28 Great Books That Are Getting the Movie Treatment in 2016

By Shannon Vestal Robson

2016 holds a ton of highly anticipated big screen adaptations, particularly titles like The Girl on the Train, Silence, and Nocturnal Animals. Take a peek at the major titles that you'll be able to catch in the movie theater this year, and see a ton more movies that are also being adapted!

01
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

02
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

  • What it's about: A soldier and his squad survive a battle in Iraq and come back to the US for a promotional tour that includes a stop at a Thanksgiving Day football game.
  • Who's starring: Garrett Hedlund and newcomer Joe Alwyn are attached to star. Ang Lee will direct.
  • Release date: Nov. 11
  • Watch the trailer for Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
03
Tony & Susan by Austin Wright

Tony & Susan by Austin Wright

04
Silence by Shusaku Endo

Silence by Shusaku Endo

  • What it's about: Set in 17th-century Japan, the book follows the story of Jesuits who are trying to bring Christianity into Japan.
  • Who's starring: Andrew Garfield is playing Father Rodrigues in the film, which is being directed by Martin Scorsese. Adam Driver and Liam Neeson are also playing priests.
  • Release date: November
05
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

06
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

  • What it's about: Susannah Cahalan's autobiography examines her diagnosis of the rare autoimmune disorder encephalitis, which caused her to black out, have violent episodes, and have delusions.
  • Who's starring: Chloë Grace Moretz will play Susannah. Tyler Perry, Thomas Mann, and Jenny Slate will costar.
  • Release date: TBD
07
The November Criminals by Sam Munson

The November Criminals by Sam Munson

  • What it's about: A misbehaving high-school senior investigates the death of his classmate.
  • Who's starring: Ansel Elgort and Chloë Grace Moretz will star. Catherine Keener also has a supporting role.
  • Release date: TBD
08
The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers

The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers

  • What it's about: It's the true tale of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan teen from poverty who becomes one of the world's best chess players.
  • Who's starring: David Oyelowo will star as the man who mentors Phiona, and Lupita Nyong'o will play her mother.
  • Release date: Sept. 23
  • Watch the trailer for The Queen of Katwe.
09
The BFG by Roald Dahl

The BFG by Roald Dahl

  • What it's about: In the children's classic, a young girl, Sophie, befriends the titular big friendly giant.
  • Who's starring: Bill Hader is playing the Giant, and Steven Spielberg will direct the live-action adaptation.
  • Release date: July 1
  • Watch the trailer for The BFG.
10
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

11
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

  • What it's about: A young boy deals with bullying and his mother's illness by inventing a fantasy world filled with monsters and other creatures.
  • Who's starring: Felicity Jones will play Mum, with Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver costarring.
  • Release date: Oct. 14
  • Watch the trailer for A Monster Calls.
12
Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno by Dan Brown

  • What it's about: The Da Vinci Code series continues with Robert Langdon's latest adventure as he tries to stop another international scheme by following clues in Dante's The Divine Comedy.
  • Who's starring: Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Langdon, and Felicity Jones will costar as Sienna Brooks. Ben Foster will play the villain.
  • Release date: Oct. 14
  • Watch the trailer for Inferno.
13
American Pastoral by Philip Roth

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

  • What it's about: The life of Seymour "Swede" Levov is chronicled beginning in 1960s New Jersey and following him for decades.
  • Who's starring: Ewan McGregor will play Seymour.
  • Release date: Oct. 21
  • Watch the trailer for American Pastoral.
14
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates by Mike and Dave Stangle

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates by Mike and Dave Stangle

  • What it's about: Real-life brothers Mike and Dave Stangle put out a Craigslist ad for wedding dates and the ad went viral; their experience with the ad and the subsequent search around the country is chronicled in their book.
  • Who's starring: Adam DeVine and Zac Efron (who will be shirtless a lot) are playing Mike and Dave, along with Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza.
  • Release date: July 8
  • Watch the trailer for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
15
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

