8 major books being made into movies, from 'Little Women' to 'The Rhythm Section'
It's no secret that many of our favorite books wind up on the big screen (or as prestige TV projects, such as Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman's "Big Little Lies"). Which films heading our way boast plots borrowed from best-sellers? From Blake Lively's next big movie to "Little Women," here's a preview of which novels book-lovers can expect to get the Hollywood treatment.
This month an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2013 novel "The Goldfinch," starring Kidman and Ansel Elgort, came and went. It made only $2.6 million in its first weekend at the box office after critics panned the effort with a 25% rotten rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
'The Goldfinch' (in theaters now)
USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt called the adaptation "a messy jumble of a drama." The story follows 13-year-old Theo Decker, who is essentially orphaned after surviving a deadly explosion at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the years that follow, adult Theo keeps a major secret: He's in possession of “The Goldfinch,” a famous Dutch painting that he retrieved from the ruins of the bombing. In the end, the film "tries hard to be a masterwork like the painting that shares its title, but ends up feeling more like a forgery," Truitt writes.
'It 2' (in theaters now)
Starring Jessica Chastain as a grown-up Bev still spooked by Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), “It: Chapter Two,” based on Stephen King's 1986 novel, is "an ambitious, thought-provoking work that aims for more," writes our critic, who said the sequel "tackles themes of memory and childhood trauma, exploring its characters' crippling loss of innocence decades after smacking down a dancing clown." The horror film killed it on opening weekend, raking in $91 million at the domestic box office.
'The Good Liar' (Nov. 15)
Based on the widely acclaimed 2016 book by Nicholas Searle, the Bill Condon-directed "Good Liar" follows career con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen), who can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
'Cats' (Dec. 20)
T.S. Eliot's 1939 "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats" inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to create the musical "Cats," which has in turn inspired director Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables," "The King's Speech") to create ... something filled with movie stars for the silver screen. After the film's first trailer went meme-crazy, it's no doubt going to be a fur-tastic hoot with a new family of Jellicles, populated by Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Idris Elba as Macavity and James Corden as Bustopher Jones.
'Little Women' (Dec. 25)
Director Greta Gerwig takes on Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1868 tale this holiday season. It's quite a cast: Gerwig's "Lady Bird" star Saoirse Ronan plays Jo, and the March sisters are rounded out by Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, and Eliza Scanlen as Beth. Meanwhile, Laura Dern stars as Marmee, Meryl Streep plays the sisters' forbidding, rich Aunt March and Timothée Chalamet stars as Laurie, Jo's best friend and closest confidant. Is it Christmas yet?
'The Rhythm Section' (Jan. 31)
Blake Lively heads back into the spotlight early next year playing a James Bond-like character who leaves a life in prostitution to become an vengeful assassin after learning it was no accident that her family was killed in a plane crash. Jude Law also stars in the adaptation of the 1999 Mark Burnell novel.
'Call of the Wild' (Feb. 21)
Based on the classic 1903 Jack London book, Harrison Ford stars in “Call of the Wild," playing a prospector named John Thornton who braves the Yukon on his quest to find gold. Ford isn't the first movie star to take on the role: Clark Gable played Thornton in 1935, and in 1972, Charlton Heston played the part, too.
'The Woman in the Window' (2020)
Amy Adams stars in "The Woman in the Window," based on the 2018 novel by A.J. Finn, playing an agoraphobic child psychologist who witnesses a crime. The thriller was set to open in October, but has been pushed back to 2020.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Little Women' to 'The Rhythm Section': 8 hot books turned into movies
