5 Books Becoming Television Shows in 2019 (Part One)

5 Books Becoming Television Shows in 2019 (Part One)

As entertaining as it is to see some of our favorite books on the big screen, there is rarely a way for everything to be conveyed in such a relatively short amount of time. Some movies try to overcome this dilemma by splitting the books up into multiple movies, but the success of Game of Thrones has proven that books can also make great television shows. We've already seen a couple of really good television shows based on books and 2019 is going to be no exception. Here's a look at some of the novels that will be hitting the small screen in this year and beyond. Depending on how much you enjoy books and television, you can use this list to either brush up on the books before they become shows or to hold out on them to avoid spoilers when you watch the shows.

Catch-22

Based on: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

catch22

Summary: Catch-22 is the tale of John Yossarian, a very reluctant US Air Force bombardier in World War II. Yossarian would love nothing more than to get out of the ever increasing number of military assignments that he is given by the army. The easiest way out seems to be insanity, but everyone with a concern for their own safety in the face of danger is considered to be sane by the military, which makes the ineligible to be relieved from duty. Christopher Abbott will be playing the role of John Yossarian in the television show and his co-stars include everyone from George Clooney to Hugh Laurie.

Network: Catch-22 will be released on Hulu with a premiere set for May 17, 2019.

The Witcher

Based on: The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski

witcher

Summary: The Witcher is the tale of a monster hunter named Geralt of Rivia who discovers that people can sometimes be even worse than the creatures he hunts. Geralt has been trained as a witcher since childhood, but there are not many of his kind left and he fends for himself by working as a monster hunter for hire. The television series will feature Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt while Freya Allan will play Princess Ciri and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer. 

Network: The Witcher will be released on Netflix in 2019

The Underground Railroad

Based on: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

un

Summary: The Underground Railroad is an alternate-history tale of a slave girl, named Cora, who attempts to escape her life of slavery at a cotton plantation in Georgia. Since the story takes place during an alternate timeline, the underground railroad is actually a physical network of trains and tracks that slaves can use to make their way towards freedom. The director for this series will be Barry Jenkins, who is the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight. 

Network: The Underground Railroad will be released on Amazon Prime Video sometime in 2019. 

NOS4A2

Based on: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

joe

Summary: NOS4A2, which is pronounced as Nosferatu, is the tale of a young artist named Vic McQueen. She discovers that she has a supernatural ability to track a man named Charlie Manx, who is seemingly immortal and has the habit of feeding off children's souls. It is up to McQueen to rescue the children who have fallen victim to Manx, but the mental toll this would require might be too much for her mind to take. The television show will feature Ashleigh Cummings in the role of Vic McQueen, while Zachary Quinto will step into the shoes of Charlie Manx. The first season will consist of ten episodes, which means more seasons could be made depending on the success of the show. 

Network: NOS4A2 will be released on AMC sometime in 2019.

The Rook

Based On: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

rook

Summary: The Rook is the tale of a young woman, named Myfanwy Thomas, who suffers from total amnesia. She doesn't remember anything before waking up in a London park, but discovers that she has supernatural abilities. Unfortunately, she also appears to have some sinister paranormal adversaries after her. Her amnesia makes it difficult for Thomas to return to her job as head of the most secret service in Britain and she has to be on her guard against those who stole her memory in the first place as they might be traitors within her own organization. The television show will star Emma Greenwell as Myfanwy Thomas and she will be joined by Joely Richardson, Olivia Munn and Adrian Lester. 

Network: The Rook will be released on Starz sometime in 2019.

Conclusion

These five books are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to upcoming television adaptations, so join us next time for the second part where we look at novels like The Name of the Rose, The Expatriates, V-Wars and more.