Read the Movie, Watch the Book

Posted on February 16, 2017

by Amy H

Film producers like to know they’re investing in something likely to be a hit, and a film based on a popular book tends to fall solidly in that space.

Here are the top 11 films coming out in 2017 with links to the books upon which they are based (Please note: The movie trailers featured below may not be appropriate for all audiences – viewer discretion advised).

The Dinner by Herman KochThe Dinner by Herman Koch

Print | Large Print | Audiobook | eBook | eAudiobook

Herman Koch’s hit novel was optioned for a film since the book’s original publication in 2009 (released in the U.S. in 2012). The parents of two teenage boys (Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall) meet at an expensive restaurant to discuss what to do about a crime their boys have committed–a crime for which they haven’t been identified yet, but that was caught by a security camera.

The Dinner movie release: early May 2017 Watch the trailer:
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. JamesFifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Print | Large Print | Audiobook | eBook | eAudiobook

The first Fifty Shades (2015) ended up grossing $571 million globally. Though the sequel wasn’t as popular as the original, it should still be quite popular. This time Christian’s haunted past threatens to undo the relationship.

Fifty Shades Darker movie release: mid-February 2017 Watch the trailer:
The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity - a novel by Wm. Paul YoungThe Shack by William P. Young

Print | Large Print | Audiobook | Playaway Audio | eBook | eAudiobook

The mega-bestseller inspirational story by William P. Young gets an adaptation with Octavia Spencer and Sam Worthington. Mack (Worthington), facing a crisis of faith, receives a letter calling him back to the shack in Oregon where his daughter was murdered. There, he meets the mysterious Papa (Spencer).

The Shack movie release: early March 2017 Watch the trailer:
The Circle by Dave EggersThe Circle by Dave Eggers

Print | Audiobook | eBook | eAudiobook

Based on Dave Eggers’s 2013 novel, Emma Watson plays Mae Holland, a young tech worker who quickly rises up the ranks at a powerful corporation, headed by the mysterious and charismatic Bailey (Tom Hanks), only to find out some dangerous corporate secrets. The film is directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now, The End of the Tour).

The Circle movie release: late April 2017 Watch the trailer:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette WallsThe Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Print | Large Print | Playaway Audio | eBook | eAudiobook

This coming-of-age tale, based on Jeannette Walls’s 2005 memoir, is about a family of nomads: Walls herself (the adult version is played by Brie Larson, the 10-year-old version by Ella Anderson), her artist mother (Naomi Watts), alcoholic father (Woody Harrelson), and Walls’s three siblings.

Movie release TBA 2017

The Glass Castle movie release: August 2017 Watch the trailer:
Everything Everything by Nicola YoonEverything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Print | Audiobook | eBook | eAudiobook

Starring Amandla Stenberg (who played Rue in The Hunger Games) and Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), the film is based on Nicola Yoon’s 2015 YA novel. Maddy (Stenberg) is a teenager who’s lived a sheltered life because she’s allergic to everything, but still somehow falls for the boy (Robinson) who moves in next door.

Everything Everything movie release: Late May 2017 Watch the trailer:
Before I Fall by Lauren OliverBefore I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Print | Audiobook | eBook | eAudiobook

A popular YA story that combines the premises of Groundhog Day and Heathers, this adaptation of Lauren Oliver’s 2011 novel received some hype at Sundance. February 12 is just another day for high schooler Sam (Zoey Deutch), until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her final day, she untangles the mystery of her death.

Before I Fall movie release: early March 2017 Watch the trailer:
It by Stephen KingIt by Stephen King

Print | eBook | eAudiobook

This adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a group of boys terrorized by, among other things, an evil clown has been in development since 2009, so fans are understandably wary of getting too excited about this just yet. Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) was originally attached to direct but dropped out in 2015, reportedly because of budget issues. Now Andrés Muschietti, director of 2013’s Mama, is directing, with Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant) playing Pennywise.

 

It movie release: early September 2017 Watch the trailer:
Wonder by P.J. PalacioWonder by R.J. Palacio

Print | Audiobook | Playaway Audio | eBook

Based on R.J. Palacio’s 2012 middle-grade novel, the film is about a boy (Jacob Tremblay, best known for Room) born with a facial deformity who begins the fifth grade with the help and support of his mother (Julia Roberts) and father (Owen Wilson). The challenges he faces help others learn to not judge a book by its cover. Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is directing.

Wonder movie release: November 2017 Watch the trailer:
Annihilation: a novel Jeff VanderMeerAnnihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Print | eBook | eAudiobook

This sci-fi film, based on Jeff VanderMeer’s 2014 novel (the first of his Southern Reach trilogy), is about an expedition to find a missing man in an environmental disaster zone (the less you know, the better). The cast includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, and David Gyasi. Alex Garland (Ex Machina) is directing.

Movie release: TBA 2017

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (The Dark Tower series, book 1)The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Formats for The Gunslinger (1st book in the series): Print | Graphic novel | eBook | eAudiobook

Just like It, this adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series has been in development limbo forever. Combining sci-fi, western, and horror elements, the film is about Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) traversing an Old West-style world in search of the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), as well as the Dark Tower, which might save the world. Nikolaj Arcel is directing and King, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer are producing. A TV series is expected to follow in 2018.

Movie release: August 2017

The Dark Tower series includes: The Gunslinger (1982) The Drawing of Three (1987) The Waste Land (1991) Wizard and Glass (1997) Wolves of the Calla (2003) Song of Susannah (2004) The Dark Tower VII (2004) The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012) Little Sisters of Eluria (prequel to the first volume in the Dark Tower series, a short story from Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King).

The Toledo Library has many editions of each book in the Dark Tower series. Please call the library for assistance finding your preferred title/format.

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