Curious about the books becoming movies in 2022? Although nothing is certain, here are the most likely books to movies of 2022.
Every year, I compile a list of books becoming movies and tv shows, and every year it is a royal pain. Researching titles to see which movies based on books are coming soon and coping with ever-shifting release dates drive me nuts every year. Add in the prevalence of book adaptations on streaming services, and it’s not an easy task.
That’s not even factoring in a pandemic.
Even though theaters are starting to come back, movie release dates are still shifting constantly. I’d love to say that this is the definitive list of books being made into movies in 2022, but let’s face it. No one can foresee what the future will hold.
For your benefit, I’ve split my list of books to movies 2022 into three sections. First, I’ve got all the books becoming movies in 2022 with an actual release date. After that, I’ve got my most likely 2022 book adaptations, and then a list of books turning into movies under development. If we are lucky, we’ll see some of those this year.
If it seems like this list has changed since you last looked at it, it has! Release dates are changing all the time, so I will update periodically to reflect the newest information available.
If you love seeing your favorite books come to life on screen or want to discover some new books to read before they hit theaters (or Netflix), here is my list of the books to movies in 2022.
Books to Movies 2022 – Spring & Summer
Nightmare Alley
William Lindsey Gresham
December 17, 2021 – The dark story of young Stan Carlisle: clever, ambitious, and ruthless. He begins work as a carny, becomes a mentalist, and eventually a successful spiritualist. The movie stars Bradley Cooper as Carlisle and Cate Blanchett as Dr. Lilith Ritter, the psychiatrist he teams up with to con people out of their money.
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Macbeth December 25, 2021 – Shakespeare’s plays are commonly the source of movies based off books and Denzel Washington stars in the newest adaptation. After three witches prophesy that he will be King of Scotland, Macbeth, a respected general, sets out to seek the foretold power, with deadly consequences along the way.
Munich
Robert Harris
Munich – Edge of War December 31, 2021 – With the hope for peace still dangling before them, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain travels to Munich to meet one last time with Adolf Hitler in 1938. Behind the scenes, Chamberlain’s private secretary Guy Legat and his old school friend Rikard von Holz, an anti-Hitler member of the German foreign office, are set on a collision course in one of my most-anticipated books being turned into movies in 2022.
Redeeming Love
Francine Rivers
January 21, 2022 – A retelling of the Bible story of Hosea set during California’s gold rush. Forced into prostitution as a child, Angel works in a California brothel and is extremely wary of men. When Michael Hosea is told by God that he should marry Angel, she doesn’t believe his innocent act. Yet, as he begins to win her trust, Angel begins to increasingly feel unworthy and comes to realize salvation only comes from God. This Christian drama is supposedly coming out in early 2022.
Death on the Nile
Agatha Christie
February 11, 2022 – Retired expert detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a relaxing vacation to Egypt. Among his fellow passengers is Linnet Ridgeway, one of the wealthiest women in England, who is on her honeymoon with her husband Simon Doyle. Yet all is not bliss for the happy couple, as they have been followed by a vengeful Jacqueline de Belleforte, Linnet’s former best friend and Simon’s former fiance. Add in a cast of suspicious characters and a murder and you get the perfect recipe for an Agatha Christie mystery. The release date for Death on the Nile has been delayed repeatedly, so fingers crossed it really is one of the books to movies in 2022.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Paul Gallico
March 4, 2022 – In Paul Gallico’s classic, a humble London charlady cleaning the houses of the rich stumbles upon an elegant Dior dress. Captivated by its beauty, Mrs. Harris scrimps and saves until she can afford a trip to Paris, not realizing how it will transform her life.
The Bad Guys
Aaron Blabey
April 22, 2022 – Of the children’s books to movies coming soon, keep your eye out for the adaptation of Aaron Blabey’s hit series, The Bad Guys. Yes, they sound and look like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are determined to prove they are the good guys. Their first mission: to release 200 dogs from the Pound.
The Black Phone
Joe Hill
June 24, 2022 – Based on a short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone tells the tale of the kidnapping of five boys in the 1970s. When Mason Thames wakes up in a soundproof basement, he finds a disconnected phone that enables him to communicate with the past victims, who try to help him escape.
