Hey, Hollywooders! Happy Tuesday! In honor of movie theaters reopening, it’s time to celebrate all the new movie releases and upcoming films. However, it’s also important to note that every great film is made with a great screenplay, and breakthrough novels can help inspire some of these.
Here are six upcoming book-to-movie adaptations you may not have realized were originally inspired by books.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: Fatherhood
Netflix’s upcoming dramedy follows Kevin Hart as Matthew Logelin, a widowed father who must raise his daughter on his own after the unexpected death of his wife. The screenplay is based on Matthew Logelin’s 2011 memoir, Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love.
In the book, Matthew Logelin documents his experiences with single parenthood in 2008, when his wife dies 27 hours after giving birth to their daughter Maddy. While Matthew speaks about his feelings of grief, he also mentions the touching moments spent with his daughter and how a kind community of strangers online became his friends.
You can find the memoir on Amazon.
Kevin Hart explained why he decided to take the role when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “For me, to take on the role, it gave me the opportunity to show a Black father in a positive light,” he said. “This is an opportunity to just put it in a space of positivity, and that was my reason for taking on the role.”
Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, and Paul Reiser also star.
Watch Fatherhood on Netflix on June 18, 2021.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: The Last Letter from Your Lover
Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner play secret lovers in Augustine Frizzell’s adaptation of The Last Letter from Your Lover. Based on the 2008 novel of the same name by bestselling author Jojo Moyes, the story follows a young journalist (Felicity Jones) who finds love letters from the 1960s and attempts to solve the mystery of a secret affair. The cast also features Joe Alwyn, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Ncuti Gatwa.
You can find the novel on Amazon.
After reading the script, Shailene Woodley tells Entertainment Weekly that she fell in love with the script and the true meaning of the story:
“You witness a woman’s journey in how she chooses to live her life. You recognize the struggles that come with being a woman, specifically in that time era, making decisions for herself, and choosing a path that perhaps isn’t the most well-worn, yet is the most fulfilling. There aren’t a lot of stories about women who do make decisions for themselves even though there are serious consequences and repercussions.”
Watch The Last Letter From Your Lover on Netflix on August 6, 2021.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: Dune
As one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Dune is the second film adaptation of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. Set in an interstellar society in the distant future, the novel tells the story of Paul Atreides and his tribe as they battle to control the desert planet Arrakis. Following the release of Dune, Frank Herbert wrote five sequels to continue the narrative.
You can find the series on Amazon.
The book was first adapted as a film in 1984, starring Kyle MacLachlan. Then in 2000, Dune got its own miniseries with Alec Newman playing the part of Paul Atreides.
In the upcoming 2021 adaptation, Timothée Chalamet stars alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Zendaya. The film will be the first installment of a planned two-part adaptation and will focus on the novel’s first half.
Director Denis Villeneuve spoke to Vanity Fair about the importance of adapting the film for the present day. “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” he says. “That’s why I think that Dune, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”
Watch Dune in movie theaters or on HBO Max on October 1, 2021.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: The Last Duel
Ridley Scott’s upcoming British-American historical drama is inspired by Eric Jager’s 2004 book, The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France. The story documents the last trial by a duel in France, 1396, between Norman knight Jean de Carrouges and squire Jacques Le Gris.
You can find the novel on Amazon.
The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also star in the film. The cast includes Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. Because of the pandemic, the film’s original release date in January of 2021 was pushed back to October.
Watch The Last Duel in movie theaters on October 15, 2021.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: House of Gucci
House of Gucci is based on Sara Gay Forden’s novel, The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The book depicts the events leading to Maurizio Gucci’s death in 1995 and how his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, was sentenced to prison for 29 years in 1998 for arranging his murder.
You can find the book on Amazon.
Lady Gaga stars as Patrizia Reggiani while Adam Driver plays Maurizio Gucci. Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino also make appearances. According to Lady Gaga’s Instagram, the movie finished filming in early May.
Watch House of Gucci in movie theaters and on Paramount+ on November 24, 2021.
Upcoming book-to-movie adaptations: Blonde
Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming biographical drama film Blonde. Based on the National Book Award Finalist and bestseller by Joyce Carol Oates of the same name, the movie is a fictionalized tale of the life of Marilyn Monroe.
You can find the novel on Amazon.
Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, and Julianne Nicholson play supporting characters in the film while Brad Pitt serves as a producer.
Ana de Armas expressed to The Sunday Times the difficulty of perfecting Marilyn’s voice during shooting, saying that it took her “nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing, and some ADR sessions.” The actress continued to channel Marilyn Monore as she posted a video of the iconic star on her Instagram.
Blonde is set to release on Netflix near the end of 2021.
Before you check out these upcoming book-to-movie releases, make sure to add the books they are based on to your reading list!
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