18 Books Becoming Movies in 2018
Read Red Sparrow or Crazy Rich Asians before they hit the theater.
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Some of the most anticipated 2018 films—A Wrinkle in Time! Crazy Rich Asians!—will be based on books. It never hurts to be prepared, so we’ve put together a list of 18 essentials you'll want to read before you hit the theater.
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian (January 19)
What's it about? A couple in their eighties—one has Alzheimer's, and one has been diagnosed with cancer—venture out in an old RV they’ve dubbed “The Leisure Seeker” and take one last journey together.
Who's going to be in it? Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland
If you like this, try: Midwinter Break, A Man Called Ove
The Death Cure by James Dashner (January 26)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (February 9)
What's it about? The adorable Peter Rabbit appears in various short children’s stories—most notably The Tale of Peter Rabbit, in which he continually tries to break into the neighboring garden.
Who's going to be in it? Domhnall Gleeson, James Corden, Daisy Ridley
If you like this, try: Paddington, Winnie-the-Pooh
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James (February 9)
What's it about? The last book in the Fifty Shades saga brings lovers Ana and Christian together in holy matrimony, hence the film’s tagline: “Mrs. Grey will see you now."
Who's going to be in it? Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson
If you like this, try: Twilight, Delta of Venus
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (February 23)
What's it about? A scientist sets out with a small team to investigate Area X, the mysterious site where her husband vanished.
Who's going to be in it? Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez, Oscar Isaac
If you like this, try: Z For Zachariah, The Best of All Possible Worlds
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (March 2)
What's it about? A Russian woman named Dominika Egorova, known as “Red Sparrow,” is forced to become a seductive spy, eventually becoming a double agent for the CIA.
Who's going to be in it? Jennifer Lawrence, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Irons
If you like this, try: I Am Pilgrim, Palace of Treason
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (March 9)
What's it about? Loyal, brave Meg Murry travels through space and time to find her missing scientist father, with the help of some unlikely friends.
Who's going to be in it? Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling
If you like this, try: The Phantom Tollbooth, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (March 16)
What's it about? A young man grapples with how to come out as he falls for an anonymous classmate online. (The movie will be called Love, Simon.)
Who's going to be in it? Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel
If you like this, try: Turtles All the Way Down, Call Me by Your Name
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (March 30)
What's it about? Wade Watts escapes the real world in a virtual reality game that contains near-impossible puzzles worth a fortune to anyone who can solve them.
Who's going to be in it? Simon Pegg, Olivia Cooke, Mark Rylance
If you like this, try: Ender’s Game, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (April 19)
What's it about? This historical novel is set in the aftermath of World War II and follows writer Juliet Ashton as she finds an unlikely inspiration on the island of Guernsey.
Who's going to be in it? Lily James, Matthew Goode, Jessica Brown Findlay
If you like this, try: The Nightingale, The Summer Before the War
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (May 11)
What's it about? Bernadette Fox, who is agoraphobic, goes missing before a family trip to Antarctica, and her 15-year-old daughter Bee tries to look for her.
Who's going to be in it? Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer
If you like this, try: Today Will Be Different, Beautiful Ruins
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (August 17)
What's it about? New Yorker Rachel Chu visits her boyfriend’s home in Singapore and discovers he’s super rich—and the country’s most eligible bachelor.
Who's going to be in it? Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh
If you like this, try: Rich People Problems, Little Fires Everywhere
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen (October 12)
What it’s about: First Man is a nonfiction account about astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
Who's going to be in it? Claire Foy, Ryan Gosling, Jon Bernthal
If you like this, try: Hidden Figures, Light This Candle
The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz (October 19)
What's it about? The fourth novel in the Millennium series continues the relationship and investigations of hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who became popular in Stieg Larsson’s original trilogy.
Who's going to be in it? Claire Foy, Claes Bang, Cameron Britton
If you like this, try: Fierce Kingdom, The Keeper of Lost Causes
The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History by Stephan Talty (TBA)
What's it about? This nonfiction tome investigates the origins of the Mob, originally known as the Black Hand, and how they were uncovered by detective Joseph Petrosino.
Who's going to be in it? Leonardo DiCaprio
If you like this, try: The Lost City of Z, Mindhunter
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (TBA)
What's it about? Terrorists take over an international gathering focused on foreign investment, and hold a group featuring a world-renowned opera singer, a wealthy businessman, and a translator hostage.
Who's going to be in it? Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe
If you like this, try: State of Wonder, Manhattan Beach
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (TBA)
What's it about? A disease kills 98 per cent of American children; the rest develop superpowers and are put in internment camps, but one escapes and attempts to take down the government.
Who's going to be in it? Mandy Moore, Gwendoline Christie, Amandla Stenberg
If you like this, try: Never Fade, The Scorpion Rules
Boy Erased: A Memoir by Garrard Conley (TBA)
What's it about? Garrard Conley recounts his childhood growing up in a fundamentalist Arkansas family, who enroll him in gay conversion therapy to deal with his sexuality.
Who's going to be in it? Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe
If you like this, try: Imagine Me Gone, The End of Eddy
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