Read Them, Watch Them: 12 Books Being Made Into Movies In 2019

Even if the book remains closer to your heart, who doesn't love to watch their favourite stories on screen. Compiled by SheThePeople.TV's book editor, Archana Pai-Kulkarni, here is a list of 12 popular books that are being made into movies in 2019.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (December 25)

One of the favourite classics of all time, this novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), it has been adapted into a movie several times. It’s a book that can be adapted several times because of its high readability. About four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—it follows their passage from childhood to womanhood. The new movie version of this autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel, by Greta Gerwig, one of the hottest directors in Hollywood right now, promises to capture its poignancy and wit.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King (April 5)

A 1983 horror novel which was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1986, and adapted into a 1989 film of the same name, it is about a deceased pet cat belonging to Louis Creed and his family, which is resurrected and returns all malevolent. Louis’s son, who tragically dies, was also buried in the haunted grounds.

Creepy and unsettling, this remake is being directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes, Scream: The TV Series), working off a screenplay by Jeff Buhler. This one is going to be terrifying.

Cast: Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, Amy Seimetz, Jeté Laurence and twins Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (March 22)

This brilliant novel is about the notorious, agoraphobic, misanthropic and manic matriarch Bernadette Fox, who leads an idyllic life with her family in Seattle, and disappears one fine day, throwing her family into utter chaos. A multifaceted woman, a fearlessly opinionated partner to her husband, a revolutionary architect, and simply Mom to her teenage daughter Bee, (who is the narrator), her sudden mysterious disappearance and the search that follows creates some hilarious moments too. Helmed by Richard Linklater, it would be interesting to see how this hysterical dramedy takes new life on screen.

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, Billy Crudup, Judy Greer and Laurence Fishburne.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (March 1)

Retitled Chaos Walking, Patrick Ness’s YA story is about Todd Hewitt, who is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run. Set in a world where all living things experience each other’s thoughts and feelings in a phenomenon known as “noise”, this fantastical, action-packed and imaginative novel is about fear, flight and the terrifying path of self-discovery. The film adaptation is directed by Doug Liman.

Cast: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley

The Good Shepherd by CS Forester (March 22)

The hero of this classic novel, Commander Krause, is the captain of the fictional US Navy Mahan-class destroyer USS Keeling in World War II. In overall command of an escort force protecting an Atlantic convoy in the Battle of the Atlantic, he finds himself in a difficult position. The book illustrates the difficulties of the Atlantic war: the struggle against the sea, the enemy, and the exhaustion brought on by constant vigilance, and how the captain grapples with insecurities and his past during the action at sea. Scripted by Tom Hanks, and directed by Aaron Schneider, the film version is titled Greyhound. A great pick for history buffs.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (May 17)

The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist, this YA novel is about two teenagers who have nothing in common, who randomly meet, are inexplicably drawn to each other and fall in love. Natasha is a practical young woman trying to keep her family from being deported in a matter of hours. Daniel is a poet at heart, but on this day he is dutifully making good on his familial commitment to a college interview. Told in alternating points of view, it is a thought-provoking and poignant story.

Cast: Charles Melton, Yara Shahidi, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jake Choi

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (August 9)

The first of eight fantasy novels, the story is about Artemis Fowl, a 12-year-old prodigy who has dedicated his life to criminal activities. He leads the Fowl criminal empire, which has existed in his family for generations. After significant research, Artemis believes that he has confirmed the existence of fairies, and captures a fairy named Holly to restore his family’s wealth. He is just the kind of literary character that movies can bring to life. The movie will only cover the events of the first book. Produced by Disney, the film is being directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Cast: Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad, Hong Chau and Judi Dench.

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn (October 4)

This fantastic Hitchcockian thriller is about housebound agoraphobic, Anna Fox, who is dealing with her own loss. Too terrified to step outside, for ten months, she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories. Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see in the house across the way. She is not sure anyone will believe her or if she can trust herself.

Cast: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Wyatt Russell, Julianne Moore, Brian Tyree Henry, Fred Hechinger, and Anthony Mackie.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (October 11)

This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is an emotionally complex life story about a teen boy named Theo Decker who survives a bomb explosion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, despite his mother being killed. As he makes his way out of the chaos, he steals the priceless titular painting in the aftermath. As he grows up, Theo is haunted by the loss of his mom and can’t let go of a painting. The painting eventually draws him in to the criminal underworld of New York. Directed by John Crowley, the success of this film depends upon how well the viewers will take to Boris, the runaway favourite character in the story.

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Ansel Elgort, Sarah Paulson, Aneurin Barnard and Luke Wilson.

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by TS Eliot (December 20)

This whimsical collection of 14 poems (1939) about cats, written for children by T S Eliot is about feline psychology and sociology and centres on a tribe of cats called the Jellicles. The book shows a lighter side of Eliot’s poetry.  The bizarre tale is essentially about which cat will ascend to the “Heaviside Layer” and begin a new life. These delightful poems inspired one of the longest-running musicals of all time and the film version is an adaptation of the musical.

Cast: Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, James Corden, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, and even Jason Derulo.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London (December 25)

This is a short adventure novel by Jack London published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel, a dog named Buck, is stolen from his home at a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. Buck learns about survival and becomes progressively feral as he is forced to discard his domesticity in the wilderness, and rely on instinct instead.

An ambitious live-action/CGI mix, that packs emotion, it’s definitely recommended for dog lovers.

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy

After by Anna Todd (April 12)

Tessa is a good, ambitious girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She has a mother who is intent on keeping her that way. But barely does she move into her freshman dorm than she runs into ultimate British Bad Boy Hardin. With tousled brown hair, a cocky British accent, and tattoos, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to, but he is also rude—to the point of cruelty. Though Tessa has a boyfriend back home, she gets a little obsessed with Hardin.

First published on Wattpad as a Harry Styles fanfic, and often described as a toned-down Fifty Shades, the movie’s trailer has generated some heat.

Cast: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Selma Blair, Peter Gallagher

Other upcoming movies based on books:

The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle (November 19)

Cast: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Jim Carter

The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook (March 19)

Cast: Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgärd, Jason Clarke

The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud (March 29)

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Armie Hammer, Zazie Beetz

It, by Stephen King (September 6)

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, James McAvoy, Isaiah Mustafa

The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson (April 5)

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell

The Rhythm Section by Mark Burnell (February 22)

Cast: Blake Lively, Judd Law, Sterling K. Brown

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott (March 22)

Cast: Cole Sprouse, Haley Lu Richardson, Claire Forlani

Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellström (March 22)

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Joel Kinnaman, Clive Owen

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (TBA)

Cast:  Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Dixie Egerickx

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (TBA)

Cast: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp

Native Son by Richard Wright (TBA)

Cast: Nick Robinson, Ashton Sanders, KiKi Layne, Margaret Qualley