Books That Are About to Become Blockbusters: What to Read Before These 2025 Film Adaptations Drop
It’s a truth universally acknowledged — the book is almost always better than the film. But every once in a while, a screen adaptation gets it just right… or even enhances the original. 2025 is shaping up to be a thrilling year for bibliophiles and cinephiles alike, with Hollywood continuing its literary love affair. From much-loved classics to cult thrillers and emotional tearjerkers, the next wave of book-to-film adaptations promises cinematic magic. But if you’re someone who insists on reading the book before watching the film (to earn those inevitable “I read it first” bragging rights), then this list is your pre-emptive strike against spoilers. Let’s dive into seven upcoming adaptations that demand a spot on your TBR pile — before they take over your screens.
1. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Movie release date: October 24, 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
Colleen Hoover doesn’t just write novels — she delivers emotional wrecking balls wrapped in gripping prose. Regretting You is no exception. The story orbits Morgan and Clara, a mother-daughter duo reeling from a tragic loss that splits their world apart. Told in alternating perspectives, the novel dissects the chaos of grief, betrayal, young love and generational misunderstandings with surgical precision.
The film adaptation is already drawing buzz with a stacked cast that includes Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco and Scott Eastwood. If Hoover’s signature style of complex emotions, plot twists and poetic heartbreak is your thing, this book should be in your hands before it hits theatres.
Fun Fact: Colleen Hoover self-published her first novel and went on to become a TikTok phenomenon — truly the queen of BookTok.
2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Movie release date: August 22, 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
Murder. Mayhem. And… retirees? Richard Osman’s clever debut flips the crime genre on its head. In a sleepy English retirement village, four elderly friends meet every Thursday to crack unsolved cases. But when a real murder disrupts their quiet lives, they find themselves in the centre of a whodunit that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt.
The film adaptation is in safe hands, produced by none other than Steven Spielberg, with Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan headlining. It’s the ultimate cosy crime read — Agatha Christie meets Only Murders in the Building — and perfect for those who enjoy their murder with a side of mischief.
Fun Fact: Osman, also a TV presenter, wrote the book after visiting his mother in her retirement community and imagining the residents as amateur sleuths.
3. The Running Man by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
Movie release date: November 7, 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
Before The Hunger Games, there was The Running Man. Written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King’s dystopian thriller depicts a terrifying future where reality TV is literally a death match. Desperate to save his sick daughter, Ben Richards signs up for a sadistic game show in which contestants are hunted down for sport.
The 1987 adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger took liberties with the plot. But the upcoming version, with Glen Powell leading and Edgar Wright directing, promises to be darker, more faithful, and politically sharper — just as King intended.
Fun Fact: King has famously stated he wrote The Running Man in just a week. Imagine what most of us were doing in seven days…
4. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Movie release date: August 1, 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
On paper, Ella Durran has it all: political aspirations, a Rhodes Scholarship, and a one-year stint at Oxford University. What she didn’t plan for was Jamie Davenport — witty, British, and keeping a heartbreaking secret. What begins as a breezy campus romance quietly evolves into something far more profound.
Julia Whelan, herself a former Oxford scholar, infuses this debut with rich observations and real emotional heft. Expect the film to be part Notting Hill, part The Fault in Our Stars — and entirely devastating.
Fun Fact: Julia Whelan is also an award-winning audiobook narrator, having voiced the likes of Gillian Flynn and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Movie release date: November 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
It’s not often that a 200-year-old book still feels scarily relevant, but Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein does just that. Far from the campy Halloween version we’ve grown up with, this gothic masterpiece is a meditation on science, guilt, and what it means to be human. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is not a monster, but a misunderstood soul, cursed by his creator’s abandonment.
Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation — long dreamt of, now finally realised — promises to honour the book’s emotional and moral complexity. With Oscar Isaac reportedly starring, this one could be the most thoughtful horror film of the year.
Fun Fact: Shelley penned Frankenstein during a rainy holiday in Switzerland as part of a ghost story contest with Lord Byron and Percy Shelley. Talk about a productive weekend.
6. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Movie release date: December 25, 2025
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
Forget Christmas cheer — this psychological thriller drops on Christmas Day and is anything but jolly. Millie’s new job as a live-in maid for the wealthy Winchester family seems like a dream until she realises something’s deeply wrong behind their pristine facade. Secrets unravel, lies mount, and by the end, you won’t know who to trust.
Already a massive hit on social media, The Housemaid is set to become an even bigger sensation with its star-studded cast — Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Michele Morrone. Read it now, lock your doors later.
Fun Fact: Freida McFadden is a practicing physician who writes thrillers on the side. That’s what we call multitasking.
7. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Movie release date: March 20, 2026
From Fiction to Feature Film: 7 Novels to Devour Before They Hit the Big Screen in 2025
If you liked The Martian, you’re in for another interstellar ride. Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary opens with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship, alone, with no idea who he is or why he’s there. Slowly, he pieces together his mission: to save humanity — and, bizarrely, to team up with an alien who might just become your favourite fictional character.
With Ryan Gosling in the lead role and Lord and Miller (of Spider-Verse fame) directing, this adaptation is bound to be both thrilling and deeply human.
Fun Fact: The novel’s detailed science has been praised by real-life astrophysicists. It’s fiction that feels strangely plausible — space slime and all.
Read Before You Watch
There’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing a beloved book come alive on screen — but that magic hits differently when you’ve already turned the pages yourself. Whether you’re in it for the murder, the monsters, or the melancholy, this year’s slate of adaptations offers something for every kind of reader. So get your bookmarks ready and clear some shelf space — these stories are heading to a cinema near you, but they all began where the best tales do: in your imagination.