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Thanks to major properties like Game of Thrones and Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, we’ve entered a golden age of sci-fi and fantasy properties being developed for film and television. It seems that nearly every network and studio has snatched up the rights to old and new classics, with a bevy of projects in production or premiering in the coming months. To keep you on top of the latest news, we’ve updated our master list of every SFF adaptation currently in the works, from American Gods to Y: The Last Man. And surprising no one, prolific writers Neil Gaiman and John Scalzi each have a number of projects in varying stages of development.

Check out this list and get your DVRs and Netflix queues ready, because you’re going to be wonderfully busy for the foreseeable future.

RUMORED

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Originally published: 1984, Random House

Optioned for: Film (TBD)

What it’s about: Lifelong friends who had gone their separate ways are reunited by a mysterious woman with a crystal staff, destined to become something they never would have expected: heroes.

Status: Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike) is enthusiastic about making a Dungeons & Dragons movie happen—specifically, this adaptation of the first Dragonlance novel, from a screenplay developed with John Cassel. Manganiello has been in talks with Wizards of the Coast, but so far this project seems to be in the very early planning stages. In the meantime, revisit our Dragonlance Reread!

Watchmen by Alan Moore (writer) and Dave Gibbons (artist)

Originally published: 1986, DC Comics

Optioned for: Television (HBO)

What it’s about: In alternate-universe 1985—after the emergence of costumed heroes in the 1940s and ’60s turned the tide in historical events such as the Vietnam War—the murder of The Comedian brings these retired vigilantes out of hiding.

Status: “Preliminary discussions regarding Watchmen have occurred, but we have no additional information and no deals are in place,” HBO said after meeting with Zack Snyder, who adapted the graphic novel into a 2009 film.

ANNOUNCED

3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Originally published: 1997, Del Rey

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: In 2014, Syfy announced that it would develop a miniseries based on Clarke’s fourth and final Odyssey book, which wraps up the loose ends from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Status: No update since the 2014 announcement, and Syfy seems concerned with plenty of other projects (many of which are adaptations).

Aleister Arcane by Steve Niles (writer) and Breehn Burns (artist)

Originally published: 2004, IDW Publishing

Optioned for: Film (Amblin Entertainment)

What it’s about: Weatherman-turned-late-night TV horror show host Aleister Arcane (a.k.a. Green) gets a kick out of airing gory little skits, until the local sponsors in his hometown of Jackson, OK, shut him down. But when a tragic incident gets him taken off the air and forced into early retirement, the local kids realize that Aleister Arcane has laid a curse upon their town.

Status: Eli Roth is teaming up with Jim Carrey (who will star and produce) to adapt Niles’ series. Jon Croker (The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death) will write the screenplay with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Originally published: 1996, McClelland & Stewart

Optioned for: Television (Netflix/CBC)

What it’s about: Atwood’s novel is a fictionalized account of the true-crime double murder for which domestic servant Grace Marks (along with a suspected accomplice) was convicted. The audience surrogate is the fictional character of Dr. Simon Jordan, a specialist in the burgeoning field of mental illness, who struggles to reconcile the sweet girl who has no memory of the incident, and the gruesome crime for which she is serving a life sentence.

Status: After having previously planned to adapt the novel into a feature film, Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Looking for Alaska) will write and produce the six-hour Netflix miniseries, with Mary Harron (American Psycho) directing. Sarah Gadon will star as Grace Marks, with Anna Paquin playing her deceased employer Nancy Montgomery.

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

Originally published: 2017, Penguin Publishing Group

Optioned for: Film (Paramount/Pascal Pictures)

What it’s about: Mastai pitched the alternate-universe novel as Kurt Vonnegut trying to tell The Time Traveler’s Wife with the narrative voice of Jonathan Tropper: A man from a utopian AU falls into the very real 2015 and must decide whether he wants to return to his time or try to establish a life in this new reality.

Status: Amy Pascal nabbed the film rights at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. Mastai will write the script for the adaptation and executive produce.

Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

Originally published: 2008, Scholastic

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: Kibuishi’s ongoing graphic novel series (which won the American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults in 2008) follows siblings Emily and Navin through a portal into a fantasy world filled with giant robots and man-eating demons. Led by the talking rabbit Miskit, Em (wearing the eponymous amulet) and Navin search for their missing mother.

Status: 20th Century Fox is looking to develop the series into a potential film franchise. Aron Coleite (co-executive producer of the Star Trek TV series) will write the screenplay.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Originally published: 2011, Tor Teen

Optioned for: Film (Fickle Fish Productions)

What it’s about: Ghost hunter Cas (Cameron Monaghan) is surprised when Anna Dressed in Blood (Maddie Hasson), a ghost known for killing anyone who sets foot in the abandoned Victorian she calls him, decides to spare his life. As he investigates her curse, these opposites grow closer.

Status: Twilight author Stephenie Meyer will produce, with music video director Trish Sie helming a script from Allison Wood.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie



Originally published: 2014, Orbit Books

Optioned for: Film

What it’s about: Breq used to be the spaceship Justice of Toren, controlling countless ancillary soldiers, before an accident fragmented her. Now, in a single form, she is returning to the Imperial Radch to confront its ruler, Anaander Mianaai.

Status: In 2014, Ann Leckie shared the exciting news that Ancillary Justice had been optioned for television! Fabrik and Fox Television Studios (who have between them worked on The Killing, Burn Notice, and The Americans, among other series) are interested, especially in terms of dealing with the series’ depictions of gender and race. There’s been no update since, but as Leckie put it, “the potential is there, and that’s tremendously cool!”

Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman

Originally published: 2011, First Second Books

Optioned for: Film and Television (TBD)

What it’s about: Short version: “Harry Potter in space.” Long version: Hakata Soy, along with his friends and crushes Miyumi San and Maribelle Melonbelly, split time at Astronaut Academy between pop quizzes and Fireball Championships and saving the galaxy from threats that adults just can’t handle.

Status: Writer/producer Vivek J. Tiwary (The Fifth Beatle) has optioned the film and TV rights; he is currently in talks with studios, networks, and other creatives.

Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey

Originally published: 2016, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Optioned for: Television (Studio 8)

What it’s about: In Howey’s collection of linked novellas, the notion of the lighthouse keeping boats safe has transformed into lighthouses in space, sending beacons across the Milky Way to ensure safe passage for spaceships. But when the supposedly reliable beacons break down, a shellshocked former soldier must put aside his past to help the ships traveling out in the dark.

Status: Studio 8 has tapped Josh Friedman (creator, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and screenwriter, Avatar 3) to develop the TV series.

Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life by Marcus Wohlsen

Originally published: 2011, Penguin Publishing Group

Optioned for: Television (Legendary Television)

What it’s about: In 2011, WIRED editor Wohlsen delved into a then-mostly-unknown subculture of biohackers working to change how we build and alter genetic code. In the intervening half-decade, biopunk has become much more mainstream, so it’s good timing to reexamine Wohlsen’s book on the small screen.

Status: Zachary Quinto will co-executive produce and star as “the iconoclastic leader of this movement who can’t wait for the future to get here fast enough.”

Bone by Jeff Smith

Originally published: 1991, Cartoon Books

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros)

What it’s about: The series follows the three Bone cousins, Fone, Smiley, and Phoney Bone, after they’re run out of Boneville and have to make a new life for themselves in a forbidding forest. They’re soon caught up in an adventure with a young woman named Thorn, which is gradually revealed to be an epic high fantasy saga.

Status: Warner Bros is planning a trilogy of feature-length animated films: Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda, The Little Prince) will direct a script co-written with Adam Kline (Artemis Fowl).

Bone Street Rumba by Daniel José Older



Originally published: 2015, Roc

Optioned for: TBD (Roaring Virgin Productions)

What it’s about: Being a “halfie”—not quite dead, not quite alive—makes Carlos Delacruz a perfect soulcatcher for the Council of the Dead in New York City: He tracks down ghosts with unfinished business and keeps them from disturbing the balance between the living and the dead.

Status: Actress Anika Noni Rose optioned Daniel José Older’s urban fantasy series in January 2015, though it’s unclear if she’ll be developing it for film or television.

The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch

Originally published: 2017, Harper

Optioned for: Film (Stone Village Productions)

What it’s about: In this futuristic retelling of the Joan of Arc story, humanity has fled the radioactive surface of the Earth for CIEL, a mysterious hovering platform. Having evolved into hairless, sexless creatures who inscribe stories upon their skin, the surviving humans are galvanized by Joan, “a child-warrior who possesses a mysterious force that lives within her and communes with the earth.”

Status: Stone Village won the movie rights before the book even hit shelves, with Scott Steindorff (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Dylan Russell (Penelope) producing.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Originally published: 2017, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Optioned for: Film (Paramount)

What it’s about: Borne follows a young woman fighting to survive in desolate near-future city. The woman finds a green lumpish creature called Borne during a scavenging mission, and begins to realize that her new companion may be more than she first thought.

Status: Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, who are currently producing the film adaptation of VanderMeer’s Annihilation with Paramount, will also produce Borne.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley



Originally published: 1932, Chatto & Windus

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: Aldous Huxley’s scarily prescient vision of the future sees humans born in hatcheries and seduced by consumerism, free sex, and—when those don’t make them entirely happy—the hallucinogenic drug soma, which they can take to get away from it all. But soon a “savage” from the “reservation” threatens the World State.

Status: Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television will adapt Huxley’s iconic novel, with Grant Morrison and Bryan Taylor (Crank) serving as writers and executive producers. No word yet if it will be a miniseries or ongoing series.

Camelot, from every Arthurian legend ever

Optioned for: Television (Fox)

What it’s about: The legend of King Arthur, reimagined as a modern-day police procedural. Hoo boy. I’m just gonna post the synopsis: “When an ancient magic reawakens in modern-day Manhattan, a graffiti artist named Art must team with his best friend Lance and his ex, Gwen—an idealistic cop—in order to realize his destiny and fight back against the evil forces that threaten the city.”

Status: The Jackal Group’s Gail Berman (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Rocky Horror Picture Show reboot) and Joe Earley will oversee the project, written by Dan Frey and Ru Sommer (The Black List, Fox’s Saint Patrick) writing.

Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

Originally published: 2015, Dial Books

Optioned for: Film (Walt Disney Company)

What it’s about: Ellen DeGeneres, along with her A Very Good Production partner Jeffrey Kleeman, will produce the story of a 12-year-old witch who travels to Castle Hangnail to become its new master. If she fails at being as wicked as expected, the castle will be decommissioned by the Board of Magic, with its various residents (including a hypochondriac fish and a minotaur afraid of the letter Q) dispersed into the non-magic world.

Status: Recently announced.

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness

Originally published: 2008, Walker Books

Optioned for: Film (Lionsgate)

What it’s about: In a dystopian future where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts, the sole boy in a town of men flees with his dog after discovering an awful secret, and comes upon a strangely silent girl.

