This year, we have several big screen adaptations coming out, from the cult classic Wuthering Heights to the personal life of William Shakespeare, Hamnet. We've rounded up the books we're most looking forward to seeing on screen.
“Wuthering Heights”
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Undoubtedly, the most discussed film adaptation of this year is the film Emerald Fennel based on the cult Gothic novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë from 1847. As a reminder, the book tells the story of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a young man who is found on the streets of Liverpool as a child by Catherine's father and raised as his own son. The couple experiences tragic love and various trials of fate. The events of the novel take place in the late 18th and early 19th centuries on the estates “Wuthering Heights” and “The Blackbird's Nest”.
The bold Emerald Fennell (“Promising Girl,” “Saltburn”) promises to show us a much more frank vision of the classic story – the dramatic and destructive relationship between the revenge-obsessed Heathcliff and the willful Catherine Earnshaw. The events traditionally unfold against the backdrop of the harsh Yorkshire moors, which emphasize the tension of the plot, and the passionate Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles only add to the intrigue.
February 12
“Hamnet”
The novel by Irish author Maggie O'Farrell tells the story of William Shakespeare's relationship with his future wife Agnes, the birth of their son Hamnet in 1585, as well as the child's illness and sudden death at age 11. In 2020, Maggie O'Farrell's novel won the British Women's Prize for Fiction and the American National Book Critics Circle Award.
The film adaptation of the novel is directed by Chloe Zhao, winner of the Oscar for the film “Land of Nomads”. Paul Mescal will play the young Shakespeare, and Irish actress Jessica Buckley will play his wife Agnes. In an interview with British Vogue, Mescal said of the project: “This book is simply incredible. If I had told myself in my youth that I would be playing the young Shakespeare, I would not have believed it.”
February 19
“Memories of him”
Colleen Hoover's novel tells the story of a young woman with a difficult fate. Kenna Rowen returns to the city after imprisonment and tries to become a part of her four-year-old daughter's life again, but the guardians do not let her see the child. Kenna meets Ledger Ward, the owner of a local bar, and an affair begins between them, but this relationship is destructive for her, because Ledger is a friend of Scotty, her deceased lover, in whose death Kenna was blamed. In the film by Vanessa Cassville (“Love at First Sight”), the main character is played by Mike Monroe. Also in the cast are Tyreek Withers, Lauren Graham and Lainey Wilson.
March 12
“Clara and the Sun”
The long-awaited film adaptation of the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Nobel Prize laureate in Literature and author of the hit “Never Let Me Go”, which was included in the list of the 100 best English novels. “Clara and the Sun” is a dystopia, and the action takes place in a world where people are genetically modified to improve themselves. The main character of the book is a robot girl Clara, created to become an artificial friend for a child who chooses her in a store. This is a story about life in a world where high technology reigns, a modern class system operates, and genetic modification is commonplace.
Ishiguro's science fiction novel is being adapted into a film by the bright and bold director Taiki Waititi, winner of the 2020 Oscar for his screenplay for the film “Jojo Rabbit.” Clara is played by Jenna Ortega, star of Tim Burton's series “Wednesday,” and Amy Adams also plays one of the key roles.
“Odyssey”
The epic ancient Greek poem by Homer is being adapted into a film by legendary director Christopher Nolan. Recall that “The Odyssey” describes the 40 days of the life of the king of Ithaca: his wanderings after the Trojan War, his return home and revenge on the suitors of his wife Penelope. As always with Nolan, the cast of the upcoming film is impressive. It is known that the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, will be played by Matt Damon, and the film also stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o and Zendaya. Well, this cast makes us look forward to “The Odyssey” with impatience.
July 17
“The Hunger Games: Harvest Moon”
The new film is set 24 years before the first franchise. It is a story about Panem 24 years before the Katniss saga, starting on the morning of the drawing of lots for the 50th Hunger Games, in which a young Haymitch Abernathy participates. The main roles are played by Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemens, Ralph Fiennes, McKenna Grace.
As a reminder, “Harvest Dawn” is a dystopia by American writer Suzanne Collins set in 2025. It is a prequel novel to the original “Hunger Games” trilogy, the second after “The Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents,” released in 2020. It is known that the author was inspired by Scottish philosopher David Hume's idea of implicit subordination and the theory of how “the majority of society is ruled by a minority.” In particular, in the novel, the author reflects on such topical topics as propaganda and the influence of the media.
November 20
“Verity”
“Verity” is a psychological thriller by Mark Walter based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. The novel centers on Lowen Ashley, a writer looking for work. She is contacted by Jeremy Crawford. Jeremy's wife is bestselling author Verity Crawford, and due to a mysterious accident, she is unable to complete her successful series of books. Jeremy asks Lowen to complete the series, and while working on it, he finds a manuscript that questions Verity's psychological state and possible connections to her publications. Lowen is played by Dakota Johnson, Verity is played by Anne Hathaway, and her husband is played by Josh Hartnett.
October 2