The Most Anticipated Book-to-Screen Adaptations of 2023: 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' 'Dune' and More

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The Best Books Coming to the Screen in 2023
Amazon, ETOnline

Look forward to watching these best-selling stories on the TV or movie screen this year.

Bookworms, prepare yourselves! A library of stories has headed to the big screen and streaming in 2023. While we love letting our imaginations run wild as we turn pages (or swipe pages, depending on our book format of choice), it's thrilling to see our favorite stories from literature transposed onto the screen.

One of the most anticipated films of the year, which comes to theaters this Friday, October 20, is Killers of the Flower Moon. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the movie is based on the devastating and true tale of the Osage murders and the creation of the FBI. Martin Scorsese directed the movie adaptation, bringing an immensely talented cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser and Robert De Niro. Read the true story that feels like a thriller, then see the star-studded film.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon
Apple TV+

Killers of the Flower Moon

Journalist David Grann explores the sinister truth behind the deaths and disappearances of several Osage citizens in 1920s Oklahoma and how the mystery led to the creation of the FBI. The Martin Scorsese-directed film is now streaming on Apple TV+.

It doesn't stop there. Many of your required readings from school are getting a makeover, with classics like The Color Purple and Dune are being reimagined for the silver screen. Watch as Celie's troubled life is transformed into a musical for a new generation and see the sand-covered planet of Arrakis outside of your own imagination. It's not just the oldies you can see transformed into a different medium. New favorites like Black Cake and Uglies will debut on streaming this year and feature some of our favorite stars, including Laverne Cox

It's time to call an emergency book club meeting because we've rounded all the books you'll want to peruse that are coming to life this year. If you want to be in the camp that decides whether the on-screen version lives up to the book, check out these celebrated titles in a hurry. Bragging rights are on the line. 

Below, check out all the books being transformed into movies and television series this year and find out where and when you can start watching your favorite literary characters come to life.

Books Coming to the Big Screen

How will you discern that the book is better than the adaptation if you haven't read it yet? Below, check these stories out for yourself. 

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer
Universal Pictures

Oppenheimer

The hit movie Oppenheimer is based on American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The award-winning film will land on Peacock in mid-February.

$25 $16

Get the Book

The Color Purple

The Color Purple
Warner Bros.

The Color Purple

Written in 1982, The Color Purple is a now-classic novel that was quickly adapted into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey and a truly amazing cast brought the musical version of this story to the screen. 

Dracula

Dracula
Amazon

Dracula

The film The Last Voyage of Demeter, which was in theaters this August and is now available to stream, is based on the classic novel Dracula.

$12 $11

Shop Now

$20 to Buy Movie

Watch on Amazon

Dune: Part 2

Dune: Part 2
Warner Bros.

Dune: Part 2

One of the most anticipated films of the year thus far, was Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and more huge Hollywood names. The film is based on Frank Herbert's original novel and is now streaming on Max. 

Plans start at $10/month

Watch on Max

$31 $16

Get the Book

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Amazon

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

The beloved Broadway musical Wicked is based on a best-selling book by Gregory Maguire. This book is also the inspiration behind the movie starring Cynthia ErivoAriana Grande and Michelle Yeoh which hits theaters in November. 

$20 $11

Get the Book

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold and the Purple Crayon
Amazon

Harold and the Purple Crayon

With an all-star cast including Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel and Lil Rel Howery, you can expect big things from the movie adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon. The theatrical release date was pushed back a few times, but it is now available to view in select movie theaters.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Amazon

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Hunger Games fans won't want to miss this one. Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been in production and will premiere in theaters on November 17.

$28 $16

Shop Now

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Amazon

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a coming-of-age story about two teen boys in El Paso, Texas and their journey to self-discovery. The movie produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

$15 $12

Get the Book

$5 to Rent

Watch Now

Books Coming to Television and Streaming

Read your favorites below, then enjoy these stories again when they're transposed onto the small screen.

Meet Me at the Lake

Meet Me at the Lake
Amazon

Meet Me at the Lake

Carley Fortune's best-selling romance novel Meet Me at the Lake is being adapted for Netflix by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In the book, Fern's life was once full of potential, but now she's back home running her mom's lakeside resort, which she never wanted to do. Her life is turned upside down when a man from her past shows up offering to help.

$18 $10

Get the Book

Black Cake: A Novel

Black Cake: A Novel
Amazon

Black Cake: A Novel

A New York Times bestseller, Black Cake: A Novel is the story of estranged siblings coming back together after their mother's death to learn jaw-dropping details about their family's history. Produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films, a Black Cake adaptation is coming to Hulu in November.

$28 $15

Shop Now

Turtles All The Way Down

Turtles All The Way Down
Amazon

Turtles All The Way Down

John Green's novel was picked up to be adapted soon after it was published in 2017. Turtles All the Way Down premiered on Max in May 2024.