Bullet Train
Kōtarō Isaka
July 15, 2022 – Considered the unluckiest assassin in the world, Nanao boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with a simple mission: snatch a briefcase and get off at the next stop. However, Nanao is surprised to discover four other assassins on the train whose missions all intersect in surprising ways.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
July 22, 2022 – For years, Kya Clark has survived alone in the marshes of the North Carolina coast. Dubbed “The Marsh Girl” by the locals, she raises herself in nature after her family abandons her. Now, as she comes of age, she begins to yearn for something more than her loneliness – maybe even a connection with the locals. An exquisitely written tale, Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the most-anticipated upcoming book adaptations releasing this year.
Books to Movies 2022 – Fall
‘Salem’s Lot
Stephen King
September 9, 2022 – The list of books to movies 2022 couldn’t be complete without at least one Stephen King adaptation. In his second published work, King depicts the tale of Ben Mears, a writer returning to a town of his childhood to write his next book. As a boy, he had a supernatural experience in a haunted house in Jerusalem’s Lot and thinks it would be a great inspiration. Though as he starts his book about the power of evil, vampires start to take over the small Maine town.
Dark Harvest
Norman Partridge
September 23, 2022 – Just in time for Halloween, on the list of horror books to movies in 2022 is Partridge’s dark story. In 1963, a small Midwestern town is awash with the rumors of the October Boy. Every Halloween, a gang of teenage boys wait for him to emerge from the cornfields with a butcher knife in hand, turning the hunter into the hunted. This year, Pete McCormick will do anything to be the one to face the October Boy.
White Bird
R. J. Palacio
September 16, 2022 – R. J. Palacio is best known for her book Wonder, which was adapted to film in 2017. In the graphic novel White Bird, Palacio extends the Wonder universe to tell the story of Julian’s grandmother, Grandmère, who, as a young Jewish girl during World War II, was hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Bernard Waber
November 18, 2022 – Everyone in his New York City neighborhood loves Lyle the Crocodile, except Mr. Grumps and his nervous cat Loretta. They claim Lyle belongs in a zoo! As Lyle tries to win them over, his every attempt seems to make things worse. It will take all his charm to win over his cantankerous neighbors.
She Said
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
November 18, 2022 – For months, New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were in confidential talks with top actresses and employees digging into long-buried allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by Harvey Weinstein. However, neither woman was prepared for the sheer momentum of the #MeToo movement that followed the publication of their expose.
Matilda
Roald Dahl
December 2, 2022 – Misunderstood by her self-centered parents, book-loving Matilda finds solace in her wonderful teacher Miss Honey. But when the evil principal Miss Trunchbull threatens her beloved teacher, Matilda rallies to her defense. Netflix is scheduled to release a new adaptation of this beloved children’s book in 2022.
Books to Movies 2022 – TBD
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
Shortly after the start of the First World War, the compelling speeches of his teacher cause Paul Bäumer and his entire class to enlist in the Imperial German Army. Thrust into the chaos of the front, Paul faces emotional and psychological tolls greater than he could ever imagine. Yet, Paul finds no relief when he returns home and struggles to adapt to civilian life.
All the Old Knives
Olen Steinhauer
Six years ago in Vienna, terrorists took hundreds of hostages and a rescue attempt went horribly wrong. At the time, CIA case officers Henry Pelham and Celia Harrison were lovers, but have since gone their own ways. Except they’ve always wondered, was their agent compromised. And if so, how?
Anatomy of a Scandal
Sarah Vaughan
When a government minister is accused of rape, a courtroom drama ensues. Sophie Whitehouse knows her charming successful husband James isn’t perfect. While she’s disappointed in his affair, she knows he couldn’t be capable of rape. On the flip side, Kate, the lawyer in charge of prosecuting the crime, is convinced James is guilty. Which one is right?
Blonde
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the life of Norma Jeane Baker, the woman who rose to fame as Marilyn Monroe. Oates portrays a powerful woman, intensely driven, who lost her way. If you love novels made into movies that are based in real life, you’ll want to check out this fictionalized account starring Ana de Armas.
