On the book-to-film adaptation front, 2018 brought us If Beale Street Could Talk, Crazy Rich Asians, Annihilation, and more. Here's what's on the horizon for 2019.
10. Chaos Walking (TBA)
Based on Patrick Ness's 2008 novel The Knife of Never Letting Go, Chaos Walking has a reported budget of $90-100 million and stars Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Nick Jonas, and Cynthia Erivo. In the near future, Todd Hewitt (Holland) has been raised to believe a viral germ has killed all women in a colony world and unleased Noise, the ability to read people's and animals' minds. He finds a patch of silence and discovers its source: a mysterious woman named Viola Eade (Ridley). The script is co-written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). This adaptation is for the first part of Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy and a sequel is already in the works.
9. Pet Sematary (April 5)
In 2019, we also get It: Chapter Two (September 6), but April brings another Stephen King adaptation: Pet Sematary. Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz star as a couple who move their family next to a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. Happiness and other positive things ensue. Five cats (all rescues) were cast to play the role of Church the cat: they had a "catio" assembled for them to play and relax between takes, and all five found homes after shooting was done. Watch the trailer here.
8. Where'd You Go, Bernadette (March 22)
Richard Linklater directs this adaptation of Maria Semple's 2012 novel, which stars Cate Blanchett as Bernadette, who disappears. Her 15-year-old daughter, Bee (Emma Nelson), sets out to find her and discovers her troubled past in the process. The movie co-stars Billy Crudup and Kristen Wiig. Watch the trailer here.
7. The Sun Is Also a Star (May 17)
Based on Nicola Yoon's 2016 novel, the story revolves around two teens: Daniel, the son of Korean shopkeepers who is on his way to interview with a Yale alum, and Natasha, who is meeting with a lawyer to try and prevent her family's deportation to Jamaica. The two meet in New York City on this eventful day and fall in love. Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton star as Natasha and Daniel, and Ry Russo-Young (Before I Fall) directs.
6. Artemis Fowl (August 9)
Eion Colfer's 2001 novel gets the 3D/IMAX treatment this fall, and Kenneth Branagh will take a break from Shakespeare to direct. In order to rescue his criminal father and restore the family fortune, Artemis Fowl II and his trusted servant and bodyguard Butler seek the existence of fairies (believing that it makes a connection to his father) in hopes of robbing them.
5. The Woman in the Window (October 4)
An agoraphobic child psychologist living alone in New York (Amy Adams) begins spying on her new neighbors and witnesses a disturbing act of violence. Adapted from A.J. Finn's novel, the movie is directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice), written by Tracy Letts, and features a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Brian Tyree Henry, and Anthony Mackie co-star.
4. Native Son (TBA)
Richard Wright's 1940 novel about a young black man living on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s has been adapted before, including in 1951, with Wright himself playing the lead, Bigger Thomas. The 2019 version, which will debut in January at Sundance, stars Ashton Sanders (best known for his role as Chiron in Moonlight) in the main role. Rashid Johnson directs and Suzan-Lori Parks, who won the Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play Topdog/Underdog, wrote the screenplay.
3. The Goldfinch (October 11)
The first Donna Tartt adaptation lands this fall, with Ansel Elgort playing Theo, whose mother is killed in an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum and who goes to live with the wealthy family of his friend. The explosion also results in Theo's possession of the titular painting, which draws him into the world of art forgeries. Aneurin Barnard, Ashleigh Cummings, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, and Nicole Kidman co-star. The movie is directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn) and shot by living legend Roger Deakins.
2. The Irishman (TBA)
Based on Charles Brandt's true crime book I Heard You Paint Houses, The Irishman is about Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, a labor union official with mob connections, as he recalls his involvement in the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa. Brandt's book features his interviews with Sheeran over the course of nearly five years, in which Sheeran confessed to handling more than 25 hits for the mob. Sheeran, a WWII veteran, worked for Russell Bufalino, who ordered Sheeran to kill Hoffa. Martin Scorsese directs the film, which has a budget as high as $200 million, making it the most expensive project of his career. Robert De Niro (Sheeran), Al Pacino (Hoffa), Joe Pesci (Bufalino), Anna Paquin (Peggy Sheeran), Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, and Harvey Keitel star.
1. Little Women (December 25)
Following Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, Saoirse Ronan, and Timothée Chalamet team up again for this adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic about the four March sisters—Jo (Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Meg (Emma Watson)—coming of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. Reports are that this version focuses more on the March sisters' young adult lives, particularly after Meg, Jo, and Amy leave their family home. The film also stars Meryl Streep (Aunt March) and Laura Dern (Marmee March).
