2023 Book to Screen Adaptations

If you’re anything like me, you may find that you can get sucked into a book or a story very easily. Sometimes I find myself wishing for a “redo” so I can experience it for the first time again: falling in love with the world that is built, how the characters talk, feel, and interact with their surroundings, and the way the authors seem to effortlessly make every detail connect and make sense.

Although they aren’t always accurate, TV shows and film adaptations are an exciting way to view your favorite fictional worlds for the first time again! (Technically it isn’t the first time, but it’s definitely a new way to experience it!) Plenty of novels are finding their way to the screen this year, but here are just a few that I am looking forward to!

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

In this musical drama novel, readers follow the story of the young Daisy Jones, a talented up-and-coming artist who is making her way into the 1970s music scene. She is paired up with the blues-rock band The Six when a producer realizes that the two could be the key to each others’ success.

For this particular novel, I highly recommend the audiobook version! This book is in a transcript format, meaning that readers learn about the characters, their lives, and relationships through the stories they tell as they are interviewed. The audiobook has an entire cast that reads the book, rather than one narrator. Having multiple people voicing these characters makes the reading—or rather, listening—experience all the more immersive and fascinating!

If you haven’t been keeping up with streaming platforms or social media, surprise! This adaptation has already made its way to Amazon Prime Video! Right now, eight of the ten episodes have been released, and the final two are set to premiere on March 24th.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

This prequel and spin-off to The Hunger Games series was published 10 years after the release of Mockingjay, the final installment of the trilogy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows Coriolanus Snow a whopping 64 years before the events of the trilogy take place. In this novel, the 18 year-old Snow mentors District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird as she prepares to enter the 10th Annual Hunger Games. President Snow is almost mysterious in the first Hunger Games novel, and although we learn more about his motives as the series progresses, we don’t know a lot about him and his past because we share the knowledge Katniss Everdeen—our narrator and eyes into this world—has.

If you’re longing to dive back into the world of The Hunger Games, you still have plenty of time to get your hands on this book before the film begins playing in theaters on November 17th!

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This LGBTQ+ romance-comedy was author Casey McQuiston’s debut novel. Readers follow Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the United States’ first female president. His mother plans to run for re-election for the 2020 presidential election, and in hopes of resolving any distractions of her running, Alex pretends to be friends with Britain’s Prince Henry when a potential diplomatic and media crisis arises. Along the way, the two actually become friends, but their relationship develops into a romantic one when Henry reveals he is gay and Alex realizes that he is bisexual.

Though we don’t have an official release for the film just yet, it is highly likely the release will be near the end of this year. It was reported that primary production was finished back in August 2022. Amazon Studios has the film rights for this novel, meaning it will most likely be streaming on Amazon Prime Video when the time comes.

Are there any other adaptations that you’re looking forward to? Or maybe you have a favorite book that you think deserves to make it to the big screen? Comment them down below!