Books Receiving Film or Television Series Adaptations In 2023/2024 Part One

Recent years have seen numerous books receiving great film and television series adaptations. Shows such as The Queen’s Gambit and The Handmaid’s Tale impressed audiences with riveting performances, while films like Dune and The Last Duel lit up cinema screens. 2023 has also been a good year for readers who enjoy seeing their favorite books receiving film or television series adaptations, but there’s still plenty more to come. Here’s a quick look at what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond.

Uglies

By Scott Westerfeld

Format: Motion Picture Streaming on Netflix

Uglies is the first book in the series of the same name by Scott Westerfeld. The story follows a young girl named Tally Youngblood who is excited about turning sixteen and undergoing the operation that will turn her from ugly to attractive. Afterward, she will also have access to a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun. Unfortunately, her new friend Shay is dubious about becoming “pretty” and runs away. Tally is given a choice by authorities to find her friend and turn her in or be denied access to the surgery that will make her pretty. Netflix acquired the rights to make a film based on the novel and will star Joey King in the role of Tally.

The Fall of the House of Usher

By Edgar Allan Poe

Format: Eight Episode Limited Series Streaming on Netflix

The Fall of the House of Usher is a work of Gothic fiction by Edgar Allan Poe. The setting is the gloomy and mysterious house of Roderick Usher, who asks his boyhood friend for assistance after falling ill. When the unnamed narrator arrives at the house, he finds his friend in a fearful condition and attempts to lift his spirits. Unfortunately, he discovers that the house might be as evil as Roderick believes. There have been numerous film and television adaptations of The Fall of the House of Usher dating back to 1928. The latest will be a contemporary horror series starring the likes of Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, and Mark Hamill, which will premiere on Netflix in the fall of 2023.

Hallowe’en Party

By Agatha Christie

Format: A Feature Film by 20th Century Studios

Hallowe’en Party is part of the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie and sees the famous detective investigating a murder mystery. When nobody believes Joyce, a thirteen-year-old who boasts that she once witnessed her murder, she storms off home from a Halloween party. Unfortunately, her lifeless body is found hours later in an apple-bobbing tub still in the house. Hercule Poirot investigates the case but must figure out who killed the girl and if it was what she said about witnessing a murder that got her killed. Hallowe’en Party is set to be the third Hercule Poirot film by Kenneth Branagh, following Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, and will be released as A Haunting in Venice in September of 2023.

The Changeling

By Victor LaValle

Format: An Apple TV+ Series

The Changeling by Victor LaValle is the story of Apollo Kagwa. Apollo is determined to be a good father, unlike his own father, who abandoned him. Unfortunately, after the birth of their son, Apollo’s wife, Emma, begins acting very strange. At first, Apollo thinks that this is due to post-partum depression, but then she commits a horrific act and vanishes. This leads Apollo on an odyssey to find his wife and child. An Apple TV+ adaptation of The Changeling is set for release in 2023, with Lakeith Stanfield starring in the role of Apollo Kagwa. 

Leave the World Behind

By Rumaan Alam

Format: Motion Picture Streaming on Netflix

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam is a suspenseful novel about Amanda and Clay, a couple heading to a remote corner of Long Island for a vacation. For them, it will be an opportunity to get away from their hectic life in New York City and spend some quality time with their teenage children. In addition, the luxurious home that they rented for the week should provide them with a taste of the good life. However, this peace is shattered when an older couple arrives at their door late in the night, claiming that a sudden blackout has swept the city. With no television, internet, or cell phone service working Amanda and Clay have no idea if they can trust the couple. The film adaptation of Leave the World Behind will release be released by Netrix in December of 2023 and stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, and Mahershala Ali. 

Lessons in Chemistry

By Bonnie Garmus

Format: An Apple TV+ Series

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist from the 1960s working with an all-male team at Hastings Research Institute. Her colleagues are not very enlightened when it comes to equality, but one of them, Calvin Evans, falls in love with her for her mind. Unfortunately, things don’t quite work out, which is why Elizabeth finds herself in the role of a single mother and star of a cooking show a few years later. However, as her following continues to grow, it becomes clear that Elizabeth is not just teaching women how to cook but also educating them on scientific topics. The television series based on the book is set to release in October 2023 on Apple TV+ and stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott and Kevin Sussman as Walter.