Hollywood is spoiled for choice when it comes to the myriad of novels, comics, and graphic novels available out there that might deserve the on-screen treatment. Since the early days of cinema, screenwriters have been adapting bestsellers for the silver screen.
From The Lord of The Rings, The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, Forrest Gump, and countless other blockbusters, Hollywood has brought some of the most beloved works of literary fiction to life and this trend won't ever end. 2021 is no exception to this and film-goers and bookworms alike can expect some pretty huge on-screen adaptions in the coming year.
Tom Clancy's Without Remorse
Tom Clancy novels have been popular film adaptations since the '80s. Blockbusters based on Tom Clancy novels include Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears and 2021 promises a new blockbuster from the "ClancyVerse". Black Panther's Michael B Jordan will step up to the plate in the latest Tom Clancy adaptation, Without Remorse, which follows the tale of a former Navy Seal turned CIA agent who embarks on a quest for revenge after his girlfriend is murdered at the hands of a drug kingpin.
Antlers By Nick Antosca
Based on a novella by Nick Antosca, Antlers is an adaptation set for release on February 19, 2021.
The film will star Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, and Jeremy T. Thomas (Breaking Bad, Black Mirror) and follows the story of a school teacher in Oregon and her brother who attract the attention of the local sheriff when one of her students is revealed to be hoarding a supernatural creature in his home.
Infinite/The Reincarnationist Papers By D. Eric Maikranz
Infinite is an upcoming film adaptation of a novel called The Reincarnationist Papers by author D. Eric Maikranz. The film version of the sci-fi book will star Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O’Brien, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The story follows a man tormented by what he believes to be hallucinations, only to come to the realization that they're memories from his past lives.
Fear Street (Trilogy) R.L. Stine
R.L. Stine captured the hearts and imaginations of teenagers back in the '90s and early 2000s with his Goosebumps series of teen horror stories. Fear Street is another book series to receive the Hollywood treatment, this time from Netflix. The Fear Street series will be adapted into a trilogy to be released in 2021, with each film releasing one month apart during summer. The horror series follows the misadventures of teenagers who find themselves in nightmarish scenarios.
Nightmare Alley By William Lindsay Gresham
Nightmare Alley is a thriller novel written by William Lindsay Gresham which was published back in 1946. Currently, there is no official release date for the film adaptation, however, the film is already in production. Hellboy's Guillermo del Toro takes the directorial seat with an all-star cast including Bradley Cooper, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Dafoe.
Nightmare Alley explores the seedier levels of showbiz and its inhabitants, the mysteriously dark world of carnivals. It tells the tale of a young man, Stan Carlisle who takes on a job as a carny, at first wondering how he has stooped so low and later finding himself climbing the grimy rungs of the geek ladder.
Cherry By Nico Walker
Cherry is a novel by Nico Walker which will receive the silver screen treatment with Avengers: Endgame's Russo Brothers. The film will star Tom Holland who has already worked with the brothers as Spiderman in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It follows the story of an Army medic who is suffering from PTSD, who takes to a life a crime as he goes on a spree of bank robberies after his drug addiction puts him in serious debt.
The Knife of Never Letting (Chaos Walking) Go By Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness's novel is a YA dystopian sci-fi novel that tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy, Todd Hewitt, the only boy in a small town full of men where everyone can hear each other's thoughts. Todd flees the town with his pup and comes to the realization that something is quite wrong with the town when he encounters a girl that somehow managed to survive whatever wiped all the other females.
The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book in Ness's Chaos Walking Trilogy. Historically the film has had a tough time making the transition from book to film. It almost got the green light in 2011, has had six different screenwriters so far, with Ness himself being the sixth. The upcoming iteration of the script will star Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland.
The Woman in the Window By A.J. Finn
The Woman in The Window, a novel by A.J. Finn was a sleeper hit after it was published. It's a thriller about a woman who believes she is witness to a murder taking place through the window in a house across from her's.
The novel features several nods to Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, so fans are curious to see if the film adaptation will do the same. The film is set to star the talented Amy Adams and if it does not come out this year, it will release in 2021.
The Killers of the Flower Moon By David Grann
The Killers of the Flower Moon is the only work of non-fiction on this list. David Grann's book tells the true story of the Osage Murders and the subsequent birth of the FBI. The film adaptation has been in Hollywood limbo for some time, but Martin Scorsese will take the helm as director, with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio starring.
Artemis By Andy Weir
Andy Weir's novels are no strangers to being adapted for the silver screen. In 2015, another one of his novels, The Martian was brought to the big screen with Matt Damon starring in the titular main role. Artemis on the other hand has had a film adaptation in the works for quite some time, with Phil Lord and Christoper Miller slated to take directorial roles. It's a science fiction tale set on the moon about jazz and tells the story of a porter and part-time smuggler in the lunar city of Artemis. In an effort to make some quick bucks, the ported accepts a shady job which catapults her into a much bigger crime.