29 Books to Read Before They're 2021's Most Popular Movies and TV Shows

Do you insist on reading the book before the movie or TV show adaptation comes out? We do t0o, and come 2021, we'll have a lot of books to read. Adaptations of two of Kristin Hannah's epic and affecting books are coming out—one show, and one movie. Over in the realm of Disney live-action adaptations, Cruella de Vil of 101 Dalmatians, originally a novel by Dodie Smith, is getting her own origin story. And the actors behind The Crown's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, Olivia Colman and Josh O'Connor, will reunite in a quiet drama based on the acclaimed novel Mothering Sunday. David E. Kelley, known for writing The Undoing and Big Little Lies, has a Netflix series on the way. Oh, and speaking of Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers is based on another one of Liane Moriarty's thrillers.

Of course, release dates are tentative given the pandemic. Some movies may even be pushed back to 2022, or—as with Warner Bros's 2021 slate—will be released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. Think of this as a living document as we add more adaptations and alter dates throughout the year.