What book series will be turned into movies/TV shows?
June 2, 2013 8:24 PM Subscribe
A coworker wanted to know what the next book series to be made into TV shows/movies are so he can get ahead of the curve. I have some ideas, but I'm looking for more.
At work, we were talking about Game of Thrones, and I mentioned that I had read the books. A coworker came by and half-joked about how he wanted to know what the next series to turned into a TV show or movie would be, so that he could read the books now and get ahead of the curve.
It got me to thinking, and I'm not really sure what's coming up. I know the first book of the Divergent trilogy is coming out in the fall, but that's more young adult. The rights to the excellent Wool series are in the hands of Ridley Scott, though there hasn't been any movement there yet. It's an interesting question, though: what book series are out right now that are either in the early planning stages of being turned into movies, or might be turned into TV shows/movies in the near future?
At work, we were talking about Game of Thrones, and I mentioned that I had read the books. A coworker came by and half-joked about how he wanted to know what the next series to turned into a TV show or movie would be, so that he could read the books now and get ahead of the curve.
It got me to thinking, and I'm not really sure what's coming up. I know the first book of the Divergent trilogy is coming out in the fall, but that's more young adult. The rights to the excellent Wool series are in the hands of Ridley Scott, though there hasn't been any movement there yet. It's an interesting question, though: what book series are out right now that are either in the early planning stages of being turned into movies, or might be turned into TV shows/movies in the near future?
I guess this is past the planning stages, but there's still time to read the book(s):
Ender's Game
posted by Bokmakierie at 8:34 PM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ender's Game
posted by Bokmakierie at 8:34 PM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ready Player One ? I feel like this has been my answer to like five AskMes lately, but it's a really entertaining book and popular enough I'm sure people are thinking movie.
posted by sweetkid at 8:42 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sweetkid at 8:42 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes will be a TV series.
posted by bluecore at 8:46 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by bluecore at 8:46 PM on June 2, 2013
Ready Player One would be a licensing nightmare, but I'd still like to see it.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:33 PM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Sunburnt at 9:33 PM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
An easy way to answer this question is to search for the term "optioned" on hollywoodreporter.com. Optioning is a complicated process and often doesn't work out, but this can give you the down low on what properties are currently being developed.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:34 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:34 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
http://www.imdb.com/movies-coming-soon/
This list of upcoming movies will usually mention if it is adapted from a book or series. Sometimes they will have entries more than a year out, so keep scrolling past empty months until you are into fall of 2014.
posted by soelo at 9:35 PM on June 2, 2013
This list of upcoming movies will usually mention if it is adapted from a book or series. Sometimes they will have entries more than a year out, so keep scrolling past empty months until you are into fall of 2014.
posted by soelo at 9:35 PM on June 2, 2013
Various 'movies coming soon' web sites have entries for one old pulp series, a Japanese SF novel, and three YA books/series:
Doc Savage
All You Need is Kill
City of Bones
Vampire Academy
The Book Thief
It's slightly out of scope for your question, but more Marvel superheroes seem to have movies in production, and knowing a bit about them could be fun in the same way:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ant-Man
Doctor Strange
posted by Monsieur Caution at 9:35 PM on June 2, 2013
Doc Savage
All You Need is Kill
City of Bones
Vampire Academy
The Book Thief
It's slightly out of scope for your question, but more Marvel superheroes seem to have movies in production, and knowing a bit about them could be fun in the same way:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ant-Man
Doctor Strange
posted by Monsieur Caution at 9:35 PM on June 2, 2013
I know rights have been bought for Naomi Novik's Temeraire books, but I haven't heard what's happening with them.
posted by emcat8 at 9:39 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by emcat8 at 9:39 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall will be a 6-hour BBC series.
Stephen King's Under the Dome premieres in a couple of weeks on CBS
Neil Gaiman's American Gods is set to air on HBO (and hopefully run for 6 seasons!) late this year or next
Susana Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell should start filming for a BBC series later this year
AMC just announced a series version of Dan Simmons' The Terror.
