Task #10 of the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a book recently adapted for film, TV, or musical,” and it’s one of the easiest on the list: we’re in a golden age of adaptations. Books are getting optioned left and right for TV or film, and some of the most popular movies and TV shows of the moment had their start on the page, from Margo’s Got Money Troubles to the upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey.
In case you want a jumping off point, I’ve gathered together eight book-to-screen (or stage) adaptations out this year. Thanks to our resident adaptation expert, Emily Martin, for writing up many of these for the Book Radar newsletter.
You don’t have to limit yourself to just the buzziest adaptations, though: if your local theater or high school drama department is putting on a production based on a book, that’s fair game, too!
 The Count of Monte Cristo (PBS, March 22)PBS’s Masterpiece adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo stars Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantès, a sailor who is falsely imprisoned and escapes on a mission to exact revenge on those who betrayed him. Ana Girardot will play Dantès’ fiancée Mercedes, Jeremy Irons will play Abbé Faria, and Blake Ritson will play Danglars. The series is directed by two-time Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner Bille August. —Emily Martin |
 Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix, May 8)The adaptation of Shelby van Pelt’s 2022 novel about the friendship between an octopus and a human came out on Netflix in early May. Sally Field plays Tova Sullivan, a widow who is a night cleaner at the aquarium, who befriends an octopus named Marcellus (Alfred Molina). Lewis Pullman plays Cameron, a 30-year-old maintenance worker who also befriends Tova. Oliva Newman (First Match, Where the Crawdad Sings) directs from a script written by her and John Whittington (The Lego Batman Movie). —Emily Martin |
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