Book-to-Film Adaptations to Look Forward to in 2021
We might not know where you stand on the book-versus-movie debate, but if you ask us, we often find ourselves looking forward to new book-to-film adaptations even if we can never quite seem to pick a side. Through novels, we get to connect with the characters and their journeys on a more intimate level, and through their film adaptations, we get to witness how closely (or differently) directors have envisioned the same story as we did, which is always intriguing.
Of course, these adaptations don’t always hit the nail on the head, especially since films tend to be a lot more compressed in telling the same story. But once in a while, we get cinematic gems like Jonathan Demme’s thrilling 1991 adaptation of Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, and Greta Gerwig’s beautiful 2019 rendition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
So whether you’re on team film or team novel, here’s a list of some exciting book-to-film adaptations that you can expect to see locally this year. Will these movies do their respective books justice? We’ll let you answer that question yourself.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Building upon his 2018 film adaptation, Peter Rabbit, Will Gluck returns with Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, which is once again based on Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Apart from the usual characters like Peter Rabbit (James Cordon), Flopsy (Margot Robbie) and Jemima Puddle-Duck (Rose Byrne), a new rabbit Barnabas (Lennie James) will be introduced in this sequel. A new villain (David Oyelowo) will also feature in this film, and you can expect to see a lot more stunts and action, as well as more of the world outside of the garden.
Fun fact: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway might be set in England, but most of the movie was filmed in Centennial Park in Sydney, Australia.
Expected release date: 8 April 2021
For a sneak peek at said action, watch the trailer here.
To catch up on the original story, get the book here: Physical Copy, eBook, Audiobook
News of the World | News of the World
Based on Paulette Jiles’s 2016 American Western novel of the same name, News of the World, directed by Paul Greengrass, tells the story of a widowed civil war veteran (Tom Hanks) that agrees to deliver a 10-year-old girl (Helena Zengel) to her aunt and uncle. The film documents the pair’s long, treacherous travels and the bond that grows between them.
Though set in the 1870s, the film reflects a lot of struggles that are still faced to date, such as conflict, violence and division, and explores the complicated process of healing and uniting.
Speaking about the film, Greengrass said in an interview that getting to make a large-scale Western was “a dream come true” for him and that John Ford, the renowned Western film director, was a huge inspiration. In fact, Greengrass likened his film to Ford’s classic The Searchers, but “in reverse”, so you can expect to see beautiful cinematography and a riveting story unfold in the film.
Expected release date: 7 January 2021
For a sneak preview, watch the trailer here.
To read the original story, get the book here: Physical Copy, eBook, Audiobook
Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love | Fatherhood
Matthew Logelin’s brutally honest memoir about a year in his life following the birth of his daughter and death of his wife is retold on the big screen by Paul Weitz.
In his memoir, Matthew shares anecdotes and snippets of the life that he shared with his high school sweetheart, Liz. He also documents how his perfect marriage fell apart when Liz died of a pulmonary embolism just twenty-seven hours after delivering Maddy, their baby girl.
As for Weitz’s film adaptation, not much is known about it, except that the cast list includes Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard and Melody Hurd. Going by the book, we’ll suggest holding your loved ones close and preparing a box of tissues when you watch it.
Expected release date: 1 April 2021
To read the memoir, get the book here: eBook, Audiobook
Dune | Dune
The feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novel of the same name is directed by Denis Villeneuve and features a star-studded cast including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson.
Both the film and novel are set in the distant future and follow the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the heir to the ruling family of Arrakis, an inhospitable world and the only source of a highly coveted and valuable “spice”/drug Melange. Because the novel describes the complex world of Arrakis and its characters in such great detail, Villeneuve decided to portray the story in two parts, the first of which is Dune.
Though the previous 1984 adaptation of the novel by David Lynch received criticism from hardcore fans of Herbert’s novel, Villeneuve has mentioned in an interview that his take on the story will be nothing like Lynch’s. Hans Zimmer is also set to compose the score for the film, so whether or not you’re a fan of the original novel, you can expect great things from Dune.
Expected release date: 1 October 2021
For a sneak peek at the action, watch the trailer here.
To explore Herbert’s original version of Arrakis, get the book here: Physical Copy, eBook, Audiobook
The Knife of Never Letting Go | Chaos Walking
Originally set to be released back in 2019, director Doug Liman had to reshoot parts of Chaos Walking following poor test screen ratings from audiences. An adaptation of The Knife of Never Letting Go, the first book by Patrick Ness in his Chaos Walking trilogy, the film follows the main character Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) in his quest to protect Viola (Daisy Ridley), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and all the men are afflicted by a force that has all their thoughts put on display.
Though it remains to be seen how the film adaptation will fare after the reshoots, Ness’s acclaimed Chaos Walking trilogy is definitely a recommended read before the film comes out.
Expected release date: TBC
For a sneak peek at what you can expect in the reshot version, watch the trailer here.
To get started on the trilogy, get the first book here: Physical Copy, eBook
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Text by
National Reading Movement
National Library Board
