Reading to Watching: A list of books adapting to the screen in 2022

Illustration by Cassandra Stewart

by WILLOW SYMONDS
Staff Writer

Calling all English and film majors! 2022 is giving us plenty of movies and TV shows this year, but you know what some of those movies and TV shows are? Book adaptations. Here are the books being adapted to the screens this year:

The movie poster of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mystery, Death on the Nile, out February 11.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie is one of the many beloved Hercule Poirot murder mystery novels. The 1937 novel, Death on the Nile, which will be released Feb. 11 in theaters, is a sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express. Instead of a train, this story takes place on a cruise ship, and the Belgian detective has to crack another case before the murderer strikes again. Filming took place in late-2019 and the release date was pushed back several times due to COVID-19. Kenneth Branagh (Tenet, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) directs and stars in this movie, along with an entirely new, star-studded cast: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde), pre-cannibalism-scandal Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Call Me By Your Name), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), and Annette Bening (American Beauty).

Ethan Hawke stars in The Black Phone, adapted from 20th Century Ghosts, in theaters June 24.

The Black Phone is a short story from 20th Century Ghost Stories by Joe Hill. This 102-minute long movie will be released in theaters on June 24. Director Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) works with cast member Ethan Hawke (Dead Poets Society, Before Sunrise). The two worked together on the 2012 horror movie, Sinister. Mason Thames stars as a shy but clever 13-year-old boy trapped in a basement by a masked madman. When the disconnected phone on the wall starts to ring, he picks it up to find the people on the other side were once in his situation. Anyone looking for a creepy tale will find one here.

Where the Crawdads Sing book cover. The movie will be released on June 24.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens became an immediate bestseller when it was published in 2018, mixing two fictional timelines – isolated swamp girl and a celebrity’s murder investigation – into one story. Actress Reese Witherspoon chose this debut novel for her Hello Sunshine book club only a month after. Now the movie is being released in theaters four years later on June 24. Olivia Newman (First Match) directs the cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), Taylor John Smith (You Get Me), Harris Dickinson (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil), and David Strathairn (Nomadland).

The book cover of White Bird, a sequel to the best-selling Wonder. The movie will be released Sept 16.

White Bird: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio is a sequel to her other best-selling novel, Wonder. This time the story follows bully Julian, whose grandmother visits from France and tells him stories of surviving World War II as a Jewish girl. Marc Forster (World War Z, The Kite Runner) directs the film adaptation. The cast includes Bryce Gheisar (reprising his character in Wonder), Helen Mirren (The Good Liar) as his grandmother, and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, Sex Education) as his mother. The movie will be released Sept. 16 in theaters.

The Nightingale book cover. The movie will be released Dec 23.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel published in 2015. The story may be set during World War II Europe, but the feminist messages resonate to modern audiences. Melanie Laurent, who acted in Inglorious Basterds, makes her directing debut with this movie adaptation. Sisters Elle Fanning (Maleficent, The Neon Demon) and Dakota Fanning (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Ocean’s Eight) star together for the first time. Nightingale will be released Dec. 23 in theaters. Trigger warning for sexual assault and physical abuse.

A modern Persuasion book cover. Netflix will release a movie adaptation this year.

Persuasion by Jane Austen, one of her many classics, has had a dozen adaptations over the last 200 years. Many people forget how witty Austen’s narration of high-class romance could be, but this time Netflix is keeping the wit with “a modern spin” for their movie adaptation. Carrie Cracknell (Julie) directs cast members Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey, Suspiria), Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Loki, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Suki Waterhouse (Insurgent), and Henry Goulding (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Crazy Rich Asians). The release date is soon to be announced.

The Time Traveler’s Wife book cover. HBO will release a TV show adaptation this year.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, a beloved modern classic, has also been adapted more than once. HBO is releasing a TV show adaptation this year, although the release date has yet to be announced. The entire first season is directed by David Nutten (Arrow) and stars Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), Theo James (Divergent, Downton Abbey), Kate Siegel (Hush, Midnight Mass), Desmin Borges (You’re the Worst), and Natasha Lopez (Runner Runner). Stephen Moffat (Doctor Who, Sherlock) holds the title of executive producer, so we can expect high quality.

House of the Dragon book cover. HBO will release a TV show adaptation this year.

House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, a Game of Thrones book focusing on House Targaryen. While HBO has not officially announced the TV show adaptation’s release date, they have confirmed that this is a 10-episode limited series starring different characters than the original show, played by Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Death of Stalin), Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers), Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown), and Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal, Ready Player One, Bates Motel). This show will have exactly 17 dragons, for anyone who wants to know how accurate the title is.