The bestselling novels set to dominate the big screen in 2026

A good novel can gather a loyal community of readers around it, but a well-made film adaptation can launch it into another stratosphere. Think of Normal People, the screen version of Sally Rooney’s bestseller that followed the turbulent relationship between Marianne and Connell. It was a series that won us over (and broke us) with its tender and painful look at first love and the long pull of desire between two young people. Equally powerful was Netflix’s adaptation of One Day, the mini-series based on David Nicholls’s 2009 novel. And this year, the coming-of-age drama The Summer I Turned Pretty became an obsession not only for teenagers, but for many of us adults too, all thanks to Jenny Han, who originally published the book back in 2009. I can’t skip the now-iconic Frankenstein, Guillermo Del Toro’s magnificent take on the classic, widely predicted to be an Oscar contender, even though hundreds tried their hand at it long before him. All of this only makes me more excited for the literary adaptations arriving in 2026. Here are the ones we’re most looking forward to.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew

Last year was shaped by Barbie and Greta Gerwig’s global takeover. After that phenomenon, the filmmaker turned her focus to C.S. Lewis’s legendary Chronicles of Narnia. Greta chose to start with the sixth book in the series, The Magician’s Nephew, which is technically the first in the chronology, as it reveals how Narnia came to be. In the story, two children accidentally open doorways to other worlds and, in that in-between space, witness the birth of a new universe led by Aslan, the great golden lion (played by Meryl Streep). As the world and its magic take shape, the White Witch (Emma Mackey) emerges, threatening to disrupt everything. What I’m most curious to see is how Greta will bring her signature playfulness and quiet rebellion into this adaptation.

Dune: Messiah

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Denis Villeneuve return to the stark world of Dune after two creatively and financially successful blockbusters. This time, they’re adapting the events from Frank Herbert’s second novel in the series, Dune Messiah. In the book, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) has ruled as Emperor of the universe for years, alongside his beloved Chani (Zendaya). But toppling an empire brings just as much instability as it does power, and the political machinations surrounding Muad’Dib begin to tighten and edge toward danger. On top of that, Paul and Chani face complications in their attempts to conceive a legitimate heir, putting the fate of many in question. And there’s one more reason not to miss this adaptation: the entire production design was created by a team of Serbian artists led by Matejom Hrnjačkim.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins has written another installment of the beloved Hunger Games series, titled Sunrise on the Reaping. And in 2026, three years after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, we’ll be getting its film adaptation. Director Francis Lawrence, who helmed every Hunger Games film so far, is back once again, with a cast portraying younger versions of familiar characters. Ralph Fiennes steps into the role of Coriolanus Snow, Jesse Plemons plays Plutarch Heavensbee, and Joseph Zada takes on Haymitch Abernathy (originally played by Woody Harrelson, who reportedly turned the role down twice). As for completely new characters, the film will feature actors such as McKenna Grace, Glenn Close and Billy Porter.

The Odyssey

Every Christopher Nolan film feels like an event, and his next project draws on one of the oldest stories in literature: Homer’s The Odyssey. If it’s been a while since you last read that high-school staple, the epic follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), a king trying to make his way back home to his wife and his son (Tom Holland) after the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces a cyclops, a group of sirens and, believe it or not, the witch-goddess Circe. To fully capture this epic vision, Nolan and his longtime cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema are shooting the entire film on IMAX film stock, something that’s being done for the first time. The cast also includes Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson, making it clear that The Odyssey might be one of 2026’s most ambitious blockbusters.

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë’s classic gothic romance and tragedy Wuthering Heights has been adapted for the screen many times, including William Wyler’s 1939 version starring Laurence Olivier. And in 2026, Emerald Fennell (Saltburn, Promising Young Woman) is taking on the material, likely delivering the darkest interpretation yet. Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie, who is also producing) is a woman of high aristocracy. She’s set to marry the equally well-positioned Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), but instead falls for the brooding, magnetic Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi), who comes from a lower social class. The result is the legendary story of a painful romance marked by betrayal, violence and generational trauma.

Verity

Comedy filmmaker Michael Showalter is making a major genre shift in 2026 with his adaptation of the romantic thriller Verity, based on the novel by Colleen Hoover (who has several more film projects lined up after It Ends With Us). Dakota Johnson stars as Lowen, a struggling writer who gets an offer she can’t refuse: to finish a bestselling book series on behalf of Verity Crawford, a famous author left paralyzed and supposedly unable to write after a serious accident. Lowen travels to the Crawford home to go through Verity’s notes, where she meets Verity’s husband, Jeremy, attentive, attractive and weighed down by the tragedies that have hit the family. While digging through Verity’s office, Lowen discovers a hidden manuscript: a brutal, shocking autobiographical confession that casts a whole new light on the lives of Verity, Jeremy and their children. It’s shaping up to be the perfect date-night thriller for 2026.