On the book adaptation front, 2015 brought us The Martian, Carol, The Revenant, and, of course, 50 Shades of Grey. Let's see what's on the horizon for 2016.
10. Silence (TBA 2016)
Martin Scorsese's passion project barely makes the list because it's been on-and-off for over 10 years now, but with the film hitting post-production last May, it seems 2016 is the year it's finally released. Based on Shūsaku Endō's 1966 novel and set in the 17th century, the story follows two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) traveling to Japan to find their mentor (Liam Neeson).
9. A Monster Calls (October 14)
Based on Patrick Ness's 2011 novel, which won the Carnegie Medal, this fantasy story has found the perfect director in Juan Antonio Bayona, the man behind cult favorite The Orphanage. The movie, about a boy coping with his mother's terminal illness through the help of a tree monster, stars Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, and Liam Neeson as the Monster.
8. Inferno (October 14)
The fourth book in Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series gets the big-screen treatment, with Ron Howard returning as director and Tom Hanks returning as Langdon. This time, Langdon wakes up in a Florence hospital room with no memory of how he got there, only to find that he's the focus of a manhunt. The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons grossed $217 million and $133 million, respectively.
7. The Divergent Series: Allegiant (March 18)
The final book of the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, has been split into two films, beginning with 2016's Allegiant and concluding with Ascendant, to be released on June 6, 2017. The story follows Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venturing into the world outside of the fence and getting taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. 2014's Divergent and 2015's Insurgent grossed $150 million and $130 million, respectively.
6. The BFG (March 23)
Roald Dahl's book was already adapted for television back in 1989, but this year's version ditches animation for live action and CGI, and is directed by Steven Spielberg. The story revolves around a girl named Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant, who is considered an outcast by the other giants because he refuses to eat boys and girls.
5. The Jungle Book (April 15)
Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Kipling's classic gets a live-action treatment. Voices include Christopher Walken (King Louie), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Bill Murray (Baloo), Idris Elba (Shere Khan), Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha), and Scarlett Johansson as Kaa.
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (November 11)
Ben Fountain's 2012 novel, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, is about an infantryman recounting the final hours before he and his fellow soldiers return to Iraq. And it's in good hands for its adaptation: Ang Lee is directing, the screenplay is by Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy, and the cast includes Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker.
3. The Girl on the Train (October 7)
Production just started on this one back in October, but we already have our first look at Emily Blunt as Rachel Watson, who witnesses something shocking and starts to realize that she may have been involved. The movie is directed by Tate Taylor (The Help) and the cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, and Justin Theroux. Time will tell if The Girl on the Train can match Gone Girl's $167 million take back in 2014.
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (November 18)
J. K. Rowling makes her screenwriting debut in this spin-off from the world of Harry Potter. The film depicts the adventures of writer Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book. David Yates, who directed the final four Harry Potter movies, is on board, as is Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Samantha Morton, and Ron Perlman.
1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (December 25)
Ransom Riggs's blockbuster novel and Tim Burton seem like a perfect match, and expectations couldn't be higher for the Christmas release. The story follows 16-year-old Jacob, who helps protect a group of peculiar orphaned children from the horrible creatures who are out to destroy them. The cast includes Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Chris O'Dowd, Terence Stamp, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Judi Dench, and Samuel L. Jackson, and Danny Elfman will do the score.
