2018 Book to Screen Adaptations the Whole Family Can Enjoy!

2018 is going to be a memorable year for movie and television adaptations of beloved books. Some will continue stories we’ve already fallen in love with, such as Mary Poppins Returns and the second series of A Series of Unfortunate Events, but the year will also bless us with plenty of exciting films based on classic picture books (Peter Rabbit, Ferdinand, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and wonderful novels that have become part of the reading canon such as A Wrinkle In Time and Wonder. 

No doubt there will be something to please even the fussiest of viewers – here is a list of our most anticipated releases so you can get reading and get excited!

Ferdinand (In cinemas now)

Published in 1936 as The Story of Ferdinand, as the story of the peaceful, flower-sniffing bull written by Munro Leaf is considered a classic of American children’s literature and has never been out of print. The book is now the basis for this new, animated film, and while there are new characters, plot twists and some slapstick humour, the film retains the “stay true to yourself” message at the core of the book.

Wonder (In cinemas now)

Guaranteed to tug at the heart-strings of the entire family, and based on the New York Times bestseller, Wonder tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream primary school for the first time.

A Series of Unfortunate Events (On Netflix March 2018)

The much-anticipated second series of this new, whimsical, and darkly funny adaptation. Neil Patrick Harris completely embodies the villainous Count Olaf, pursuing the fortune of the three unlucky Baudelaire orphans.

Peter Rabbit (In cinemas March 2018)

Based on Beatrix Potter‘s classic children’s books, this adaptation stars James Corden as the rebellious title character who wants to sneak into Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden. Daisy Ridley and Margot Robbie also lend their voices to this animated and live-action hybrid.

A Wrinkle In Time (In cinemas March 2018)

The first in Madeleine L’Engle‘s “Time Quintet” series, A Wrinkle in Time follows heroine Meg Murry as she strives to find her missing father with the help of her genius brother, her friend, and three mysterious women played by Oprah Winfrey, Reece Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling!

The Jungle Book (In cinemas October 2018)

With Cate Blanchett as Kaa, and silky-voiced Benedict Cumberbatch as the sinister Shere Khan, this live-action adaptation promises to be darker than any of its predecessors – it’s probably best to leave the littlies at home!

The Grinch (In cinemas November 2018)

From the team that brought you Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets comes a brilliant new adaptation of the Dr Seuss’ classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas – the very funny story of a curmudgeonly Grinch who plots to ruin Christmas for the village of Whoville.

Mary Poppins Returns (In cinemas Dec 2018)

P.L. Travers‘s book series gets the big screen treatment once again with Emily Blunt playing the title character. The film follows a grown Jane and Michael Banks — the children characters from the 1964 Disney classic — and Michael’s three kids as they are revisited by Mary Poppins, who hopes to bring joy back into their lives.