$20 $12

Get the Book

Plans start at $10/month

Watch on Max

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
Netflix

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

The third season of Netflix's Bridgerton is based on the third book in Julia Quinn's series: Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

$30 $16

Get the Book

Plans start at $7/month

Watch on Netflix

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See
Amazon

All the Light We Cannot See

Taking place during WWII, the beautifully written book All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr explores the lives of two young teens navigating tumultuous times. Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo will star in the four-episode mini-series that will be released on Netflix in early November. 

$30 $16

Get the Book

Plans starting at $7/month

Watch on Netflix

Uglies

Uglies
Amazon

Uglies

Upon her 16th birthday, Tally will have surgery to become a "pretty," after which all she has to do for the rest of her life is have fun. But is it really going to be the paradise she's been promised? Scott Westerfeld's New York Times best-selling series is coming to Netflix in September and stars big names, including Joey King and Laverne Cox. 

Plans start at $7/month

Watch on Netflix

2023 Book Adaptations Streaming Now

Here are the books that you can currently enjoy in a new video medium. 

The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales

The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales
Amazon

The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales

Edgar Allen Poe's chilling stories from The Fall of the House of Usher have been modernized for Netflix and are streaming now—just in time for Halloween.

Plans starting at $7/month

Watch on Netflix

Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry
Apple TV+

Lessons in Chemistry

In a story that takes place in the 1960s, a profound chemist-turned-cooking-show-host helps female viewers realize they can change the status quo in the book Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. The book has been transformed into a drama series streaming now on Apple TV+ starring Brie Larson.

The Changeling: A Novel

The Changeling: A Novel
Amazon

The Changeling: A Novel

Horror fans will enjoy this dark novel about magic, mystery and loss. The series also titled The Changeling is streaming on Apple TV+ and stars LaKeith Stanfield.

$18 $12

Shop Now

$7/month

Free 7-day trial

Watch on Apple TV+

Daisy Jones & the Six

Daisy Jones & the Six
Prime Video

Daisy Jones & the Six

This Amazon Prime Video mini-series finds inspiration from the book Daisy Jones & the Six written by author Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story centers around a fictional band in the '70s that becomes a global sensation. 

$28 $15

Get the Book

Plans start at $9/month

Watch on Prime Video

Wool

Wool
Amazon

Wool

One of Apple TV+'s greatest sci-fi series of the year so far, Silo is based on the book Wool: a post-apocalyptic story written by Hugh Howey. In the story, a community is forced to live in a silo for their own protection. But what happens when members want to see the world outside? Find out by reading the book and streaming the first season.

$20 $12

Get the Book

$7/month

Free Seven-Day Trial

Watch on Apple TV+

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
Disney+

American Born Chinese

Jin Wang is the only Chinese-American at his school, but when a new student arrives, both their worlds are forever changed in the graphic novel American Born Chinese. The thought-provoking story is now streaming on Disney+ and stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu who all recently worked together in the award-winning film Everything, Everywhere All At Once.

$25 $19

Get the Book

Plans starting at $8/month

Watch on Disney+

The Last Thing He Told Me

The Last Thing He Told Me
Apple TV+

The Last Thing He Told Me

When a women's husband disappears, she must work with her teenage stepdaughter to find him in the Apple TV+ show premiering April 14 starring Jennifer Garner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Angourie Rice. It's based on the book The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

$7/month

Free Seven-Day Trial

Watch on Apple TV+

Tiny Beautiful Things

Tiny Beautiful Things
Amazon

Tiny Beautiful Things

Author of the New York Times best-selling book Wild, Cheryl Strayed has another novel that has been reimagined for the screen: Tiny Beautiful Things. The story follows an advice columnist whose own life is falling apart. 

$17 $14

Shop Now

Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone
Netflix

Shadow and Bone

A second season of Netflix's Shadow and Bone series was released on March 16. Based on the book series by the same name, this season will follow along with the second book written by Leigh Bardugo: Siege and Storm.

Plans start at $7/month

Watch on Netflix

City on Fire

City on Fire
Apple TV+

City on Fire

Apple TV+ released City on Fire this May, a gritty saga about love, betrayal and rock and roll set in the early 2000s. The show is inspired by the book by Garth Risk Hallberg.

$30 $13

Get the Book

$7/month

Free Seven-Day Trial

Watch on Apple TV+

Will Trent

Will Trent
ABC

Will Trent

Detective Will Trent struggles with his difficult past, but he can solve any crime that comes his way on the hit ABC show, Will Trent, which streams now on Hulu. The show is based on the Will Trent book series by Karin Slaughter and begins with the novel Triptych.

Plans start at $8/Month

Free One-Month Trial

Watch on Hulu

The Power

The Power
IMDb

The Power

Based on the book written by Naomi Alderman, the complete first season of The Power is now streaming on Prime Video. Starring Toni Collette and Toheeb Jimoh from Ted Lasso, the story explores what would happen if teenage girls were suddenly given special powers that allowed them to electrocute people. 

$26 $19

Get the Book

Plans starting at $9/month

Watch on Prime Video

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