HBO's developing Karen Russell's Swamplandia as a sitcom.
Sadly, as PhoBWanKenobi pointed out, lots of these things get announced and then fall off the map: Eugenides' Middlesex was optioned by HBO in 2009 but seems to be in limbo or dead, Lev Grossman's The Magicians looked good for a while but wasn't greenlit, and the adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections seemed pretty far along when HBO pulled the plug:
In 2011, it was announced that Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest will star in the HBO adaptation. In November 2011, it was announced that Ewan McGregor has joined the cast. In a March 7, 2012 interview, McGregor confirmed that work on the film was "about a week" in and also noted that both Dianne Wiest and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among the cast members. However, in May 1, 2012, HBO decided not to pick up the pilot for a full series.
posted by mediareport at 9:45 PM on June 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
Stephen King's Under the Dome premieres in a couple of weeks on CBS
Neil Gaiman's American Gods is set to air on HBO (and hopefully run for 6 seasons!) late this year or next
Susana Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell should start filming for a BBC series later this year
AMC just announced a series version of Dan Simmons' The Terror.
HBO's developing Karen Russell's Swamplandia as a sitcom.
Sadly, as PhoBWanKenobi pointed out, lots of these things get announced and then fall off the map: Eugenides' Middlesex was optioned by HBO in 2009 but seems to be in limbo or dead, Lev Grossman's The Magicians looked good for a while but wasn't greenlit, and the adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections seemed pretty far along when HBO pulled the plug:
In 2011, it was announced that Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest will star in the HBO adaptation. In November 2011, it was announced that Ewan McGregor has joined the cast. In a March 7, 2012 interview, McGregor confirmed that work on the film was "about a week" in and also noted that both Dianne Wiest and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among the cast members. However, in May 1, 2012, HBO decided not to pick up the pilot for a full series.
posted by mediareport at 9:45 PM on June 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
Outlander has been optioned for Stars.
posted by brujita at 9:55 PM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 9:55 PM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
More: Phillippa Gregory's Cousins' War books are a series set to air in August on Starz, which is also working on Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books. Terry Brooks' Shannara books are getting developed but haven't gotten a network to bite yet.
posted by mediareport at 9:58 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by mediareport at 9:58 PM on June 2, 2013
Apparently Neil Gaiman's American Gods is being made into an HBO series.
Also, I just started reading the Sandman Slim series and found out that the Dino De Laurentiis Company is turning it into a movie.
posted by ghostpony at 7:20 AM on June 3, 2013
Also, I just started reading the Sandman Slim series and found out that the Dino De Laurentiis Company is turning it into a movie.
posted by ghostpony at 7:20 AM on June 3, 2013
The Otherland series by Tad Williams was optioned by Warner Brothers -- announced January of 2012. IMDB lists it as in development.
No idea what's going on with it but I imagine plenty of time to read the 4 quite large books in the series.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:19 AM on June 3, 2013
No idea what's going on with it but I imagine plenty of time to read the 4 quite large books in the series.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:19 AM on June 3, 2013
brujita: "Outlander has been optioned for Stars."
No longer optioned. Outlander just got greenlit with a 16 episode order.
posted by bluecore at 10:20 AM on June 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
No longer optioned. Outlander just got greenlit with a 16 episode order.
posted by bluecore at 10:20 AM on June 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern has been optioned for a film, with a screenwriter hired last year. I think it would be a fabulous movie since there's a lot of vivid imagery which could look great onscreen.
posted by creepygirl at 11:24 AM on June 3, 2013
posted by creepygirl at 11:24 AM on June 3, 2013
The Saint has been made into a pilot, although as far as I know it hasn't been picked up yet.
posted by sardonyx at 5:56 PM on June 3, 2013
posted by sardonyx at 5:56 PM on June 3, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 8:33 PM on June 2, 2013