The Perfect Couple and 7 other books you have to read before they hit our screens.

When it comes to the big screen, there is no better inspiration for a killer script than a must-read novel. It goes without saying that many great films and TV shows from the past decade have been the adaptations of bestselling books. 

I mean, it does make a lot of sense. 

Great novels tell great stories, which obviously make for great films and TV shows. The book to film pipeline is so successful, some celebrities like Reese Witherspoon have taken to almost exclusively producing adaptations.

The Reese Witherspoon Book Club leads directly into her Hello Sunshine production company, responsible for many hit films and TV shows including Big Little Lies, Where The Crawdads Sing, Daisy Jones & The Six and Little Fires Everywhere.

If you're the kind of person who needs to read the book first, you're going to want to check out these titles before they hit our screens.

The Perfect Couple, Netflix

Nicole Kidman leads The Perfect Couple. Image: Netflix.

Weird, glamorous, murderous rich people are back! Nicole Kidman leads an all-star cast in the Netflix adaptation of The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand. 

The story follows a luxury wedding weekend, that doesn't go exactly as planned.

Amelia (Eve Hewson) is about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket, until a shocking death derails the wedding. When a body is discovered in the harbour just hours before the ceremony, everyone in the wedding party turns into a suspect.

Along with Kidman and Hewson, the cast includes Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Meghann Fahy, Ishaan Khattar, Billy Howle and Jack Reynor.

The new series premieres on Netflix on September 5, so if you're keen to finish the book before you binge-watch you're going to want to get reading.

People We Meet On Vacation, Netflix

Emily Bader is starring as Poppy in People We Meet On Vacation on Netflix. Image: Netflix/Goodreads.

If you're not familiar with the name Emily Henry, you should be. She's the romance author who writes rom-coms with complex women (who'd have thought!) and the dreamy leading men they deserve.

Her bestselling novel Beach Read is one of the most talked about books on BookTok and is currently being adapted for screen by director Yulin Kuang. You should also absolutely, definitely read that one.

Meanwhile, her novel People We Meet On Vacation has just been confirmed for a Netflix movie. And the cast is simply perfect.

People We Meet On Vacation tells the story of two best friends, Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen, who have spent their lives as best pals travelling the world together every summer. 

After an awkward falling out filled with miscommunication (classic!) the book follows Poppy as she attempts to reconnect with Alex on one final trip to Palm Springs. Romance ensues, of course, making this one sweet and twisty love story.

Emily Bader, who just had her breakout role in My Lady Jane, will star as Poppy. Tom Blyth, of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fame, will star as our leading man Alex. Two excellent rising actors? A swoon-worthy and steamy plot? We're counting down the days! 

Unfortunately, we'll be counting for a while because production is only just beginning. But the good news is that gives you plenty of time to read this one before it premieres, likely in 2025.

Thursday Murder Club, Netflix

Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie with author Richard Osman (front). Image: Netflix.

Murder, but make it cosy. This book club favourite by British author Richard Osman is being adapted for the small screen by Netflix. And the good news is that, if you like it, there are three more books in the series to devour as the story continues.

Thursday Murder Club follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.

Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie star as the four central characters; Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim and Joyce, respectively. 

Naomi Ackes, who starred as Whitney Houston in the 2022 biopic, is playing the lovable Detective Donna De Freitas. Ted Lasso star Sarah Niles will play her mother, Patrice De Freitas.

But that’s not all. The star-studded cast also features David Tennant (Doctor Who), Richard E. Grant (Saltburn), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Tom Ellis (Lucifer).

The Thursday Murder Club is currently in production in the UK, and is likely to drop on Netflix in late 2024 or early 2025.

The Monkey, Neon Films

Theo James is leading The Monkey. Image: Getty.

Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood are starring in the adaptation of Stephen King’s short story from the collection Skeleton Crew. It's slated for a cinematic release in February 2025. 

Osgood Perkins, the brains behind the super scary Longlegs currently in cinemas, will be bringing the book to life.

"When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start occurring all around them," the synopsis reveals. 

"The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them."

The Nickel Boys, MGM Studios

The Nickel Boys is a bestseller. Image: Penguin Random House.

The Nickel Boys is an upcoming film, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s 2019 bestselling novel of the same name. It’s set to premiere at the New York Film Festival in September, followed by a cinematic release in October.

The book is based on the true story of a Florida reform school, which damaged the lives of thousands of children. The central character, Elwood Curtis, a young black boy living in Tallahassee in the 1960s, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy. He forms a close bond with Turner, whose scepticism opposes his own 'naivety.'

Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), Ethan Herisse (When They See Us), Brandon Wilson (The Way Back), Hamish Linklater (The Big Short) and Fred Hechinger (News of the World) are set to star.

Uglies, Netflix

Uglies is coming to Netflix in September. Image: Netflix.

Coming to Netflix in September, Uglies is a movie adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel of the same name. And honestly? It’s giving Hunger Games and Divergent in the most 2000s way possible. Man, did we love a good dystopian novel back in the day! 

Uglies is set in a dystopian (god, we've missed that word) future world where everyone receives a compulsory operation at 16 to change their appearance. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "pretty".

Joey King (The Kissing Booth, A Family Affair) stars as Tally. Also starring are Chase Stokes (Outer Banks), Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black), Keith Powers (Before I Fall) and Brianne Tju (Gone In The Night).

The Map That Leads To You

KJ Apa and Madelyn Cline star in The Map That Leads To You. Image: Instagram.

Based on the J.P. Monniger novel published in 2017, The Map That Leads To You is a summer romance set in Europe. Nicholas Sparks called it "romantic and unforgettable," so you know it's going to be a tear jerking love story.

Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks) and KJ Apa (Riverdale) are starring as the leads, Heather and Jack.

Heather is travelling around Europe with her friends after college, when she meets Jack on an overnight train to Paris. Together, they explore the canals of Amsterdam, cobbled streets of Prague and more. With real life looming, can this wide-eyed duo make it work? We'll see! 

With production underway in June 2024, it's likely we won't see this one until 2025.

How to Kill Your Family, Netflix

How To Kill Your Family has just been confirmed for a Netflix adaptation. Image: Supplied.

Anya Taylor Joy has just been confirmed as the lead actress in Netflix's adaptation of How To Kill Your Family. 

Based on Bella Mackie's bestselling novel, the series tells the story of Grace Bernard, the forgotten child of Simon Artemis, a merciless billionaire. 

After a heartbreaking rejection, Grace decides to exact revenge. But will this deadly scheme take even more from Grace than she’s already lost? 

"As soon as I turned the last page, I knew I had to be a part of bringing this story to life," Taylor-Joy told Netflix. "After some (light) stalking of the inimitable Bella Mackie, I could not be more thrilled to be collaborating with the team that is executive producers Sally Woodward Gentle, Lizzie Rusbridger, and Emma. I am looking forward to getting our hands even dirtier."

Featured image: The Map That Leads To You, People We Meet on Vacation, Thursday Murder Club

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