  • What it's about: The sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has spawned a film sequel to 2010's Alice in Wonderland. Six months later, Alice has another adventure through said looking glass and meets characters such as the Jabberwocky.
  • Who's starring: Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp are reprising their roles as Alice and the Mad Hatter, respectively.
  • Release date: May 27
  • Watch the trailer for Alice Through the Looking Glass.
16
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

17
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

past

  • What it's about: Sixteen-year-old Cassie Sullivan struggles to survive in a world devastated by an alien invasion.
  • Who's starring: Chloë Grace Moretz will star as Cassie, costarring with Liev Schreiber and It Follows breakout star Maika Monroe.
  • Release date: Jan. 15
  • Watch the trailer for The 5th Wave.
18
The Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker

The Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker

  • What it's about: Journalist Kim Barker records her memoir of being a journalist in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 2000s.
  • Who's starring: Tina Fey is starring in and producing the adaptation, which is now titled Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, and Nicholas Braun will costar.
  • Release date: March 4
  • Watch the trailer for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
19
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

  • What it's about: In the third installment of the Divergent series, Tris, Four, and her allies discover what's on the other side of the fence — and why. The book will be divided into two parts: 2016's Allegiant and 2017's Ascendent.
  • Who's starring: Shailene Woodley and Theo James will reprise their roles; here is the full cast.
  • Release date: March 18
  • Watch the trailer for Allegiant.
20
A Hologram For the King by Dave Eggers

A Hologram For the King by Dave Eggers

  • What it's about: A struggling businessman heads to Saudi Arabia for a fight to save his finances, hoping to steer clear of foreclosure and pay his daughter's college tuition.
  • Who's starring: Tom Hanks will star in the film adaptation, which Tom Tykwer is directing.
  • Release date: April 22
  • Watch the trailer for A Hologram For the King.
21
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

  • What it's about: A young foster girl, Gilly, idolizes her real mother and attempts to reunite with her.
  • Who's starring: The Book Thief's Sophie Nélisse will play Gilly, with Julia Stiles as her mom.
  • Release date: Feb. 19
  • Watch the trailer for The Great Gilly Hopkins.
22
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

23
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

  • What it's about: A confirmed bachelor falls for the girl next door in this 2007 novel from the romance master.
  • Who's starring: Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer, and Tom Welling will star.
  • Release date: Feb. 5
  • Watch the trailer for The Choice.
24
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

  • What it's about: A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover a baby and a dead body near their home off the coast of Australia after WWI.
  • Who's starring: Michael Fassbender will star, alongside Alicia Vikander as his wife.
  • Release date: Sept. 2
  • Watch the trailer for A Light Between Oceans
25
How to Be Single by Liz Tuccillo

How to Be Single by Liz Tuccillo

  • What it's about: Manhattanite Julie travels the world to study the dating habits of other women, and back in New York, her single friends navigate their love lives.
  • Who's starring: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, Lily Collins, and Alison Brie will star.
  • Release date: Feb. 12
  • Watch the trailer for How to Be Single.
26
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

  • What it's about: Two sisters live alone in a crumbling house and try to survive in the near future.
  • Who's starring: Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood will play the sisters, with Max Minghella costarring.
  • Release date: July 22
  • Watch the trailer for Into the Forest.
27
Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

  • What it's about: In this YA novel, a high-school senior gets caught up in a creepy online game of truth or dare.
  • Who's starring: Emma Roberts and Dave Franco are starring.
  • Release date: July 27
  • Watch the trailer for Nerve.
28
Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg

  • What it's about: This biography of Max Perkins sheds light on the life of the book editor of literary greats like Thomas Wolfe and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Who's starring: Colin Firth is playing Perkins, while Jude Law has the role of author Wolfe in the adaptation (which is called, simply, Genius).
  • Release date: July 29
  • Watch the trailer for Genius.
28 Books Becoming 2016 Movies

28 Books Becoming 2016 Movies

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