As voracious readers, here at RUSSH our ears are finely attuned to the sound of a novel making its way through the book-to-film pipeline. Nothing sweetens the deal of completing a page-turner more than news that the story doesn't end at the final page — that there is still more to come. While film adaptations don't always measure up to the source material, it's a risk we're willing to take on the off chance that we can submerge ourselves into our favourite worlds once more. And as we look ahead to 2022, we spy plenty of books being fashioned into movies and television.
From searingly honest memoirs, viral short stories and hard-hitting investigative reporting, here are 25 books being adapted for the big and small screen in 2022.
TV
Everything I Know About Love
Fans of Dolly Alderton's 2018 acclaimed memoir Everything I Know About Love can finally know peace. BBC One committed to a seven-part adaptation of the novel and if you're wondering where to watch the series, we've put together a handy guide. Starring Emma Appleton and Bel Powley, the TV adaptation is set in a London share-house in 2012 and will shadow two childhood friends as they navigate their twenties. Expect bad dates, heartbreak, humiliation and a roaring good time. Thrown into the mix are vignettes of Maggie and Birdy's early-naughties adolescence on the outskirts of London.
Conversations with Friends
As we know, Sally Rooney’s debut novel, Conversations With Friends has been adapted into a TV show courtesy of the very team that brought Normal People to life on screen. The 12-part series is set in Dublin, and follows Frances, who, with her entangled best friend Bobbi, winds up entering the lives of a slightly older, more well-off couple, Melissa and Nick. Landing on our screens in May, we've taken it upon ourselves to bring you a watch list for the sad moment you finish the series. As far as casting goes, newcomer Alison Oliver is confirmed to play Frances. She’s joined by Sasha Lane, Jemima Kirke and Joe Alwyn.
Exciting Times
Based on Irish writer Naoise Dolan’s debut 2020 novel, the forthcoming series has been described as a modern romance with a twist. If you're wondering just how good the storyline is, the rights to the book had already been optioned even before it had hit shelves. Dolan has confirmed that she will be staying on board to co-write and direct; with Phoebe Dynevor also working in front of and behind the camera as executive producer.
Three Women
Showtime is taking the reins to bring this intimate and oftentimes challenging portrayal of American female desire to life. We can expect Shailene Woodley to play Gia; a writer grieving the loss of her family who persuades Lina, Maggie and Sloane to tell their stories. Joining Woodley is Lola Kirke, who has been cast as Sloane's best friend Jenny - the only female she's ever been close to.
Daisy Jones & the Six
When Reese Witherspoon sets her eyes on your novel it's all over. That's just what happened with Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestselling novel that follows the peaks and troughs of a 70s rock band. The book is in the process of being adapted into a 13-part limited series for Amazon and it stars none other than Riley Keough and Suki Waterhouse. As filming began in late 2021, we're bracing ourselves for a late 2022 debut.
The Lying Life of Adults
Elena Ferrante and her remarkable stories are a hot commodity of late. Maggie Gyllenhaal recently adapted one of her books, The Lost Daughter, starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Paul Mescal, and Netflix has decided it must do the same with Ferrante's novel The Lying Life of Adults. The TV adaptation will be broken-down into an eight-part drama; with filming for the series beginning in October 2021. While the release date is still unknown, given that production has begun we're expecting a late 2022 release.
Olga Dies Dreaming
Earlier in August 2021, Hulu announced a one-hour pilot based on Xochitl Gonzalez's highly anticipated novel, Olga Dies Dreaming to be released in the first half of 2022. Our sardonic queen Aubrey Plaza will both produce and star as the main character in the television drama, alongside Jesse Williams. While Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is set to direct and executive produce.
Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies)
Feminist tome, Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies) is being turned into a television series titled, Girls Can't Shoot (& Other Lies). As with all great television, it begins with a mesmerising cast. For this adaptation however, there were a few obvious choices when it came to selecting those best suited for the series. Since Jameela Jamil, Lolly Adefope, Kat Dennings and Beanie Feldstein contributed their words to the book of essays, they've been tapped to star in the episodes based off their own essays, of which they will also executive produce. MJ Rodriguez will also grace the lineup of actors and we're glad, we expect it will be released late in 2022.
FILM
She Said
Based off of the best-selling book by New York Times investigative journalists Meghan Twohey and Jodi Kantor who broke the news in 2017 detailing Harvey Weinstein's ongoing history of sexual assault in Hollywood. The film is set to tell the story of how Twohey and Kantor – portrayed by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan – persevered to bring this scandal to light. It will debut on November 17, 2022.
Lady Chatterly's Lover
A historical example of good quality smut. Lady Chatterly's Lover is being given the on screen attention it deserves with a film adaptation starring Emma Corrin, former Skins actor Jack O’Connell and Matthew Duckett. For the uninitiated, the hot and heavy plot follows Constance Chatterley, who is married to Sir Clifford, a wealthy land owner paralysed from the waist down who spends most of his time reading and focused on his grand estate, Wragby. Feeling unlucky in love and probably quite bored/horny (our words), Constance finds herself passionately entangled with the estate’s gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors. Expect it to land on Netflix in late 2022.
Where the Crawdad Sings
The success of Delia Owen's 2018 coming-of-age mystery novel is no secret, taking out the position of the most-sold fiction book on Amazon in 2019. But when actress Reese Witherspoon picked Where the Crawdads Sing as part of her monthly book club back in 2018, we knew it wouldn't be long before a film adaptation would be in the works. The film is slated for a June 2022 release date and Normal People's leading lady, actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, will play the role of Kya, the "Marsh Girl" and narrator of the film.
