Summary

• 2024 will bring a wave of novel adaptations to screens, with Netflix leading the charge in creating new movies and series from bestselling books.
• From Harlan Coben's "Fool Me Once" to Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies," 2024 will see a variety of novels making their way to theaters and streaming platforms.
• Novel adaptations like "The Expatriates" and "The Three-Body Problem" have garnered positive reviews for their creative storytelling and engaging performances.

2024 will see a significant number of novels and stories adapted into feature films and TV shows across a range of platforms. Production companies often look to literature for inspiration to create new movies and shows with bestselling books having an established fan base and a fleshed-out story to adapt. With this method of adapting novels being tried and tested, it makes sense that many of the new releases coming out in 2024 will be following this process.

Netflix is one of the largest studios that frequently implements this method, purchasing film rights for popular books and then attaching a creative team to adapt them. In 2024 alone, they will add new seasons to several adapted series already in their libraries, such as Bridgerton season 3, and The Sandman season 2, while also adding new films like Spaceman. In addition, dozens of feature films are expected to be released in theatres having been adapted from original novels.

25 Fool Me Once By Harlan Coben

January 1 - Netflix

Based on a novel by the same name by popular mystery author Harlan Coben, Fool Me Once follows Maya (Michelle Keegan), an ex-soldier, as she uncovers the dark secrets around her husband's supposed death and possible reappearance.

While Maya believes her husband Joe (Richard Armitage) was murdered, she was given a nanny cam to watch over her daughter and then she sees her husband appear in the camera footage, visiting their daughter. This also might tie into the murder of Maya's sister.

There were eight episodes in the adaptation, which dropped on Netflix on January 1. The series received average reviews sitting at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. The biggest talk after the series came out was about the Fool Me Once ending, which set up a tragic finale that also showed that the real villains in the movie's world would also get what was coming to them. The series was one of the largest Netflix premieres with 238 million hours watched in its first week (via barb.co.uk).

24 The Expatriates By Janice Y.K. Lee

January 26 - Amazon Prime Video

The Expatriates is a 2016 novel by Janice Y.K. Lee, who also wrote The Piano Teacher. The film rights were acquired by Amazon and a TV series was released on Amazon Prime Video called Expats. The series stars Nicole Kidman as Margaret Woo, one of three American women living in Hong Kong after a sudden family tragedy.

The synopsis read that "affluence is celebrated, friendships are intense but knowingly temporary, and personal lives, deaths and marriages are played out publicly—then retold with glee."

The series consists of six episodes, and it received mostly positive reviews from critics, sitting at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

While there was controversy about the show's portrayal of Hong Kong during a time of a deteriorating political situation, the positive reviews ed for its success on Prime Video. It also earned a Gotham TV Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series by Ji-young Yoo.

23 The Tiger's Apprentice By Lauren Yep

February 2 - Paramount+

This children's fantasy novel which blends modern life in San Francisco with Chinese mythology is being adapted into an animated adventure series aimed at younger audiences. The story follows a young Chinese-American boy named Tom as he discovers a secret magical world.

When his grandmother is killed in battle, Mr. Hu, a magical Tiger who can transform into a human, takes him as an apprentice, training him to take his grandmother's place as a protector of the Phoenix egg. This book was the start of a trilogy of novels.

The movie, released on the streaming service Paramount+, has a great Asian voice cast. This includes Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Lucy Liu (Elementary), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), and Oscar-winner Michaelle Yeoh (Everything, Everywhere, All At Once). The movie received mixed to positive reviews from critics and is mostly better left for the younger kids to enjoy.

22 Orion And The Dark By Emma Yarlett

February 2 - Netflix

An award-winning children's book, Orion and the Dark follows a boy named Orion who is terrified of a lot of things. But perhaps most of all, he's afraid of the dark. When the dark takes a physical shape and reveals himself to Orion in the hopes of helping him overcome his fear, a wild and wacky adventure follows.

The voice cast is great, with Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter H, Angela Bassett, and Ike Barinholtz in the lead roles. What really makes this Netflix adaptation worth looking into is the fact that Charlie Kauffman wrote the script.

Kaufman is responsible for some of the most unique adult-oriented movies (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), so it seems interesting to see him working with kids' fare. He previously made I'm Thinking of Ending Things for Netflix, but that also was more adult-flavored. It worked, as the movie has positive reviews, sitting at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

21 Force Of Nature By Jane Harper

February 8 - Theaters

A sequel to another novel by Jane Harper, Force of Nature is the second entry in a series following federal police detective Aaron Falk. The movie, titled Force of Nature: The Dry 2, hit theaters in February 2024. When a group of five women go hiking, only four return, and Falk (Eric Bana) is called in to investigate what happened.

