Pass the Popcorn: 10 Books to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen

After years of struggling to start a family on an island off the coast of Australia, Tom and Isabel Sherbourne find a boat that has washed ashore carrying the body of a man and a living baby. Tom wants to report the missing child to authorities, but grief-stricken Isabel claims the child as their own. What follows is a heartbreaking realization about the effects our choices have on others. We can’t wait to see Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as Tom and Isabel. RELEASE DATE: September 2, 2016

One day in 2005, 9-year-old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi met a man who would change her life. Robert Katende, a war-refugee-turned-missionary, had a dream to empower local children through the game of chess, and Phiona soon proved herself to be an undeniable talent. This remarkable true story follows her as she rises through the ranks and seeks to reach the highest levels of the game. Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo star. RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2016

After a horrific family tragedy, a young boy named Jacob is sent to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As he explores, he begins to realize that the past young residents of the home were not only strange, they may have been dangerous—and they might still be alive. We’re thrilled that director Tim Burton is bringing this inventive tale to the big screen. RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2016

This Carnegie Medal-winning children’s novel is the latest fantasy adaptation to be translated from page to screen. Set in present-day England, it follows a young boy struggling to cope with his mother’s terminal illness. He’s visited each night be a monster (Liam Neeson) who tells him stories, with profound and escalating consequences. RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2016

Part satire, part political commentary, Ben Fountain’s debut has been called “CATCH-22 for the Iraq War.” Coming to the big screen in an adaptation by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, it follows a young man named Billy Lynn and the surviving members of his Bravo Squad as they are shuffled through a day’s worth of events on their “Victory Tour” at the Texas Stadium. RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2016

Perhaps the most anticipated film of 2016, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter backstory features the wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he travels to 1920s New York. Everything is going swimmingly, until Scamander’s suitcase—which contains a number of dangerous magical creatures and their habitats (indexed in his textbook FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM)—pops open and the state of the non-magical world is threatened. RELEASE DATE: November 18, 2016

Mae Holland (played by Emma Watson) is an ambitious young woman hired by the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, which is pioneering a new age of transparency. But as Mae moves deeper into the group culture, her enthusiasm is tested as she begins to face all-too-familiar questions of privacy, history, democracy, and human knowledge. RELEASE DATE: TBD 2016

For almost a decade, Stephen King fans have been yearning to see this epic series on the big screen, and they’ll finally get their wish with this adaptation, starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. It tells the story of the fallen land of Mid-World, through the eyes of a knight whose primary mission is to save his decaying world by reaching the titular tower that stands at the intersection of time and space. This mix of horror, western, and sci-fi will be a must-see. RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2017

The year is 2044, and the world isn’t a great place. So, when the multi-billionaire creator of a virtual world dies, he hides his entire fortune somewhere within his creation to spark the largest treasure hunt the world has ever known. Whoever gets to it first wins it all. If you grew up playing video games, this one is for you, and we’re sure the adaptation—directed by Stephen Spielberg—will be worth the wait. RELEASE DATE: March 30, 2017

When Theodore Finch and Violet Markey meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves the life of the other. Violet, a popular cheerleader, and Theodore, an outsider obsessed with death, soon team up on a class project. As they grow closer, they teach each other how to be their best selves and confront life’s challenges head on. Elle Fanning is set to star in this adaptation. RELEASE DATE: TBD 2017