Status: Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) will direct; both Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Jamie Linden (Money Monster) have taken stabs at adapting the book. Daisy Ridley has signed on to star, presumably as the silent girl Viola; Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) is in talks to play protagonist Todd.

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Originally published: 1970, Doubleday

Optioned for: Television (Skybound Entertainment)

What it’s about: Recovering from a loss of memory, Corwin discovers that he is a prince from Amber, one of the two “true” worlds—the other being the Courts of Chaos—waging war for control over the “shadow” worlds, including Earth.

Status: Robert Kirkman and David Alpert will adapt the ten-book series; no writers have been announced yet.

The City & the City by China Miéville

Originally published: 2009, Del Rey

Optioned for: Television (BBC Two)

What it’s about: To solve a murder, Inspector Tyador Borlú must move between the overlapping twin cities of Besźel and Ul Qoma.

Status: Tony Grisoni (The Young Pope, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreamswill adapt the novel into a four-part series) starring David Morrissey (The Walking Dead).

Cormoran Strike, from the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith

Originally published: 2013, Sphere Books

Optioned for: Television (BBC One/HBO)

What it’s about: In Galbraith’s (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling’s) mystery series, war veteran-turned-private detective Cormoran Strike (War and Peace‘s Tom Burke) copes with physical and psychological wounds while solving three complex cases that have stumped the police.

Status: Cormoran Strike will air in three separate event series: the three-hour The Cuckoo’s Calling, two-hour The Silkworm, and two-hour Career of Evil. (HBO and BBC One also worked together on the adaptation of Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy.) Filming began in fall 2016 in London.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Originally published: 2012, Disney Hyperion

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: After a pandemic kills most of America’s children and teenagers, the survivors develop superpowers and are placed inside internment camps. Sixteen-year-old telekinetic Ruby Dee (The Hunger Games‘ Amandla Stenberg) escapes the camp, joining up with a group of teens on the run from the government. This Is Us’ Mandy Moore will play a doctor who’s part of a crusade to stop the persecution of the children.

Status: Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 3) will direct the adaptation, with Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) producing.

Black Lightning by various authors and artists

Originally published: 1977, DC Comics

Optioned for: Television (The CW)

What it’s about: Retired vigilante superhero Jefferson Pierce (Hart of Dixie’s Cress Williams) must don the mantel and secret identity of Black Lightning after his daughter is hell-bent on justice and his star student is recruited by a street gang.

Status: Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock Akil is co-writing the pilot with her husband Salim Akil; both will serve as executive producers alongside Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. After Fox dropped the pilot, The CW picked it up.

Deadly Class by Rick Remender (writer) and Wes Craig (artist)

Originally published: 2014, Image Comics

Optioned for: Television (Sony Pictures TV)

What it’s about: High school intrigue—first love, gossip, cliques, growing up—at a boarding school for assassins in 1987 San Francisco.

Status: The Russo brothers (directors of the last two Captain America movies) are adapting the shockingly vicious series for the small screen. No word yet on network, though Deadline says the Russos are targeting cable and streaming services.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Originally published: 2013, First Second Books

Optioned for: Film (Disney)

What it’s about: Like the female Indiana Jones and trained in 47 styles of swordfighting, Delilah Dirk breaks out of a Turkish prison and picks up a mild-mannered lieutenant, Selim, as her sidekick for fighting pirates and the like.

Status: Disney is developing a live-action adaptation that could lead to a diverse franchise built on female empowerment.

Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Originally published: 2011, HarperCollins

Optioned for: Television (Lionsgate)

What it’s about: Post-apocalyptic Chicago has been split into five factions, ways to group citizens possessing different affinities: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. When Abnegation member Tris discovers that she is Divergent—able to choose more than one faction—she goes for the brave, reckless adventurers Dauntless. Along the way, she uncovers conspiracy upon conspiracy that threaten the entire social system of the city.

Status: The Divergent franchise stumbled in the box office, with the third installment (part one of the third book) Allegiant not doing as well as its predecessors Divergent and Insurgent. Lionsgate has announced that it will release the fourth planned film, Ascendant, as a TV movie, and then develop a spinoff starring an entirely new cast. However, it’s unclear if stars Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller will even return for Ascendant; Woodley said in a recent interview, “I didn’t sign up to be in a TV show.”

Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Originally published: 1968, Ballantine Books

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros.)

What it’s about: The possible franchise series would begin with the first book, Dragonflight, which sees orphaned noble Lessa hiding out as a lowly servant after the assassination of her family. But as her telepathic powers grow, a dragonrider recognizes her potential to become the strongest Weyrwoman (that is, the female leader in a Weyr, or group of dragons) in recent history.

Status: As of late 2014, the studio had landed a screenwriter, but no update since then.

Electric Dreams: The World of Philip K. Dick, from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Originally published: 1968, Doubleday

Optioned for: Television (Channel 4)

What it’s about: From the title, we’re assuming that Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) is pulling from PKD’s famous novel–but the ten-part sci-fi series will draw from his entire body of work, adapting his stories in order to “illustrate Dick’s prophetic vision and celebrate the enduring appeal of the prized sci-fi novelist’s work.”

Status: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child writer Jack Thorne will co-write scripts with Moore, who is executive producing alongside Michael Dinner (Justified, Masters of Sex) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), who will also star in at least one episode.

Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars by Scott Kelly

Originally published: 2017, Knopf

Optioned for: Film (Sony Pictures)

What it’s about: Astronaut Scott Kelly’s memoir will detail his year spent in space, as well as the post-return to Earth experiments conducted on him and his twin brother and fellow astronaut Mark Kelly to help guide NASA’s plans for eventual travel to Mars.