Blonde
There are three reasons why you should care about the adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' novel Blonde. The first is that it comes with a score recorded by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The second is that it's based off of the life of Marilyn Monroe, and while we've certainly seen our fair share of Monroe biopics, this one is promising to raw, gritty and straight to the truth. The third? It's wonderfully cast with Ana de Armas as Monroe, Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller and Bobby Cannavale and Joe DiMaggio. The film is set to arrive on Netflix at some point this year.
The Wonder
If there's one thing Florence Pugh does well, it's period dramas. That's why she's our top pick to play a British nurse named Lib in Netflix's adaptation of Emma Donoghue's acclaimed novel, The Wonder due on our screens in the latter half of 2022. Based on 19th century phenomenon of the 'fasting girls', the film is a psychological thriller that follows Lib who is sent to observe an 11-year-old girl, Anna O'Donnell, who despite having stopped eating somehow remains alive and healthy.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Staff writer at The New Yorker, David Grann, is a savant when it comes to literary non-fiction, so it's about time that his writing was given a high calibre Hollywood adaptation. When I say high calibre I mean it. Martin Scorsese is helming the film as director, while heavyweight actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons are bringing the true story about what is known as 'The Reign of Terror' to life. The film is set to be released on Apple TV+ in 2022.
Women Talking
Miriam Toews’ bestselling novel Women Talking is being adapted into a new film that will star Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, and Ben Whishaw. Truthfully, the cast alone should be enough to make this a much-watch. But if you're unfamiliar with the narrative of this novel-cum-film, here's a little refresher. The story follows a group of women living in an isolated religious community who are struggling to reconcile their faith following a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. Arriving at an undisclosed date in 2022.
My Policeman
Bethany Roberts' novel is being used as the source material for a new queer film starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin, no less. The film, also titled My Policeman, will see Emma Corrin assume a role that she is rather familiar with after her breakout role as Princess Diana: that of a third-wheeling wife. The story is set in the late 1990s, when elderly Patrick arrives at Marion (Corrin) and Tom’s (Styles') home. Patrick's presence triggers the exploration of monumental events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal. According to Rupert Everett we may be in for a straight-to-streaming situation with the film slated for a release on Amazon Prime.
Cat Person
Back in late 2017, Kristen Roupenian's, now, viral short story Cat Person completely blew up the internet; quickly becoming The New Yorker's most downloaded piece of fiction of that year. So it only makes sense that the short story would be turned into a film. After all, films have been made from less (may I remind you of Zola). Described as a psychological thriller with a Promising Young Woman air about it; the film company behind the project, Studiocanal, has certainly not skimped when it comes to casting. Nicholas Braun will star alongside British actor Emilia Jones as Robert and Margot, respectively. An exact release date has not been announced.
Deep Water
Euphoria's Sam Levinson and Zack Helm are delivering a titillating adaption of Patricia Highsmith's erotic thriller Deep Water cued for release on 18 March, 2022. Exes Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck will ironically enough star alongside each other as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a couple in a loveless marriage whose mind games with each other begin to result in the deaths of those around them.
Crying in H Mart
MGM's Orion Pictures has acquired the rights to Michelle Zauner's best selling memoir, Crying in H Mart. The memoir – an expansion on an essay she wrote for The New Yorker in 2018 – delves into Zauner's upbringing as a Korean-American, losing her mother, and reflects on the importance of food in her life and the moments she shared with her mother over meals. At the moment little else is known about the project, but we have our fingers crossed for a 2022 release.
White Bird
Any excuse for more Gillian Anderson on our screens will do. If that means tuning into Lionsgate's adaptation of White Bird, then that's what it takes. Based on graphic novel of the same name by RJ Palacio, the film is set in a France occupied by Nazi Germany and Helen Mirren is also onboard to star alongside Anderson. Buckle in for its release on 14 October 2022.
White Noise
Noah Baumbach is renewing his working relationship with streaming platform, Netflix by way of an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s iconic American novel White Noise. The 1985 book follows a year in the life of main character and narrator, Jack Gladney, portrayed by Adam Driver, whose family and the rest of his small Midwestern town is evacuated after an industrial accident. Greta Gerwig is onboard as Gladney's wife, Babette. It's a casting scenario we've seen before and are gagging to witness once more.
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah's 2015 novel, The Nightingale, was once the winner of the Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year; and for good reason. It's no surprise then that the tale of two French sisters separated separated by years and experience, ideals, passion and circumstance and war has been adapted for the big screen. And who better to portray the heartbreaking tale than real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning? The film is set to be released later this year, so there's still plenty of time to familiarise yourself with the book first.
Peter Pan
Can we ever get enough Peter Pan adaptations? As someone who vividly remembers their first crush being the Disney animated version of J.M Barrie's hero, my answer firmly rests on no. All that aside however, this live action remake from Disney that's slated for a 2022 release looks incredibly promising, with Yara Shahidi onboard as Tinkerbell and Milla Jovovich's daughter, Ever Anderson, set to play Wendy.
The Stars At Noon
Set in Nicaragua in 1984, The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson details the relationship between an American woman and an Englishman; where neither party are exactly who they seem. Arguably the best part of this upcoming film is that our beloved R.Pats will be starring alongside the heavenly being that is Margaret Qualley. More details on this to come.
Persuasion
Late last year, we were treated to the news that a Jane Austen anthology series was in the works thanks to Netflix. As it turns out Austen's last fully-completed novel and the one with the eldest protagonist, Persuasion, is next in line for the filmic treatment, with Dakota Johnson onboard as Anne Elliot.
Looking for more novels to add to your reading list? Why not take a look at these classic Australian books or plunge into our favourite smutty fiction. Otherwise, here's a list of 30 books to read before you turn 30. That should keep you busy.
