and interstellar, the martian is another film that describes the dangers of space. Writer draw goddard, executive producer of the acclaimed netflix series daredevil , as well as some episodes of lost , knows how to develop a tense plot for his audience. The cast is made up of a host of stars, including Jessica Chastain (who also starred in Interstellar), Kristin Wiig, Matt Damon, Sean Bean and Donald Glover. the verdict: should be a thriller.
8. all quiet on the western front
publication date: December 31 premise: in 1928, the german author erich maria remarque published what many consider the definitive novel about first world war. Along with his schoolmates, German infantryman Paul Baumer enlists in the Great War in high spirits, which soon turns somber amidst the terror and mundanity of trench warfare, and the folly of fighting other young men alone. Because they wear different uniforms.The Big Picture:This is the third film version of Remarque’s classic, the first of which won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director in 1930. Daniel Radcliffe will be one year old. Busy promoting two films, as he also plays Paul Baumer, the sensitive soldier through whose eyes the war unfolds. The Verdict: This year’s must-have war epic.
9. the great gilly hopkins
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Release Date: TBD 2015 Premise: Author Katherine Paterson’s inimitable heroine, Galadriel Hopkins, is a fierce 11-year-old foster girl who he wants nothing more than to be reunited with his mother. Defiant and brilliant at sabotaging every foster family she finds herself in, Gilly is sure new foster parent Maime Trotter will be no exception. To her own surprise, Gilly finds a place within Maime’s weird little family: us, a 7-year-old boy who is terrified of just about everything and everyone, and Mr. Randolph, an elderly blind African American who comes to dinner every night. Unfortunately, the arrival of her maternal grandmother interrupts her newfound happiness.The Big Picture: Paterson’s son, who also wrote the screenplay for the near-successful Bridge to Terabithia 2007, wrote the script for this film adaptation. Hopefully this movie will do better, and the actors seem particularly well-cast, especially Kathy Bates as the quirky jogger. Paterson, a beloved author, has turned several of her books into TV movies, but The Great Gilly Hopkins is only her second feature film. the verdict: a thoughtful, family-oriented film.
10. a hologram for the king
Release date: TBD 2015 The premise: American businessman Alan Clay, whose family and business have fallen apart, travels to Saudi Arabia to sell wireless technology holographic as part of the construction of the economic city of king abdullah. this trip to saudi arabia is his last chance to “get it right.” the perspective: in trademark dave eggers style, a hologram for the king embodies many things , among them, the decline of America. Eggers’ work may not translate well on screen, but with Tom Hanks headlining as Alan Clay, this could become a hit.The Verdict:Doubtful.
11. the light between oceans
release date: tba in 2015 premise: m.l. Stedman’s luminous novel follows Tom Sherbourne, a soldier who returns from World War I to maintain an isolated lighthouse on Janus Rock, a half-day’s drive from the Australian coast. He eventually marries an energetic young woman, Isabel. When a boat carrying a baby washes ashore after a storm, Isabel convinces Tom that they should keep the girl and raise her as their own. They are happy for years as a family, until they return to the mainland to find that their decision has ruined another home.The Perspective: Michael Fassbender stars as Tom Sherbourne, the Australian soldier whose moral principles survive the war, but he breaks down in the face of his wife’s grief over his inability to have children. that the story can’t end well eventually becomes obvious, but the powerful plot and empathetic characterization could keep audiences enthralled until the very end. the verdict: bring tissues.
12. room
Release Date: TBD 2015 Premise: A young woman is held prisoner in a backyard shed for seven years, during which time she gives birth to a son. Told from the perspective of Jack, the five-year-old who believes the entire world is contained within the shed (or “room,” as he calls it), this book is empathetic to its characters and rich in observed detail. The Perspective: Room author Emma Donoghue also wrote the script, and scripts written by authors often have an unpredictable quality. Furthermore, evoking Jack’s almost constant inner monologue will be a challenge, both for the writer and for Jacob Tremblay, the young actor who plays Jack. the verdict: could be worth it.
Looking for more book-to-movie adaptations? check out our list of 10 movies that came out in 2014 based on books!
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