Status: Sony Pictures picked up the competitive rights to the book; both Kelly brothers will serve as co-executive producers.

The Final Six by Alexandra Monir

Originally published: TBD, HarperCollins

Optioned for: Film (Sony Pictures)

What it’s about: The United Nations teams up with international space agencies to create an unprecedented coalition of six intrepid teenagers who will establish humanity’s first settlement on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Not much else is known, but the book will have themes of global unity, leadership, and environmentalism.

Status: Sony optioned the rights based on the first few chapters alone; HarperCollins recently won publishing rights. Josh Bratman at Immersive Pictures is attached to produce.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Originally published: 1951, Gnome Press

Optioned for: Television (HBO)

What it’s about: Foreseeing the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire, mathematician Hari Sheldon creates a foundation of artists, academics, and engineers to preserve and expand on humanity’s knowledge before said fall.

Status: At a 2015 Paley Center panel, Jonathan Nolan said he was still “incredibly excited” about the adaptation and that he was in talks with Robyn Asimov, Isaac’s daughter, about the project. He mentioned that it would be “coming together,” but didn’t give any specifics, so we won’t put this in the In Development category just yet.

Gateway by Frederik Pohl

Originally published: 1977, St. Martin’s Press

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: The discovery of Gateway, a space station belonging to the Heechee alien race, in a hollow asteroid leads to a kind of gold rush for the human race, as they endeavor to learn more about the Heechee and turn these artifacts into fortunes.

Status: Syfy announced in 2015 its intention to adapt the novel to series, with David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) revising a pilot script written by Josh Pate (Falling Skies).

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Originally published: 2016, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Optioned for: Film (Fox Animation)

What it’s about: Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to an unseen witch. But when delivering a baby to waiting families on her yearly journey, witch Xan accidentally feeds moonlight to the infant, filling her with magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own, with the help of a wise swamp monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon.

Status: Kubo and the Two Strings co-writer Marc Haimes is adapting Barnhill’s book as a live-action/animation-hybrid film.

The Gone World by Thomas Sweterlitsch

Originally published: Not yet published.

Optioned for: Film (Fox)

What it’s about: Not much information is available about the book except that it’s described by Deadline as “a sci-fi time travel procedural.” Read our review of Sweterlitsch’s first novel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, for an idea of his work.

Status: Last we heard, Neill Blomkamp was in talks to write and direct the adaptation, but there’s been no confirmation.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

Originally published: 2015, Saga Press

Optioned for: Film (DMG Entertainment)

What it’s about: Bandit Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, son of a deposed duke, become friends when fighting to overthrow the emperor. But once the throne is available for the taking, they become leaders of opposing factions, with very different views on the best way to run the world.

Status: DMG Entertainment has acquired the film and licensing rights to the entire Dandelion Dynasty series into a film series.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Originally published: 2014, Penguin Books

Optioned for: Film (New Regency)

What it’s about: Austin Szerba struggles with confusing sexual feelings for both his best friend and his girlfriend while preying mantises hatch in his Iowa town and threaten to take over the world.

Status: Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is on board to direct. New Regency is in final negotiations after a bidding war against Netflix and others; the project had previously been set up at Sony.

Happiness Is for Humans by P.Z. Reizin

Originally published: TBA, Grand Central Publishing (US) and Sphere Fiction (UK)

Optioned for: Film (Fox 2000/Working Title)

What it’s about: Described as “Sleepless in Seattle meets Her,” the novel follows a pair of AIs who attempt matchmaking with two lovelorn humans.

Status: Fox 2000, which adapted John Green’s Paper Towns and Nicholas Sparks’ The Longest Ride for the big screen, acquired film rights to Reizin’s partial manuscript before the London Book Fair in 2016. Fox 2000 is partnering with Working Title to adapt the novel.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Originally published: 1959, Viking

Optioned for: Television (Amblin TV/Netflix)

What it’s about: Shirley Jackson’s famous ghost story involves a summer at the eponymous house, as a doctor invites three strangers there to investigate the property’s supposed supernatural possession.

Status: Netflix has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to the as-yet untitled series, a modern reimagining of The Haunting of Hill House.

Hello, Moto, from “Hello, Moto” by Nnedi Okorafor

Originally published: 2011, Tor.com

Optioned for: Film (Fiery Film)

What it’s about: Scientist and witch Rain hopes that her inventions, wigs that allow their wearers to wield influence and power, will help battle corruption. Instead, she watches her friends Philo and Coco themselves become corrupted, turning them against Rain as she attempts to make up for what she’s done.

Status: Nigerian film/TV company/studio Fiery Film optioned the rights in early 2017.

HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Originally published: 2016, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (Warner Bros.)

What it’s about: The residents of Black Spring use apps and video surveillance to keep track of their resident witch, who in turn keeps them trapped in Black Spring. But when a group of teenage boys want to broadcast the existence of Katherine van Wyler outside of their tiny town, they risk unleashing an ancient and dangerous magic.

Status: Not much information beyond the initial announcement, but in the meantime, delve into the creepiness of Black Spring by reading an excerpt.

The Hidden Girl, from “The Hidden Girl” by Ken Liu

Originally published: 2017, TBA

Optioned for: Film (Studio 8)

What it’s about: Described as Interstellar meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, “The Hidden Girl” follows a group of assassins who can cross between dimensions. And that’s all we know about it so far!

Status: Film rights were optioned before Liu’s story was even published; it will appear in the 2017 anthology The Book of Swords, edited by Gardner Dozois. Find out more about the film adaptation.

