2026 will bring to life many books in the form of TV shows and movies, from the beaches of People We Meet on Vacation to Thrushcross Grange in Wuthering Heights, all the way to the Aegean Sea in The Odyssey.
But what really makes a book adaptation worth watching?
“I think one of the things that I pay attention to [in book adaptations] is not necessarily if it’s true to the plot, but rather was the author involved in making the screenplay,” Ms. Tomljanovich, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes the school’s librarian, said during an interview.
Jackson Sipple-Asher, a junior at SSSAS, thinks that book adaptations “do not have to be faithful to everything in the plot,” he opined. “However, I think it is the job of a movie adaptation to capture the essence of the book, like take all the important moments, understand and faithfully represent the characters, and get across the same artistic intentions and sentiments of the author.”
Keeping these perspectives in mind, here are the upcoming book adaptations in 2026!
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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Emily Henry, a well loved author in the BookTok community, got her first movie adaptation (and many more to come!) with her #1 New York Bestselling novel, People We Meet on Vacation with Netflix. Henry announced that her novel about two estranged friends taking one last trip to fix their friendship was getting a movie adaptation in October of 2022. Casting for the movie was revealed in August of 2024, with Tom Blyth as Alex Nilsen and Emily Bader as Poppy Wright, and fans around the Internet were overjoyed with this casting.
“I liked the casting a lot because I haven’t seen these actors in many other movies,” said sophomore Eleni Davis. “I can of course think of more well known actors to play these parts, but I think that takes away from the book connection.”
The movie came out on January 9 and within the first weekend got 17.2 million views on Netflix and ranked the #1 English-language film for its debut week. On IMBd, however, it’s ranked 6.8/10, which isn’t the worst, but doesn’t reflect off of the scores on Netflix.
“After I watched the trailer I wasn’t sure if I would like it because some parts seemed kinda cheesy,” Eleni told The Voice, “but after watching it I would definitely put it in my top 15 favorite movies.”
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Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë’s gothic classic gets its latest movie adaptation, being claimed to be the “greatest love story of all time” in its movie’s trailer. The film is described to be a “a passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Emily Earnshaw” by IMBd.
After watching the trailer, senior Meg Adams “found it hard to understand the plot” even after reading Wuthering Heights in AP Literature. “So far it seems to be very different from the novel, but I am excited to see it in this format.”
The movie comes out on February 14, a perfect date for a love story, whether that love story is destructive or dazzling.
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Bridgerton (An Offer from a Gentleman), by Julia Quinn
Julia Quinn’s bestselling novel series is getting another season with Netflix. The first season of Bridgerton came out on Christmas Day of 2020, a year when many of us needed a family of royal fictional characters to rely on. And six years later, the fourth season centers around Benedict Bridgerton, the main character in An Offer from a Gentleman, Quinn’s third novel in the Bridgerton series. Benedict will be played by Luke Thompson, a beloved actor and character in the Bridgerton universe.
“I started watching the show with my best friend after the third season came out, but I went into the show blind,” said Nora McDonough, senior at SSSAS. “I’m really excited for this season. I think Shonda Rimes is just generally amazing at casting. I’ve loved all the casting from past seasons and from her other other shows, so I hope I’ll feel the same way about this season.”
Fans around the Internet are ready to head back to Greenwich and are itching to watch the new season. Everyone is excited to explore more about Benedict as a character and learn more about his past.
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The Odyssey, by Homer
Christopher Nolan, film director of Interstellar and Oppenheimer, brings to life the ancient Greek novel The Odyssey as it hits theaters on July 17.
“The Odyssey is in my top 10 favorite books, and I highly recommend both Emily Wilson and Robert Fitzgerald translations,” Jackson Sipple-Asher told The Voice. “And after watching the trailer, I was excited. All I’m looking for in The Odyssey is a properly epic feeling movie that captures the essence of The Odyssey well as both a heroic story and a return journey to home after a long and bloody war.”
The cast of this film is filled with A-List celebrities such as Zendaya, Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway. Nolan promises a grounded yet mythical take on Odysseus’s ten year journey home after the Trojan War.
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That’s a wrap for the most anticipated movies and TV shows coming out in 2026! Hopefully these pieces of media will uphold the reputation of their designated books, or in Jackson’s words, “convey a fresh take on a book that comes from a place of love and accuracy to the book’s original spirit.”
