Books to Screen in 2022 On Our Radar

Do you get excited when you see books you’ve already read get slated to come to life on the screen? Or are you a purist – the on screen version is never as good? We’re in camp “excited” over here. I usually look forward to seeing if my imagination jives with how it’s portrayed on the screen. Here are 8 books coming to the screen in 2022 that I’m looking forward to watching.

TANYA PATRICE

Reacher

Reacher (Amazon Prime) is based on Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1), Lee Childs. There have already been 2 Jack Reacher movies, and we get a tv series in January 2022. I’ve watched them all, including the recent tv series, but haven’t yet read the books. It was crazy fast paced and a pretty good “shoot ’em up” type thriller. The Jack Reacher character is interesting and made me want to also pick up the books (there’s more than 20 in the series and spin-offs).

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton, Season 2)

Bridgerton Season 1 (Netflix) came out in December 2020 and it was such a thrill to watch this historical romance. It was based on the 1st book in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn (The Duke and I). The 2nd season is based on the next book, The Viscount Who Loved Me. I haven’t read the books yet, but I plan to and certainly will be watching the 2nd season when it comes out on March 25, 2022.

Shining Girls

Shining Girls (Apple TV+) will premiere globally on Friday, April 29, 2022. This is based on the book The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes – which was freaking amazing. It’s one of the 5 Serial Killer Point of View Books That We Hate to Admit We Like and 3 Books Like Dr. Sleep With Talent Stealing Bitches. “In Depression-era Chicago, Harper Curtis finds a key to a house that opens on to other times. But it comes at a cost. He has to kill the shining girls: bright young women, burning with potential.”

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the 3rd movie release in the series and comes out in April. It is a direct sequel to the 2nd movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and is based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling, one of the companion books to the ever popular Harry Potter series. While I’ve read the Harry Potter books, I haven’t read Fantastic Beasts yet, and there are mixed reviews on Goodreads. I have watched the first 2 movies and really enjoyed them.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger has already been adapted into a movie in 2009 – one of the best book to screen adaptations in my opinion. Now, a tv series is set to air on HBO sometime in the “spring of 2022”. “The Time Traveler’s Wife follows the intricate and magical love story between Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel. Having already read the book, I’m excited to see how this unique love story plays out over a longer period of time in the tv series.

Bullet Train

Trained killer Ladybug wants to give up the life but is pulled back in by his handler Maria Beetle in order to collect a briefcase on a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka. Once onboard, he and the other competing assassins onboard discover that their objectives are all connected. Bullet Train comes out in July 2022, and sounds like an action packed ride … plus it stars Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock. It’s based on the book Bullet Train, Kōtarō Isaka translated by Sam Malissa (original title Maria Beetle).

House of Dragon

House of Dragon (HBO Max) is based on Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones series. I read the books and watched the tv series and actually preferred the show to the books. The books are way too wordy … way too unnecessarily descriptive. Fire & Blood is also a 719 page monolith, so it’s safe to say that I’ll be watching the tv series and probably not reading the book. It’s actually a pre-quel to AGOT, and is the history of The House of Targaryen. The release date is simply set for “2022” right now.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple TV) is based on the book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann. In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. I know of David Grann from reading one of his other non-fiction titles, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes and he is quite a master at writing those “this is unbelieavbly some real life sh%$” type of books.

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There are a few more titles that we have on our radar, but they don’t have release dates yet, and we’re not quite sure if they’ll come out in 2022. Are you planning on watching / reading any of these titles? Which book to screen adaptation are you most looking forward to this year?