The Hike by Drew Magary

Originally published: 2016, Viking

Optioned for: Television (IM Global Television)

What it’s about: On a business trip in rural Pennsylvania, suburban family man Ben decides to take a short hike before his dinner meeting… only to find himself lost in the woods, his path crossed by a talking crab, a futuristic hovercraft, a 16th-century Spanish explorer, and even more surreal encounters.

Status: David S. Goyer (Batman v Superman) is producing the show, with Magary adapting his novel to pilot.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs

Originally published: 1973, Dial

Optioned for: Film (Mythology Entertainment)

What it’s about: Bellairs’ eerie middle-grade books follow Lewis Barnavelt and his mysterious warlock uncle Jonathan Barnavelt as they get tangled up with black magic, ancient artificats, and the apocalypse.

Status: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke was attached to adapt the series, but no movement seems to have been made on the project since 2012. In the meantime, read Grady Hendrix’s nostalgic thoughts on Bellairs!

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Originally published: 2018, G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Optioned for: Film, 20th Century Fox

What it’s about: A retelling of the Donner Party tragedy, but with zombies.

Status: 20th Century Fox snapped up the film rights to former CIA analyst Katsu’s book proposal—she is currently writing the novel—with Luke Scott (The Martian) attached to direct the film.

Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice

Originally published: 1976, Knopf

Optioned for: Film (Universal Pictures)

What it’s about: Louis de Pointe du Lac tells his life story to a reporter—but as life stories go, it’s a doozy, spanning over two centuries of being a vampire alongside his maker Lestat and their bloodthirsty charge Claudia.

Status: For a long time the rumors were that Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) was working on a movie adaptation that combined the plots of The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. Then Boone clarified in 2016 that he was remaking Interview, by sharing a page from the script on Instagram. He has also hinted that Jared Leto could play Lestat, though that has not been confirmed.

Jake Ellis, from Who Is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson

Originally published: 2011, Image Comics

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: Silas’ life is turned upside-down when he discovers that the voice in his head—an entire personality named Jake Ellis—is a result of human experimentation. With Jake Ellis’ help, Silas flees the people chasing him as he tries to learn what happened to him. (In the comics, Silas was former CIA analyst-turned-criminal Jon Moore; it’s unclear if the film will stick to this original background.)

Status: Josh Mond (James White) will direct the adaptation, taking over for David Yates; they’re currently looking for a screenwriter.

The Last Girl by Joe Hart

Originally published: 2016, Thomas & Mercer

Optioned for: Television (Amazon Studios)

What it’s about: Twenty-five years after a worldwide epidemic reduced the female birth population from 50 percent to 1 percent, an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women. Held captive in a scientific facility looking for the cure, Zoey seeks to escape beyond the walls of the facility rather than be subjected to a potentially fatal round of experiments. But after being isolated from her family for two decades, Zoey has no idea what kind of world awaits her outside of the walls of her prison.

Status: According to Publishers Marketplace, Amazon Studios has nabbed the TV rights to Hart’s dystopian novel.

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Originally published: 2012, Quirk Books

Optioned for: Television (CBS)

What it’s about: Asteroid 2011GV1 is hurtling toward Earth, the human race has six months left to live, people are leaving their jobs to hole up in churches to pray, and yet Detective Hank Palace is still solving murders.

Status: No updates since the original announcement in 2012, so it’s likely in development hell.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore (writer) and Kevin O’Neill (artist)

Originally published: 1999, DC Comics

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: The ongoing comic book series teams up a bevy of Victorian characters from literature—including Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Doctor Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man—to fight various nasties.

Status: The 2003 movie adaptation starring Sean Connery tanked, but Fox is rebooting itself over a decade later. No cast has yet been announced.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Originally published: 2006, Bantam Spectra

Optioned for: Television (TBA)

What it’s about: Elite con artists the Gentleman Bastards—counting among their ranks their leader Father Chains and his protege Locke Lamora—rob the rich in the Venice-like city of Camorr on a distant planet. As Locke comes of age, the Gentleman Bastards find themselves fighting the mysterious Gray King, looking to take over the criminal underworld.

Status: Warner Bros. had acquired the film rights shortly after the book’s release in 2006, but those seem to have lapsed. In 2014, TV writer Ryan Condal (The Sixth Gun) claimed that he was writing a pilot; Lynch neither confirmed nor denied that he was confirming or denying the news.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow



Originally published: 2008, Tor Books

Optioned for: Film (Paramount Pictures)

What it’s about: Cory Doctorow’s modern techno-thriller follows a 17-year-old hacker in the wrong place at the wrong time following a terrorist attack on San Francisco, and how he and his friends must fend for themselves when their home becomes a police state.

Status: In 2015, Paramount Pictures acquired Cory Doctorow’s hacker series as its own “reality-based” YA franchise; no update since then.

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

Originally published: 2013, Angry Robot Books

Optioned for: Television (ABC)

What it’s about: IT consultant Roen Tan must become a secret agent when he’s taken over by an ancient alien named Tao. He soon learns that whether he likes it or not, he’s part of a terrifying alien civil war—and one side is quite willing to wipe humanity out in order to win. Roen must fight to save his species, while also training to become a real secret agent.

Status: Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, the executive producers behind Agent Carter, are developing the series with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter‘s Chris Dingess. Chu will serve as a consultant.

