Author Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series was anything anyone could talk about when the second season of its Netflix adaptation was released. Fans of the book got to see their favourite characters come to life on screen and got a chance to fall in love with them all over again. More recently, Korean author Min Jin Lee’s hugely popular novel Pachinko was adapted for the screen by Apple TV+ and starred K-drama icon Lee Min-ho, along with Youn Yuh-jung, and Kim Min-ha. The series received wide critical acclaim for its depiction of inter-generational displacement trauma through a family of Korean-Japanese immigrants. Aside from these novels, many of your favourite books are coming to the big and small screen this year. We’ve curated a list of the book-to-screen adaptations we can’t wait to see in 2022.
If you love to read but haven’t been able to find time, or inspiration, to sit down with a book, here are some TV shows and movies adapted from popular literature that you can watch instead.
The Devotion Of Suspect X
Fans of Japanese author Kiego Higashino were in for a treat when Netflix India announced that it was planning to adapt one of the author’s most popular and critically-acclaimed works The Devotion Of Suspect X. The Bollywood adaptation would star Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Vijay Varma in integral roles and would be helmed by director Sujoy Ghosh. The book revolves around a shocking murder that involves a single mother, her neighbour, and a police officer.
Blonde
This fictionalised take on Marilyn Monroe’s life has been adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name. The movie follows the life of the legendary actress and performer and stars Ana de Armas as Monroe, with actors like Adrien Brody and Brad Pitt appearing in supporting roles.
Bullet Train
This action thriller is based on Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s novel Maria Beetle (published as Bullet Train in English). It follows five assassins who realise that their targets are on the same high-speed bullet train. The ensemble cast features Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Andrew Koji, Sandra Bullock, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bad Bunny, Michael Shannon, and Logan Lerman.
Salem’s Lot
The creators of The Conjuring and It are coming together to adapt Stephen King’s 1975 horror novel Salem’s Lot for the screen. The aforementioned sentence is straight out of any horror-movie buff’s most fervent dream! The story centres around a writer who returns to his hometown only to find it being terrorized by an evil vampire.
Khufiya
Director Vishal Bhardwaj is back with his skillful adaptation of books to screen with his latest Netflix project Khufiya. Based on the popular 2012 espionage novel by Amar Bhushan, titled Escape To Nowhere, the story follows Krishna Mehra, a RAW operative who has been tasked with tracking down a traitor who is selling the country’s defence secrets. The movie will star Tabu, along with Ali Fazal, and Ashish Vidyarthi.
The Wonder
An adaptation of Emma Donaghue’s acclaimed novel, the film is set in 1860s Ireland and is based on the bizarre phenomenon of ‘fasting girls’ in parts of Europe and North America between the 16th and 20th centuries. It follows an English nurse who is brought to an Irish village to investigate the case of an 11-year-old girl who has survived for months without eating a single thing. This psychological thriller pits reason and faith against each other and explores what role community plays in the midst of it all. The film stars Florence Pugh in the lead.
Conversation With Friends
Sally Rooney’s hugely successful 2017 novel of the same name is being adapted into a 12-episode long TV series, starring Alison Oliver, Joe Alwyn, and Jemima Kirk. The story follows the coming-of-age experience of two Dublin university students who find themselves navigating the world of adult relationships and class dynamics.
- Quick links
- Kareena Kapoor
- Bridgerton
- Netflix
- K-dramas