This movie starts up a year after the last film (The Dry, also starring Bana as Falk). The movie is based on Harper's second book in the series as well, keeping the narrative straight.

Force of Nature goes a little deeper into Falk's past, as his mother was lost and died in the same area where this latest woman disappeared, so he has a chance to possibly help someone else, whereas he couldn't help his mother so many years before. The sequel finished with a 63% Rotten Tomatoes average score, which is a huge drop from the first movie's 89% approval score. There is one last book in the trilogy that the studio can make if it believes the audience is there.

20 Frankenstein By Mary Shelley

February 9 - Theaters

Although a very loose adaptation, Mary Shelley's classic horror story, Frankenstein, was adapted in 2024 with Lisa Frankenstein. The comedy horror film will star Kathryn Newton as the daughter of Frankenstein who seeks to reanimate the corpse which happens to be the love of her life.

Cole Sprouse plays the Frankenstein monster and love interest, as the pair must find all the parts they need to ensure a long and happy future together. The movie was written by Diablo Cody (Jennifer's Body) and directed by Zelda Williams (Robin Williams' daughter).

Lisa Frankenstein was a box office failure and didn't make back its budget, while also receiving mixed reviews, sitting at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised its production design and aesthetics but pointed out an inconsistent pacing problem and an underdeveloped romantic subplot. Ultimately though, Newton was a highlight and continued her streak of solid performances.

19 Spaceman Of Bohemia By Jaroslav Kalfař

March 1 - Netflix

A sci-fi novel follows a scientist from the Czech Republic who becomes the country's first astronaut. The premise for Spaceman of Bohemia is unique as it follows Jacub on a mission to Venus where he discovers a giant sentient alien spider with whom he communicates.

The book was a science fiction novel that really subverts the genre by showing a man in the far reaches of space who might be losing his mind, but has every determination to return home no matter who wants to ensure he doesn't. Adam Sandler stars as Jacub, opposite Paul Dano as the alien (voiceover), and Carey Mulligan as the wife Jakub left behind on Earth.

The movie only earned a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie remains very different from Sandler's other films on Netflix, as this is not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but more of a dark comedy with existential moments. While the movie only earned a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics praised Sandler's performance, putting it up there with other serious movies like Uncut Gems and Hustle as proof he is more than just a comedy actor.

18 Dune By Frank Herbert

March 1 - Theaters

Dune: Part Two continues Denis Villeneuve's adaptation and dives deeper into the novel by Frank Herbert. As Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) becomes close with the local inhabitants of Arrakis, the Harkonnen rulers begin to mount their attack to regain control of the spice trade.

Dune is an epic sci-fi novel that requires multiple films to effectively adapt the story with the required level of detail. This second movie follows the main battle with Paul becoming the Dune Messiah by the end. There is a third movie in development, which is when Villeneuve plans to end his run with the franchise.

The movie was a huge success, following in the footsteps of the original, making over $710 million worldwide and ensuring that Dune: Messiah would make it to theaters to end Paul's story. Critics were also impressed, with Dune: Part Two certified fresh at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is likely that the film will also have several Oscar nominations once again. The first movie won six Oscars.

17 The Three-Body Problem By Liu Cixin

March 21 - Netflix

The popular science fiction author, Liu Cixen's Three-Body trilogy was adapted by Netflix into a film that connects the past with the present. 3 Body Problem sees alien visitors readying for their arrival on Earth while the citizens of Earth divide into separate camps with alternate feelings about the alien invasion.

There were several worries about the movie coming to Netflix. The novel was dense and had a lot of deeper themes and ideas and many fans were worried about the series doing it right. There were also concerns with the creative team of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. While they saw great success with Game of Thrones, most people still the final season and hold it against them.

Netflix recently renewed it for a second season.

However, they seem to have succeeded with the first season of the adaptation, as critics certified it fresh with a 79% Rotten Tomatoes score and the audience score was close to that number, at 78%. Zine Tseng also picked up a Gotham TV Awards nomination for her performance. Netflix recently renewed it for a second season.

16 A Gentleman In Moscow By Amor Towles

March 29 - Paramount+

Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star in the adaptation of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. McGregor plays Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat who is placed on house arrest in a luxury hotel opposite the Kremlin after he returns home after the Bolshevik revolution.

The series is set in 1922, during a tumultuous period in Russian history. The book moves through time in the book's chapters, starting at his arrest and then moving to 16 years later by the end.

The adaption consists of seven episodes on Paramount+ and shows the Count under his lifetime house arrest at the Hotel Metropol Moscow, where he is moved from the luxury suites to the servants' quarters. As it was in the book, each episode moves ahead in time, starting in 1921 and finally moving past World War II and the introduction of Krushchev as the new Russian leader.