Lock In by John Scalzi



Originally published: 2014, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (Legendary TV)

What it’s about: Legendary TV, behind The Expanse and Colony, optioned the rights to Lock In to develop a pilot about the virus that paralyzes one percent (or five million) of the population; these people are called Hadens, after Haden’s Syndrome. Twenty-five years later, the murder of a Haden brings in the FBI, with the main suspect being an Integrator, or one who lets the Hadens use their bodies.

Status: Still very much in the early stages. In a recent interview, Scalzi cautioned fans of his books to “not get too excited” about his various optioned projects until they’ve heard that they’ve been greenlit and/or that production has wrapped.

Locke & Key by Joe Hill

Originally published: 2008, IDW Publishing

Optioned for: Television (IDW Entertainment)

What it’s about: After the gruesome murder of their father/husband, the Locke family moves in to their family estate on the island of Lovecraft, Massachusetts. As the Locke boys mourn their father, they also discover a set of magical keys that open strange doors in the house… but that also draw out creatures who’ve been looking for those locks and keys.

Status: Locke & Key has gone through a number of failed adaptations, from a Dimension Films movie to a TV series—that Fox greenlit in 2011, only to pass on—to a movie trilogy from Universal Pictures. Now, it sounds as if IDW Entertainment is developing Locke & Key as a straight-to-series project before finding a proper home on a network—possibly a place like Netflix or Amazon Studios. In a statement, Hill mentioned that the six books would work nicely as six seasons of a television series.

Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

Originally published: 1967, Dial Press

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros.)

What it’s about: In the dystopian future of 2116, the population lives only to 21; on citizens’ Lastdays, they are executed, or those who attempt to escape are run down by Sandmen. Logan-5, a Sandman, plans to ring in his 21st birthday by tracking down the rumored Sanctuary that takes in runners; instead, he becomes sympathetic to their cause.

Status: The 1976 movie adaptation became a cult classic but changed some key details (like raising the age from 21 to 30). Joel Silver, Simon Kinberg, and Ryan Condal are teaming up on a new film that will hew closer to the original novel.

Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters (writer), Grace Ellis (writer), Brooke A. Allen (artist), and Noelle Stevenson (writer)

Originally published: 2014, Boom! Studios

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: Boom! Studios describes its beloved series as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake.”

Status: Emily Carmichael (Powerhouse) will direct the adaptation.

Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald



Originally published: 2015, Tor Books/Gollancz

Optioned for: Television (CBS)

What it’s about: In 2110, fifty years after the Moon’s colonization, the top ruling families—the Five Dragons—are intermarrying, poisoning, sabotaging, and battling for control of the Moon.

Status: CBS Television Studios won the bidding war over adaptation rights in August. In the meantime, we made a handy chart showing you how everyone is related in this drama some are likening to “Game of Thrones on the Moon.”

Mika Model, from “Mika Model” by Paolo Bacigalupi

Originally published: 2016, Slate

Optioned for: Film (Netflix)

What it’s about: Bacigalupi’s short story “Mika Model,” written as part of Slate’s Future Tense initiative, has drawn comparisons to Ex Machina for its examination of whether a robot (a sex bot, no less) is capable of murder. Detective Rivera finds himself grappling not only with his attraction to the fantasy-in-the-synthetic-flesh, but also with issues of morality and justice.

Status: Up-and-comer David Weil is in talks to adapt the screenplay, as the subject matter matches one of his spec screenplays that made it onto the 2014 Hit List. Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Real Steel) will produce.

The Monolith by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (writers) and Phil Winslade (artist)

Originally published: 2004, Image Comics

Optioned for: Film (Lionsgate)

What it’s about: In this modern-day retelling of the golem legend, ex-junkie Alice Cohen inherits a Brooklyn house from her grandmother, only to discover a diary from the 1930s detailing the creation of a monster that would avenge a good man’s death.

Status: Dave Wilson (creative director of the studio that made Deadpool) will direct a screenplay by Barnett Brettler.

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Originally published: 1987, Gollancz

Optioned for: Film (Narrativia)

What it’s about: Hapless Mort lives up to his name when he becomes the apprentice to Death. But he is torn between helping his master usher souls into the afterlife and the desire to change destiny for pretty princesses and others called before their time.

Status: Recently announced at Pratchett’s memorial. Terry Rossio (Aladdin, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) will write the adapted screenplay.

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Originally published: 2001, Scholastic

Optioned for: Film (Universal Pictures/MRC)

What it’s about: Mortal Engines is the first book in a quartet set in a distant future called the Traction Era. A catastrophic Sixty-Minute War laid waste to Earth, and obliterated national boundaries. People rebuilt society by focusing on “Traction Cities”—that is, mobile city-states that are mounted on tracks and can attack each other for resources as part of a system known as “Municipal Darwinism.”

Status: Peter Jackson will adapt the screenplay (with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) and produce the film, with his protégé Christian Rivers directing. As for the cast, Stephen Lang, Jihae, and Leila George have joined the project.

Mouse Guard by David Peterson

Originally published: 2006, Archaia Studios Press

Optioned for: Film (Fox)

What it’s about: Peterson’s graphic novel series follows the Mouse Guard, a brotherhood of medieval mice in an alternate-history world without humans, protecting their fellow mice from predators.

Status: Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta will pen the adaptation, with War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves producing. The movie will employ motion-capture technology to try to mimic the art and feel of Peterson’s story.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Originally published: 1934, Collins Crime Club

Optioned for: Film (Fox)

What it’s about: Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Peña, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., and others form the ensemble for Christie’s famous mystery about Hercule Poirot’s attempts to solve a murder aboard the Orient Express, with the murderer among the passengers.

Status: Kenneth Branagh will direct and costar as Poirot.

