The late 2010s and much of the 2020s have seen an influx of remakes, revivals, and adaptations. In 2019, Amandla Stenberg starred in the award-winning “The Hate You Give” based on Angie Thomas’ 2017 novel. In 2023, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia co-starred in the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple,” a novel originally published in 1982. In 2024, Amazon MGM Studios gave us “Nickel Boys,” starring Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, based on the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead and published in 2019.
2025 is no exception to the film industry’s habit of looking to literature for the creation of films and TV shows. As demonstrated by the rise and influence of the online communities of BookTok and Bookstagram, many more people have turned to reading as a hobby, ushering the revival of reading for enjoyment back into pop culture. Consequently, film studios have taken our beloved bookish besties and brought them to life on the big screen and in our living rooms.
With even more exciting content awaiting us in the second half of the year, here is a list of the upcoming projects that have been adapted from books. But, as any avid reader will gladly remind you, the book is (usually) always better!
Originally titled “Los dos hemisferios de Lucca,” this heartfelt drama stars Bárbara Mori as Barbara, a mother who travels to India with her family in search of an experimental treatment for her son Lucca, who has cerebral palsy. Juan Pablo Medina co-stars in this emotional journey that explores hope, healing, and the unbreakable bonds of family. Released on Netflix in January of 2025, the film is available in English under the title ‘Lucca’s World’ and was inspired by Bárbara Anderson’s 2021 novel of the same title.
2. ‘Ironheart’ (Marvel Television)
The highly anticipated “Ironheart” series starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams and Anthony Ramos as the Hood/Parker Robins premiered on Disney+ on June 24. The six-episode TV series follows Riri as she returns to Chicago, her hometown, and encounters a whirlwind of science and magic in Riri’s journey to forging her own legacy. Riri’s story is based on the Marvel comic book series by the same title. The original edition of the series was written by Eve Ewing, a writer, scholar, and cultural organizer, and published in 2018.
Set to release on August 29, Sony Pictures’ “Caught Stealing” stars Austin Butler as Hank Thompson, a former baseball player who finds himself abruptly intertwined with the crime underworld in New York City in the late 1990s, alongside Zoë Kravitz and Bad Bunny. The Darren Aronofsky-directed thriller is based on a 2004 novel by the same name written by Charlie Houston.
Based on Esi Edugyan’s 2018 bestselling novel, another piece of literature that has lent its name to its adaptation, Washington Black follows George Washington “Wash” Black (Ernest Kingsley Junior), an 11-year-old boy whose brilliant mind propels him from a Barbados plantation into a globe-trotting journey of self-discovery. As he flees a traumatic past, Wash redefines freedom, family, and his place in the world. This star-studded cast includes Sterling K. Brown, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Sharon Duncan Brewster, and Naika Toussaint.
5. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (PRIME VIDEO)
Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is an on-screen adaptation of New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han’s 2009 novel, which serves as the namesake and first installment of the “The Summer I Turned Pretty” trilogy. Han is also the author of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which was adapted into a hit major motion picture on Netflix.
Season 1 of the show brought book one to life, telling the story of a love triangle between Isabel “Belly” Conklin (played by Lola Tung) and two brothers, and their experiences with first love, first heartbreak, and the magic of that one perfect summer.
Season 3 is a continued glimpse into the life of Belly and her community and is based on the third installment, “We’ll Always Have Summer” (2011), set to premiere on Prime Video on Wednesday, July 16.
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