Winter reading: 10 books being adapted for film, TV
Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The Color Purple, It Ends with Us and Shōgun are being adapted for film and television this winter.
New adaptations will open in theaters and debut on streaming services in December, January, and February.
Some big-name stars are attached to movies and TV series based on books. Here's a rundown:
'The Color Purple'
The Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel by Alice Walker tells the story of Celie, a poor Black girl living in rural Georgia in the 1900s. The character endures hardships while forming strong bonds with the other women in her life.
The Color Purple is being adapted as a new film based on the Broadway musical inspired by Walker's novel. Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R., Ciara and Halle Bailey star, with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg as producers.
The Color Purple opens in theaters Dec. 25. Warner Bros. shared a new trailer for the movie in October.
'The Boys in the Boat'
The 2013 non-fiction book by Daniel James Brown recounts the true story of the University of Washington rowing team that competed at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.
The book is being adapted as a new film directed and produced by George Clooney and starring Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton.
The Boys in the Boat opens in theaters Dec. 25. MGM released a trailer for the film in October.
'Society of the Snow'
The 2009 non-fiction book by Pablo Vierci documents the true story of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, where Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed into the Andes Mountains. The survivors, which included members of a rugby team, were forced to resort to any means necessary to survive.
J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, A Monster Calls) co-wrote and directed a film adaptation starring Enzo Vogrincic Roldá, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella and Tomas Wolf.
Society of the Snow premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and will start streaming Jan. 4 on Netflix. The service released a trailer for the film in November.
'Fool Me Once'
The 2016 thriller novel by Harlan Coben follows Maya, a former special ops pilot mourning the death of her husband, Joe. The character uncovers a deadly conspiracy after seeing her husband on her secret nanny cam after his apparent death.
Netflix is adapting the book as a new series starring Michelle Keegan as Maya and Richard Armitage as Joe. Adeel Akhtar and Joanna Lumley also star, while Coben serves as executive producer.
Fool Me Once premieres Jan. 1. Netflix released a trailer for the show in January.
Netflix previously adapted Coben's books The Stranger, Safe and Stay Close.
'Boy Swallows Universe'
The 2018 coming-of-age novel by Trent Dalton follows Eli, a 12-year-old boy living in 1980s Australia. The character must navigate the challenges of young adulthood while facing the dangers of Brisbane's underworld.
Netflix is adapting the book as a new series starring Travis Fimmel, Felix Cameron, Simon Baker, Phoebe Tonkin, Zac Burgess and Lee Tiger Halley.
Boy Swallow Universe premieres Jan. 11. Netflix shared a teaser trailer for the show in November.
'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents'
The 2020 non-fiction book by Isabel Wilkerson explores racism in the United States by examining its similarities to Nazi Germany and caste systems in India.
The book is being adapted as the new film Origin, written and directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma, A Wrinkle in Time) and starring Aunjanue Ellis and Jon Bernthal. Ellis plays a fictionalized version of Wilkerson, who struggles with personal tragedy as she writes her book.
Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman and Blair Underwood also star.
Origin had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and opens in theaters Jan. 19. Neon released a trailer for the movie in December.
'Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era'
The 2021 book by Laurence Leamer explores the story behind Truman Capote's never-published final novel, Answered Prayers, which exposed the lives of the "swans," the elite women he befriended in high society New York. Capote was banished from their circle after publishing chapters from the book in Esquire.
FX is adapting the book as the second season of Feud, its anthology series about famous feuds. The season, titled Feud: Capote Vs. the Swans, will have a two-episode premiere Jan. 31 on FX. Episodes will stream the next day on Hulu.
Tom Hollander plays Capote. The star-studded cast also includes Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chlo? Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Treat Williams, Joe Mantello and Russell Tovey.
'Argylle'
The debut novel by Elly Conway is scheduled for release Jan. 9. The book is a spy thriller following Argylle, a troubled agent with a tarnished past who must take on one of the most powerful men in the world.
The book is being adapted as a spy comedy directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman) and starring Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard. Howard plays a fictional version of Conway, an introverted author who is drawn into a real-life mission to unravel a global spy syndicate.
Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson also star.
Argylle opens in theaters Feb. 2. Apple Original Films released a trailer for the movie in September.
'It Ends with Us'
The 2016 romance novel by Colleen Hoover follows Lily Bloom, a young woman who falls in love with a neurosurgeon, Ryle. The character later reconnects with her first love, Atlas.
The book is being adapted as a new film directed by Justin Baldoni. Blake Lively plays Lily, with Baldoni as Ryle and Brandon Sklenar as Atlas. Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj also have roles.
It Ends with Us opens in theaters Feb. 9.
'Shōgun'
The 1975 historical fiction novel by James Clavell is the first book in his Asian Saga. The story follows John Blackthorne, an English sailor who is shipwrecked and washes up on the shores of feudal Japan.
The book is being adapted as an FX and Hulu series starring Cosmo Jarvis as Blackthorne. The cast also includes Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga and Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko.
Shōgun will premiere Feb. 27 on FX and Hulu. FX shared a teaser trailer for the show in November.