Conversations with Friends
Sally Rooney
After the success of Normal People, Sally Rooney is again on the list of books to movies in 2022, or more accurately books to tv series. In Conversations with Friends, her debut novel, two college students and former lovers, Frances and Bobbi, become entangled with a married couple. Melissa’s a journalist; Nick’s an actor, and their marriage is struggling. When Frances and Nick enter into an affair, it leads to uncomfortable situations for all involved.
Deep Water
Patricia Highsmith
Unwilling to divorce, Vic and Melinda Van Allen agree to save their marriage. As long as Melinda stays, she can have as many lovers as she wants. Inevitably, Vic’s jealousy becomes uncontrollable. The couple begins playing mind games with each other, and the people around them begin to die. Trying to top his performance in Gone Girl, Ben Affleck stars in the first erotic release by Disney in years.
Dear Zoe
Philip Beard
On September 11, 2001, as the world’s attention is focused on the unspeakable tragedies in New York City and Washington, D.C., Tess DeNunzio’s sister Zoe is killed in a hit-and-run. In a letter written to Zoe, fifteen-year-old Tess grieves for her sisters and contemplates her place in the world. This coming-of-age drama is currently in post-production with a possible 2022 release date.
Exit West
Mohsin Hamid
In a country on the brink of civil war, fierce Nadia and gentle Saeed begin an intense romance, nestled securely in love as the city erupts around them. As violence escalates, they begin to hear rumors of doors with the ability to whisk you away to a free land. One of the most powerful book to movie 2022 adaptations, Exit West is a tale of desperately clinging to the past while trying to forge a new future.
Fire & Blood
George R. R. Martin
The House of the Dragon (HBO series). Set centuries before A Game of Thrones, this forthcoming tv series from George R. R. Martin records the history of the Targaryen clan, answering many unanswered questions about such things as the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs. At 736 pages, this first volume in the two-part history is not for the faint of heart. However, if you are a die-hard George R. R. Martin fan, I’m sure you will lap up every word.
The Good Nurse
Charles Graeber
Investigative reporter Charles Graeber spent ten years composing this true crime book about America’s most prolific serial killer. Over 16 years and in 9 hospitals, registered nurse Charlie Cullen, a beloved father and celebrated caregiver, took the lives of hundreds of patients. Graeber gives a complicated portrait of the “Angel of Death” and the events that led to his unmasking.
High in the Clouds
Paul McCartney, Philip Ardagh, and Geoff Dunbar
When his homeland is destroyed, Wirral the Squirrel sets off to find Animalia, a land where all animals can live in peace. With the help of a frog with a hot air balloon, a clever rat, and a red squirrel, Wirral eventually decides they must free all the enslaved animals.
Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann
If you are looking for exciting new movies based on books, you should keep your eye out for this true crime story about the fascinating case of the Osage murders in the 1920s. After discovering oil on their land, the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma was among the richest people in the world at the time. Once the death toll surpasses 24 Osage, the newly created FBI takes up the investigation to expose an alarming conspiracy behind these notorious crimes. Filming was delayed until early 2021, so it’s likely Martin’s Scorsese’s film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro will come out in 2022.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
D. H. Lawrence
Married to an upper-class baron whose war injuries left him paralyzed, Constance seeks to escape her marriage by having an affair with the gamekeeper. Infamously banned as pornography, D. H. Lawrence’s classic novel details the extramarital affair of Lady Chatterley and explores the unfair dominance of the intellectuals over the working class.
Luckiest Girl Alive
Jessica Knoll
As a teenager, Ani FaNelli suffered a horrid public humiliation. Now, Ani has recreated herself as a successful woman with a glamorous job and a handsome rich fiance. As her past trauma keeps bubbling to the surface, Ani must decide if she’s willing to risk it all to tell the truth, a truth much darker than it first appears.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Grady Hendrix
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade. Which is why Abby is confused when Gretchen begins to pull away when they enter high school. As strange coincidences and bizarre behaviors grow more numerous, Abby realizes there could only be one answer. Gretchen must be possessed by a devil.
