YA Books-Turned-Movies, Pt. III
It's always a blessing and a curse to see a great book turned into a movie or tv series. You hope they get it right, but prepare for the worst.
If you’re an avid young adult fiction reader (and extra) like me, there is a strong chance are you’ve already dream cast your favorite YA book and possibly wasted hours paging through carefully curated Tumblr posts and fan trailers to see how other readers envisioned the story. And while most film adaptions don't even compare to the book, there is still the thrill of seeing the same story told in two different mediums. And with more and more YA novels being optioned for film – and actually going into production! – the fun no longer stops at the reader's imagination and the Internet.
Here is a list of the some of the upcoming young adult book to movie adaptations for the second half of 2019. So now you can read the book before the movie and point out all the things they got wrong to your friends.
Coming Soon
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl, 12-year-old criminal mastermind and consummate self-server, is out to win fame and restock the dwindling family fortune. The wealthy Fowls, underworld moguls, have fallen on hard times with the disappearance of Artemis's father and the questionable sanity of his depressed mother. Having discovered the true existence of fairies and their magic, Artemis foments a wicked plot to steal their gold. Coercing a fairy on the skids to show him her book of magic, he manages to crack the code and acquaint himself with fairy magic and technology. But Artemis realizes that he needs more bargaining power, so he kidnaps the fairy, Capt. Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) Unit, intending to ransom her for the gold.
In Theaters August 9
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Lyra Belacqua’s life in Oxford is forever changed when she saves her uncle from an assassination attempt and learns of a mysterious substance called Dust. Children, including Lyra’s friend Roger, start to go missing and Lyra sets off on a rescue mission to the North. This is just the beginning of Lyra’s adventures through multiple universes as she and her friends try to solve the mystery of the Dust.
The show is based on the three novels in the series, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.
On HBO in Late 2019
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friend's family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld.
In Theaters September 13
It by Stephen King
They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they were grown-up men and women who had gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But none of them could withstand the force that drew them back to Derry, Maine to face the nightmare without an end, and the evil without a name.
The It movie adaptation released in 2017 was a huge hit, but it actually only adapted part of the book. In the sequel, the first film’s childhood friends return home as adults to confront the supernatural killer, Pennywise, the Dancing Clown. Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy star in It: Chapter 2.
In Theaters September 6
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
It's 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind... but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying home.
In Theaters August 9
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters--Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth--and of the courage, humor and ingenuity they display to survive poverty and the absence of their father during the Civil War and as they grow into young women in nineteenth-century New England.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, from Oscar-nominated Lady Bird, and starring Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, and Eliza Scanlen as Beth, Laura Dern as Marmee March, Timothée Chalament as Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
In Theaters December 25
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
A collection of T. S. Eliot's poems which concern cats including Mr. Mistoffelees, and Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat.
Also based upon Cats: The Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the film stars Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, James Corden, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Ian McKellen, and Judi Dench.
In Theaters December 20
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Violet Markey is on the ledge of her school's bell tower, six stories up, and frozen in terror. Theodore Finch, the Freak, stands on the ledge nearby. Before she can panic, he calms her down and gets her back on solid ground. He even lets everyone think she's the one who talked him out of jumping. Violet, until recently, was a popular cheerleader and Finch has a well-earned reputation for being manic, violent, and unpredictable. But Finch won't let their encounter rest. He's suddenly everywhere Violet goes and even signs her up as his partner on a "Wander the State" school project. As the two drive around Indiana, Violet begins to see the lame tourist attractions through Finch's eyes, and each spot becomes something unique and special. He pushes and challenges the protagonist, and seems to understand the effect her sister's death made on her. But though Violet begins to recover from the devastating grief that has cocooned her for almost a year, Finch's demons refuse to let go.
Scheduled for Late 2019
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