We all know there is little that is more smugly satisfying than walking out of a cinema and saying, “I liked the book better.” (And it’s pretty much always true.)
This year, there are some great opportunities to do just that (or, who knows, be surprised and delighted) with some crackers hitting the big screen.
But we wanted to give you some fair warning so you get read up before you reach for the popcorn.
Read it before you see it
ADULTS
Me Before You by JoJo Moye
Release: 17 June 2016
Starring: Emilia Clarke (Queen of the Dragons , Game of Thrones), Sam Claflin (Hunger Games) and Australia’s very own Stephen Peacocke (Home & Away)
This book was released in 2012 to moderate success in Australia, but the film is going gangbusters all over the world. Lou lives a nice, quiet predictable life until she meets Will, who has lost his will to live since his motorcycle accident. If you like this one, there is also a sequel After You.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Release: Oct 2016
Starring: Emily Blunt & Justin Theroux
The Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller and a real page turner (I read it in two days while on holidays last year). The book has sold over 200,000 copies in Australia, and more than 11 million worldwide. A woman witnesses something from her train window that could help solve a major crime, but can her recollections be trusted?
The Light Between the Oceans by ML Steadman
Release: Sep 2016
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz
This mesmerising Australian novel has been a best-seller around the world and we all love a great Aussie success story, right? The film adaptation stars the 2015 Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and superstar Michael Fassbender and was filmed in the stunning landscapes of Australia and New Zealand. A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover a baby, along with a dead man’s body, in a boat that washes ashore. What they decide to do next has far-reaching repercussions.
KIDS
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Release: June 2016
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. This book means so much to so many. Can they do it justice?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling
Movie Release: Nov 2016
Directed by: David Yates (director of the last 4 Harry Potter Films); Starring Eddie Redmayne
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is an upcoming film written by JK Rowling in her screenwriting debut and inspired by Rowling’s book of the same name! The book itself is a tiny thing and is a spinoff/ prequel to the Harry Potter series. It tells of the adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school. This year is going to be huge for Harry Potter fans, not only do we get the release of Fantastic Beasts we also see the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which will form the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented in script form AND we will see the release of Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated edition. Hold on to your broomsticks!
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Release: Sep 2016
Directed by: Tim Burton; Starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd
If you’ve read this book, you’ll know there is nobody better suited to directing this film than Tim Burton. The book is fun, whimsical and a little dark which makes it the perfect vehicle for one of Burton’s visual masterpieces. Having seen the preview, my 11 year old is concerned that some of the characters have been subject to wholesale changes to have them fit into the film, which concerns her greatly, but we are going to have to see the whole thing to decide how we feel about all that. The book was a favourite of my daughter last year, and the film looks visually incredibly, so that’s enough for me.
Have you read any of these books?
Which of the films are you keen to see?