My Policeman
Bethan Roberts
If you are interested in LGBTQ+ books to movies in 2022, you don’t want to miss Bethan Roberts’ queer romance. In 1950s Brighton, Marion, a schoolteacher, and Paul, a museum curator, are both in love with the same man – Tom, a policeman played by Harry Styles in the film adaptation. Keeping a front of respectability, Tom marries Marion but the two lovers must share him until one of them breaks, changing all of their lives.
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
Set in a small village in occupied France, the story centers around two sisters. Forced to house a German officer in her home, the older sister Vianne Mauriac must decide, to protect her daughter, where exactly she should draw the line of being complicit with German demands. On the other hand, her younger sister Isabelle Rossignol feels committed to doing anything she can to resist the German occupation. Unfortunately, The Nightingale‘s 2022 release date was canceled again, so I don’t think it will actually be a book becoming a movie this year.
Persuasion
Jane Austen
One of the classic books soon to be movies is a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Eight years ago, Anne Elliott let herself be persuaded out of an engagement with the poor naval officer Frederick Wentworth, a decision she has long regretted. When Wentworth returns as a rich and successful sea captain, he finds the Elliott family on the brink of financial ruin. Will Anne and Wentworth rekindle their romance or has she missed her chance?
Peter Pan
J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie’s children’s classic is getting yet another book to movie adaptation soon. Along with all the other Disney classics getting live adaptations, Peter Pan & Wendy will update the beloved children’s book. The boy who never grows up recruits Wendy and her two brothers to join him on adventures in Neverland.
The School for Good and Evil
Soman Chainani
In one of the most interesting YA books to movies coming soon, two best friends find their roles switched. Every year, two children are taken to the School of Good and Evil – one unbelievably good trained to become a storybook prince or princess and one outcast, destined to become a fairy tale villain. No one is surprised when Sophie and Agatha are chosen, except when outcast Agatha is trained to become a hero and the beautiful Sophie is sent to become a villain.
Spaceman of Bohemia
Jaroslav Kalfar
Raised in the Czech countryside by loving grandparents, Jakub Procházka has become a leading scientist and his country’s first astronaut. When he leaves on a dangerous solo mission to Venus, Jakub realizes too late how much he is wife has sacrificed for his ambition. As he befriends an alien spider, Jakub spends his time in space pondering the deep questions of life, hoping to return home to give his marriage another chance.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
When you think of the best books about time travel, Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel comes to mind. In this classic love story, art student Clare and librarian Henry try for a sense of normalcy as Henry time shifts through their life. Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder; he unexpectedly gets pulled to important emotional moments in his past and future life. This mind-bending romance is getting a new tv series adaptation, hopefully releasing this year.
White Noise
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo has two books coming to movies soon, including this satire of mass culture and mind-numbing technology. Jack Gladney is a teacher of Hitler studies at liberal arts college. Married to his fourth wife, Jack attempts to navigate his marriage and his four ultramodern children in a world surrounded by noise when a black cloud from an industrial accident descends on their lives.
Wicked
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire imagines the life of the Wicked Witch of the West, a misunderstood little green-skinned girl named Elphaba who was not as wicked as our preconceived notions tell us. Maguire’s book, which garners mixed reviews, inspired the hit Broadway musical which is the basis for the film.
Books to Movies Under Development
What books to movies in 2022 are you most excited for?
Ann says
So excited about Killers of The Flower Moon. And with Scorsese, it will be in good hands. I did not actually finish the book for one reason or another, but now that you’ve reminded me of it, I will try & revisit.
My daughters and I are huge Harry Styles fans, so looking forward to him continuing his acting in My Policeman.
He was in the movie Dunkirk. He is just a well rounded talent!
Anonymous says
I didn’t see it listed and I don’t know if you limit it to only “book” books, but Neil Gaimans Sandman Graphic Novel series comes out in a few month on netflix.
Barbara C says
Nora Roberts novel “Brazen Virtue” is coming to Netflix on January 13, 2022. It is called “Brazen”