What's New and Coming Soon in Book-to-Screen

Spring is here, and along with the new season there are so many exciting premieres. Good book lovers know the book is always better, get the most anticipated March and April book adaptations below on your radar so that you can read before you watch.

Note: Age recommendations often vary between the book and its adaptation. We have consulted internet sources such as commonsensemedia.org to provide age recommendations and ratings for many of these materials, but we encourage readers to do their own research as well.

Long Bright River

Miniseries streaming now on Peacock

This crime drama miniseries, which stars Amanda Seyfried  (The Dropout, Mean Girls) is based on the book by Liz Moore. Mickey (Seyfried) is a police officer working in Philadelphia who takes on the investigation of a triple murder after she realizes that she may have a personal connection to the case. The book is for an adult audience and the miniseries is rated TV-MA.

Mickey17, adapted from Mickey7

In theaters now

Based on the 2022 book Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The film adaptation stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey, a man whose job to die, get cloned, and repeat as many times as it takes to help humanity survive a new planet.  The book got a sequel in 2023. Both the book and film (rated R) are for an adult audience, containing violence, sex, and strong language.

Daredevil: Born Again

Streaming now on Disney+

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprise their starring roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in this sequel series to Netflix's Daredevil. While the title references the 1986 storyline Born Again, written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, it is not a direct adaptation of the work, with the storylines differing significantly. The comic is not suitable for children, the show may be suitable for older teens.

Wheel of Time

Season 3 is streaming now on Amazon Prime

The latest season of the much-loved television adaptation of the book series by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson) is based on book 4 of the series, The Shadow Rising. New episodes premiere weekly and the show has been trending, gaining viewers this season. You still have time to read the other ten books before the show catches up! Both are recommended for ages 14 and up.

Snow White

In theaters now

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Rachel Zegler takes another spin at literary canon starring in Disney’s new live action Snow White alongside Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. This film remakes the 1937 animated film which was inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The film is rated PG. Adults should use their best judgment with any Brothers Grimm fairy tale collection, as some tales can be scary for young children. However, the new Disney Little Golden Book which adapts the film is suitable for all ages.

The Electric State

Now streaming on Netflix

While reception to Netflix’s latest big-budget and star-studded Sci-Fi film adaption has been mixed, the 2018 graphic novel illustrated by Simon Stålenhag which inspired the film was named a best book of the year by NPR and received many starred reviews. The story about a young woman on a journey to find her long-lost brother in an alternate, dystopic ‘90s is recommended for ages 13 and up.

The Friend

In theaters March 28

Based on the novel of the same name by Sigrid Nunez, The Friend is a heartwarming story about grief, love, friendship and healing when a writer takes in her mentor’s great dane after his death. The film stars Naomi Watts and features Bill Murry as her mentor. Both the book and film deal with death by suicide, making them more appropriate for older teens and up that can handle mature themes.

Rumpelstiltskin

Available to rent digitally April 8

The classic and chilling 1812 fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm gets a horror adaption under its belt this year from director Andy Edwards and that malicious, first-born stealing imp Rumpelstiltskin has never looked more terrifying. The film contains strong language and violence.

The Amateur

Coming to theaters April 11

Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) leads this political thriller, based on a book of the same name by Robert Littell, as Charlie Heller, an introverted but brilliant decoder working for the CIA. When his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack and his supervisors refuse to take action, Charlie takes the law into his own hands, using his intelligence and CIA knowledge to track down those responsible for her death. The film is rated PG-13.

More Highly-Anticipated Adaptations to Look Forward To

• How to Train Your Dragon—This new adaptation of the beloved children's series is a live action remake of the 2010 Dreamworks animated film comes out June of this year.
• Regretting You—Attention CoHo fans! Colleen Hoover's 2019 bestseller comes to screens October 2025.
• The Running Man—This Stephen King adaptation directed by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead) is coming November 2025.
• Wicked—Part Two of the musical will hit theaters November 2025. Catch up on the series that inspired it all by Gregory Maguire.
• The Housemaid—Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried star in an adaptation of the Freida McFadden book which hits screens December 2025.
• Frankenstein—Fans of the Mary Shelley classic have two adaptations to look forward to this year with The Bride from Maggie Gyllenhaal coming in September and Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein starring Oscar Isaac expected later this year.

Our 2025 list is stacking up! Don’t miss out, grab your copy of the source material today so you can read it first and know for sure if the book really is always better.

Let us know how you feel about the latest adaptations over in our Facebook Group, Book Love Hub™, or you can follow ThriftBooks on Instagram and TikTok and join the conversation there. Happy reading!

Read more by Amanda Cleveland