When it comes to movie adaptations of books, readers can be very hesitant to give them a chance. Avid readers argue that books are always better than their movie counterparts or even flat-out refuse to watch them for fear of ruining the book. To their dismay, production companies continue to pick up books, and many of the consequent adaptations are coming to the big screen in 2023.
“Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston
This cute queer romance is set to be released on Amazon Prime in 2023, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez and Uma Thurman. The book follows Alex, the son of the president of the United States, and Henry, the prince of England. When the tabloids snap a picture of them having an altercation, they’re forced by their families to spend time together to make it seem like they’re friends. The book contains three popular romance tropes, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity and the secret relationship. The book first gained attention and popularity on BookTok and has received nothing but five-star reviews ever since.
“Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid gained a ton of traction in the book community thanks to BookTok, and now has two books being adapted into films in 2023. While her books do contain romance, she’s more of a historical fiction writer. “Daisy Jones & The Six” is about a 1970s rock band and their rise to fame. We follow the two main characters as they deal with addiction, family struggles, alcohol and their newfound fame. The film is set to star Riley Keough — granddaughter of Elvis Presley — and Sam Claflin. The book relies heavily on the “right person, wrong time” trope. While filming for the mini-documentary style series began in 2021, the production wrapped up in May of 2022, and is expected to hit Amazon Prime with 10 episodes either by the end of 2022, or the beginning of 2023.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Another Taylor Jenkins Reid classic made famous by BookTok is a 1950s historical romance novel that follows blonde bombshell Evelyn Hugo, her rise to fame, her numerous marriages and her eventual retirement from acting in the late 80s. The book is LGBTQ+ and the main character, Evelyn, is a Latina woman who is the daughter of Cuban immigrants. While it hasn’t been revealed whether the book will be adapted into a movie or TV show, it has been revealed that it will premiere on Netflix. Considering the attention this book has received, readers have high expectations for both of Reid’s movie adaptations.
“It Ends with Us“ by Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover is a New York Times best-selling author who writes romance novels. She isn’t new to movie adaptations, her book “Confess,” recently became a TV series on Prime Video. While she’s written many amazing books, her 2016 novel, “It Ends with Us,” became so popular on BookTok that it was bound to get a film adaptation. The book is about Lily Bloom, who grows up in an abusive household and falls in love with a homeless boy, Atlas. Several years later she moves to Boston for a change of scenery and to open her own flower shop. There she meets Ryle Kincaid, a surgeon who she ultimately falls in love with. Ryle isn’t a relationship guy, but she slowly changes that. As Lily finds out more about Ryle and his past, old memories and thoughts of Atlas resurface. There has yet to be an official release date or a cast reveal, but the film is being directed by Justin Baldoni and has been in the works since 2021.
“They Both Die at the End“ by Adam Silvera
This LGBTQ+ book takes place in the future, in a dystopian society where a company called Death-Cast calls people to inform them that they’re going to die at some point that same day, without revealing how or when. Mateo and Rufus are two complete strangers when they each get their call on the same day. Not wanting to spend their death day alone, they download an app called Last Friend, created to match up people who are going to die on the same day so that they can have a friend and one final adventure. According to Buzzfeed, the adaptation is still in its early stages of development and there is yet to be any information about the release date or cast, but if fans of the book get their way, the adaptation will be released in late 2023.
Being an avid reader myself, and having read most, if not all these books, I can say that I’m very excited to watch their respective screen adaptations. These books are getting the recognition they deserve; and while I do want the movies to stay true to the books, I’m also excited to see what direction each production team will take. No matter what, I won’t let a bad movie adaptation ruin my love and appreciation for a book. I’m fully confident that the authors will do everything in their power to make sure that the movie adaptations follow their story as closely as possible.