Needle in a Timestack, from “Needle in a Timestack” by Robert Silverberg

Originally published: 1983, Playboy

Optioned for: Film (Miramax)

What it’s about: Silverberg’s short story follows “a devoted husband who will stop at nothing to save his marriage when it is destroyed by a time traveling rival.”

Status: 12 Years a Slave producer John Ridley will write and direct the adaptation.

Newsflesh by Mira Grant

Originally published: 2010, Orbit Books

Optioned for: Film (Electric Entertainment)

What it’s about: In 2040, the post-zombie generation is all infected with a miracle-cure-turned-infection that will cause them to amplify at death, used to routine blood tests and carrying a gun to ward off wild undead, and get all their news from bloggers like the After the End Times. The first book, Feed, sees Georgia and Shaun Mason following the Republican senator on the campaign trail, though they hit a few zombie-shaped stumbling blocks. Learn more about the world of Newsflesh here.

Status: The rights were optioned in 2012, but there doesn’t seem to have been much movement made on the project so far. We want to see the Masons move from the computer screen to the silver screen!

October Daye by Seanan McGuire

Originally published: 2009, DAW

Optioned for: Television (Kung Fu Monkey Productions)

What it’s about: After being cursed by someone from the world of Fae, changeling October Daye is ready to embrace only the human half of her heritage. But when she gets geased into investigating a murdered fae, she must return to the kingdom of Fae, hidden just beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Status: The film rights were acquired in 2013, but as of 2014, McGuire had no updates to share on the project. In a recent column, Foz Meadows made the case for adapting the October Daye books—but as a TV series. As it turns out, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries writer Margaret Dunlap is adapting the series for television, but as she explained in a recent podcast, it’s a slow process.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Originally published: 2014, 47North

Optioned for: Movie (Walt Disney Company)

What it’s about: After graduating from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony Twill is heartbroken when she’s assigned an apprenticeship with paper magic instead of her true love, metal magic. And once she bonds to paper, she won’t be able to do any other magic. But as she finds herself warming up to bespelling paper, she also discovers forbidden, dark magic, at great price.

Status: Producer Allison Shearmur (The Hunger Games, Rogue One) has picked up the project for Disney.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Originally published: 2010, Ballantine Books

Optioned for: Television (Fox)

What it’s about: Cronin’s trilogy takes place over about a century, and combines elements of a tense conspiracy thriller, a post-apocalyptic horror, and a vampire tale, while focusing on the young girl who is the last hope for humanity.

Status: Fox has committed to a pilot for The Passage. Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free, will be working with Fox, Friday Night Lights’ Liz Helden, and Matt Reeves (director of Cloverfield and Let Me In) to adapt the book. Cronin will also be a co-producer.

Queen of Shadows, from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Originally published: 2012, Bloomsbury

Optioned for: Television (Hulu)

What it’s about: In a land without magic, assassin Celaena Sardothien must fight 23 challengers in order to win her freedom… to become the champion of a tyrannical king.

Status: Kira Snyder (The 100, The Handmaid’s Tale) will write the pilot, with Anna Foerster (Outlander, Underworld: Blood Wars) set to direct.

Ranger’s Apprentice, from the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan

Originally published: 2004, Philomel (US & Canada) and Random House (Australia & New Zealand)

Optioned for: Film (Dick Cook Studios)

What it’s about: After spending the first fifteen years of his life wanting to be a Ranger, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, Will finally gets the chance when he is selected as a Ranger’s apprentice. But he quickly learns that not only are the Rangers the protectors of the kingdom, but there’s a battle brewing that will need every skill he can obtain.

Status: Paul Haggis and his daughter Alissa Sullivan Haggis are writing the screenplay, with Haggis directing and co-producing. Lou Xiaolou, chairman of China-based financier Film Carnival Co. Ltd., said, “Ranger’s Apprentice is only the beginning to our strategic plan of a more comprehensive collaboration.”

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Originally published: 2012, Scholastic

Optioned for: Television (Universal Cable Productions)

What it’s about: “[F]our private school boys and a psychic’s daughter … quest for a sleeping king of Welsh legend in the mountains of Virginia, uncovering ancient magic, powerful dreams, and the devils in themselves.”

Status: Publishers Marketplace reported the news.

Redliners, based on short fiction by Charlaine Harris

Originally published: various

Optioned for: Television (NBC)

What it’s about: A pair of former spies living in suburbia are thrust back into the business when a failed hit on one of them leaves the assassin dead. As they dive back into the world of espionage, they find themselves able to apply the life-and-death techniques of spycraft to the more mundane parts of their everyday lives.

Status: Emerald City executive producer Shaun Cassidy and comics creator Kelly Sue DeConnick (also involved with Emerald City) are setting up NBC’s second Harris project, after Midnight, Texas.

Redshirts by John Scalzi



Originally published: 2012, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (FX)

What it’s about: In the 25th century, five new recruits on the Starship Intrepid start to notice the suspiciously high death toll happening to their crew… but their investigations uncover a meta conspiracy. A year after Redshirts won the Hugo Award, FX bought the rights for a limited series on television. At the 2014 LA Festival of Books, Scalzi discussed the adaptation: “The book is the book; the book will always be the book. The book is designed for this medium: to be a novel. When we transfer it to television, we have to take what works in the novel that will also work in the medium of television. You have to understand when you get on the Hollywood train that your book is a source.”

Status: Still very much in the early stages. See also: Lock In.

