White Bird: A Wonder Story (2024) has finally arrived in theaters after a two-year wait for the adaptation of the graphic novle by R.J. Palacio. This year has seen several big book adaptations dominate the box office from Dune: Part Two to It Ends With Us.
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Several other well known books have transformed for the big screen this year, including comics like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, childhood stories like Harold and the Purple Crayon and more.
Read on for a list of this year’s book to movie adaptations:
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Wicked Part One – Nov 22 – Theaters
Jon Chu’s rendition of the Wizard of Oz prequel story is based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. The film will star Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey , Jeff Goldblum and more. Wicked Part One arrives in theaters Nov. 22.
Out of My Mind – Nov 22 -Disney+
Based on the book by Sharon M. Draper, Out Of My Mind is directed by Amber Sealey. Narrated by Jennifer Aniston, the film follows Melody (Phoebe-Rae Taylor), a sixth grader with cerebral palsy who is overlooked because she is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. The film shows her parents help her show off her quick wit and sharp mind when she starts participating in mainstream education. The fillm also stars Rosemarie Dewitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor, and Judith Light.
Nightbitch – Theaters
Amy Adams will star in Searchlight Pictures’ adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s debut novel Nightbitch. The horror film, adapted by Marianne Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?), will arrive in theaters December 6.
Nickel Boys – Dec 13 – Theaters
Starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs and Luke Tennie also appear in the film, which is directed by RaMell Ross and based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The story follows a powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers in reform school in Florida. The film premiered at Telluride Film Festival 2024.
Several other big screen adaptations of books have released this year. Find them below:
The Tiger’s Apprentice
Laurence Yep’s young adult novel was adapted into an animated film for Paramount+.
Argylle
Argylle starring Henry Caville and Bryce Dallas Howard among others, is based on the book by Elly Conway. The Apple film hit theaters first before coming to the streamer.
Spaceman
Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar and more starred in Netflix’s adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s Spaceman of Bohemia.
Arthur the King
Mikael Lindnord’s Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home, set the foundation for Arthur the King starring Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu and Nathalie Emmanuel.
Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler, released in theaters in March, and it is now available to stream via Max. It is based on the first book in Frank Herbert’s science fiction series.
One Life
The film, starring Anthony Hopkins in the role of Sir Nicholas Winton, is based on Barbara Winton’s book One Life: The True Story of Sir Nicholas Winton.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and more starred in the adaptation of Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis.
Turtles All the Way Down – Max
John Green’s novel Turtles All the Way Down was made into a movie a while back, and Max finally released the film straight to streaming this year. Isabela Merced stars as Aza Holmes, and Felix Mallard stars as Davis. Cree stars as Aza’s best friend Daisy, Poorna Jagannathan stars as Dr. Kira Singh and J Smith-Cameron stars as Professor Abbott.
The Idea of You
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine star in the Prime Video adaptation of Robinne Lee’sThe Idea of You. Galitzine played boyband frontman Hayes Campbell, and Hathaway starred as Soléne Marchand.
The Garfield Movie
The Garfield Movie, starring Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson and more is of course based on the classic comic strip and books by Jim Davis.
The Watchers
Based on the book by A.M. Shine, The Watchers was directed by Ishana Night Syamalan and stars Dakota Fanning.
The Bikeriders – Peacock
Jeff Nichols’ latest film was based on the book of photography by Danny Lyon.
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The Imaginary – Netflix
The animated film, which follows Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger, is based on the book by A.F. Harrold, which was illustrated by Emily Gravett. The film comes from Studio Ponce, an offshoot of Studio Ghibli.
– Theaters
The third Deadpool franchise film is based on the Marvel comics, though the title was changed from the original Deadpool vs. Wolverine.
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Theaters
Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon was adapted into a feature film starring Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, Benjamin Bottani, Zooey Deschanel, Tanya Reynolds and Jemaine Clement among others. The film is narrated by Alfred Molina.
It Ends With Us – Aug 9 – Theaters
Starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar and more, It Ends With Us is a feature film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel.
Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Aug 9 – Paramount+
The latest animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes film stars Michah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr. and Ayo Edebiri. It is based on the comics by Jason Aaron, Ronda Pattison and Joëlle Jones.
The Crow – Aug 23 – Theaters
Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs and Danny Huston will star in The Crow based on James O’Barr’s novel.
Uglies – Sept. 13 – Netflix
At long last, the Uglies movie based on the first book in Scott Westerfield’s science fiction quartet, starring Joey King, Chase Stokes and Keith Powers, arrived on Netflix Sept. 13.
RELATED: ‘Uglies’ Trailer: Joey King And Chase Stokes Want To Be Pretty In Netflix Adaptation Of Sci-Fi Book
The Wild Robot – Sept 27 – Theaters
Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot served as a foundation for the Universal animated film coming to theaters Friday.
