19 Books Coming To Film In 2020 [That You Have To Check Out]

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We book lovers usually get pretty excited when Hollywood brings one of our favorite works to life. Sure, the films don’t always meet our expectations. We don’t always agree with the casting. And we can get pretty bent about plots that veer from the original.

Still, it’s fun to see what we formerly only imagined come to life on the screen. And sometimes, just sometimes, a really great adaption of one of our favorite books blows us away.

With the hopes that one of these movies will surprise and delight you, we’ve put together a list of books coming to film in the remainder of 2020. Due to the recent pandemic, release dates are fluid, to say the least.

But, fingers crossed, here’s what’s on tap for the rest of the year. These 19 books are coming to film.

1. David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)

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This film adaption of the classic novel follows a goodhearted orphan as he takes on life’s many obstacles in Victorian England. Although not a biography, it’s said to be loosely based on the life of Dickens himself.

• Approximate Release Date: USA release TBA (released in the UK in January 2020)
• Starring: Dev Patel, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw

2. The Devil All The Time (Donald Ray Pollock)

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In this dark film set in the years between World War II and the 1960s, a cast of eccentric characters suffer war’s psychological damages.

• Approximate Release Date: Originally May 15, 2020, now delayed on Netflix
• Starring: Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska

3. The Woman In The Window (A.J. Finn)

While spying on her neighbors, a child psychologist and agoraphobic witnesses a violent crime, but can she overcome her fears and tell the police what she saw?

On a side note, this sounds a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Will this new film be able to keep us on the same high wire of suspense? We’ll have to wait and see.

• Approximate Release Date: Originally May 15, 2020, now delayed
• Starring: Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Brian Tyree Henry, Wyatt Russell, Anthony Mackie

4. After We Collided (Anna Todd)

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‍After We Collided is the sequel to After, which was released as a film in 2019 (to great success). In After 2, the stormy love affair of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott continues. But things get complicated when a coworker of Tessa’s gets involved.

• Approximate Release Date: Originally May 28, 2020, now delayed
• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Dylan Sprouse

5. The Good Shepherd (C.S. Foster)

The film version of this World War II novel was written by Tom Hanks and is titled “Greyhound.” Originally scheduled for theatrical release, it was delayed due to the coronavirus and will now premiere on Apple TV.  Set during the harrowing Battle of the Atlantic, a navy commander tries to lead the crew of his destroyer past a threatening group of German U-boats.

• Approximate Release Date: Will premiere on Apple TV in 2020
• Starring: Tom Hanks, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan

6. Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)

This is yet another film that was originally scheduled for a theatrical release, but the platform was changed to Disney+ due to the coronavirus. In it, we follow the adventures of a 12-year-old criminal mastermind who’s trying to rescue his kidnapped father from a secret kingdom of fairies. We suspect subscriptions to Disney+ are about to skyrocket.

• Approximate Release Date: June 12, 2020, on Disney+
• Starring: Ferdia Shaw, Lara Mcdonnell, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Colin Ferrell

7. Dragon Rider (Cornelia Funke)

A boy called Ben, and a silver dragon named Firedrake are searching for the mythical “Rim of Heaven.” But they’ll have to fight a ferocious dragon-killing machine before they make it to their safe haven.

• Approximate Release Date: August 6, 2020
• Voiced By: Felicity Jones, Freddie Highmore, Patrick Stewart

Related: Audiobooks.com Review [How Does it Compare to Audible?]

8. The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate)

A gorilla named Ivan and his friends, a dog and an aging elephant, live at the Big Top Mall, not knowing how they even got there. But when an abused baby elephant is added to the crew, they take her under their wings and try to turn things around with the help of the janitor’s daughter.

• Approximate Release Date: August 14, 2020
• Voiced By: Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Bryan Cranston

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9. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

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‍This classic children’s book from 1911 was released as a film in 1993 but is getting a more magical revamp this year. The story revolves around an orphaned girl named Mary. Sent to live on her uncle’s grand estate, she makes new friends and discovers a mysterious garden that will change her life.

• Approximate Release Date: August 14, 2020
• Starring: Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth, Julie Walters

10. Our Chemical Hearts (Krystal Sutherland)

In this romantic drama, 17-year-old Henry falls in love with a mysterious transfer student while they work on the school newspaper together.

• Approximate Release Date: August 21, 2020, on Prime Video
• Starring: Austin Abrams, Lili Reinhart

11. Without Remorse (Tom Clancy)

A former navy seal finds himself in the middle of a huge conspiracy when he attempts to avenge the murder of his wife.

• Approximate Release Date: October 2, 2020
• Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Cam Gigandet, Jodie Turner Smith

12. Death On The Nile (Agatha Christie)

While on holiday in Egypt, renowned detective Hercule Poirot must use his crime-solving skills when an apparently idyllic honeymoon ends in murder.

• Approximate Release Date: October 9, 2020
• Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie

Related: Scribd vs Audible: The Audiobook Subscription Service Showdown

13. The Witches (Roald Dahl)

A young boy from England gets turned into a mouse when he stumbles upon a secret covenant of witches.

• Approximate Release Date: October 9, 2020
• Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock

14. Deep Water (Patricia Highsmith)

In this erotic thriller, a wealthy husband allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce. But when her lovers start to disappear, he becomes the main suspect.

• Approximate Release Date: November 13, 2020
• Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana De Armas, Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, Rachel Blanchard

15. Dune (Frank Herbert)

This film will cover the first half of the famous science fiction novel. In the far distant future of humanity, a young Duke must take over mining operations of a life-extending drug called the “spice” on the planet Arrakis. Betrayal and danger soon follow.

• Approximate Release Date: December 18, 2020
• Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista

16. News Of The World (Paulette Jiles)

A Texan traveling across the Wild West comes to the aid of a young girl who’s been kidnapped.

• Approximate Release Date: December 25, 2020
• Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Fred Hechinger, Neil Sandilands, Thomas Francis Murphy

17. I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (Iain Reid)

While on a road trip to meet his parents, Jake’s girlfriend is trying to figure out a way to break up with him. But suddenly, things take an unexpected and disastrous detour.

• Approximate Release Date: TBA on Netflix in 2020
• Starring: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, David Thewlis

18. Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)

In this romantic thriller, a young woman moves to her new husband’s estate and is haunted by the shadow of his dead wife.

• Approximate Release Date: TBA on Netflix
• Starring: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas

19. Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance)

In the film adaption of this popular memoir, a Yale law student graduate reflects on his poor,  Appalachian upbringing and the American dream.

• Approximate Release Date: TBA on Netflix
• Starring: Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Amy Adams, Glen Close

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