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson



Originally published: 2011, Doubleday

Optioned for: Film (Dreamworks)

What it’s about: Basically World War Z with robots, Daniel H. Wilson’s novel provides an oral history of the Singularity and its aftermath.

Status: Steven Spielberg has been circling the project for years, but it’s currently been postponed. In late 2014, Wilson clarified that it’s “basically in the queue” behind Spielberg’s other projects. In early 2016, Drew Goddard (The Martian) put a positive spin on the delays: “There are so many times when projects don’t go at a certain release date but find a better home later” and “It was just a joy to see [Spielberg] in action and learn from him.”

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Originally published: 2016, Simon & Schuster

Optioned for: Film (Universal/Bluegrass Films)

What it’s about: Despite eradicating all disease, hunger, and war, humankind must still keep the population levels manageable, through trained killers known as scythes. Two teens, Citra and Rowan, are unwillingly apprenticed to a scythe, knowing that they must learn this “art” of killing or risk losing their lives instead.

Status: Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark will produce the adaptation for Bluegrass Films.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Originally published: 2015, William Morrow

Optioned for: Film (Skydance)

What it’s about: When the Moon unexpectedly blows up, it turns Earth into a ticking time bomb—prompting humans to create a multinational ark in the hopes of finding a new home before theirs is uninhabitable. Five thousand years later, the seven distinct races created from the survivors return to explore the foreign planet Earth.

Status: Director-producer duo Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are reteaming with Apollo 13 screenwriter Bill Broyles to adapt Neal Stephenson’s doorstopper of a generation ship novel.

The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty

Originally published: 2013, Orbit Books

Optioned for: Film (Netflix)

What it’s about: Travel writer Zoe takes a shady job in New York City’s publishing industry… writing a travel guide to the Big Apple for the undead.

Status: Netflix, which has begun releasing other feature films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, is counting on The Shambling Guide to hit the sweet spot between YA and urban fantasy with this adaptation.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Originally published: 2013, Mulholland Books

Optioned for: Film (MRC)

What it’s about: Beukes’ celebrated time travel centers on Midwest serial killer Harper Curtis, who discovers a wormhole in a house that allows him to jump through time and hunt down the “shining girls” whose auras compel him; and Kirby Mizrachi, the only victim to survive an attack and (as she grows up) his eventual nemesis.

Status: Previously considered for television, The Shining Girls looks to be a film now. Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game, Passengers) is in talks to direct the adaptation, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davison Killoran producing. Danny Boyle was previously attached to write the screenplay but left the project; perhaps Beukes, who is adapting her novel Zoo City as a screenplay, will take a stab at it.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Originally published: 2010, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Optioned for: Film (Far East)

What it’s about: The novel, set after the melting of the polar ice caps, contemplates a world in which many major cities are underwater and follows a young boy named Nailer who tries to help a girl named Nita escape a blackmail plot.

Status: Oscar-winning writer/director Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash) will direct the adaptation, the first in a planned trilogy.

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Originally published: 1953, Geoffrey Bles

Optioned for: Film (TriStar Pictures)

What it’s about: The fourth Chronicles of Narnia installment sees Aslan calling upon Eustace Scrubb (from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and his classmate Jill Pole to recover King Caspian X’s missing son and only heir.

Status: TriStar, The Mark Gordon Company, eOne, and The C.S. Lewis Company are rebooting the Narnia movie franchise, with David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi) writing the script.

Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders



Originally published: 2011, Tor.com

Optioned for: Television (NBC)

What it’s about: Charlie Jane Anders’ Hugo-winning Tor.com novellette tracks the doomed relationship between a man who can see the future and a woman who can see many futures.

Status: In 2013, NBC nabbed the rights to adapt the novelette (with Krysten Ritter producing) into “a light procedural” that recasts the man and woman as bickering private investigators who know they’ll fall in love… if they can save him from getting killed in six months and three days.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Originally published: 2017, Scribner

Optioned for: Television (TBD)

What it’s about: The inhabitants of a women’s prison in a small Appalachian town become shrouded in gauze when they go to sleep every night; if their slumber is disturbed, they turn feral and violent. All except Evie, who seems to be immune…

Status: Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta (The OA, Maniac) will serve as executive producers.

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Originally published: 2005, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: The Big Blackout cuts Earth off from the stars and sun through an alien barrier. With time passing faster outside of the barrier than on Earth, the youngest generation discovers that they may be the last: The sun will die in forty years unless someone figures out how to reverse this apocalypse or find new life on Mars.

Status: Syfy is supposedly planning a six-hour miniseries, but it wasn’t announced with the last crop of premieres, so it’s likely on the back burner.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Originally published: 2014, Knopf Doubleday

Optioned for: Film (Stone Village Productions)

What it’s about: The Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel envisions a post-apocalyptic future twenty years after a flu pandemic wiped out much of civilization. The story is told through Kirsten Raymonde and The Traveling Symphony, a roaming troupe of actors keeping the arts and humanity alive.

Status: Stone Village, who is also adapting Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Book of Joan, recently acquired movie rights.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Originally published: 1961, Putnam Publishing Group

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: Heinlein’s classic novel tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who was raised by Martians, and who has to find way to adapt to human society after coming to live on Earth.

Status: Paramount TV and Universal Cable Productions (who have also collaborated on the series Shooter and Pendergast) are teaming up to adapt the novel.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik

Originally published: 2006, Del Rey

Optioned for: Film or Television (TBD)

What it’s about: Alternate-history Napoleonic Wars in which protagonist Captain Will Laurence is part of the Aerial Corps, battling the French forces on the backs of fearsome dragons like his own, Temeraire.

Status: Peter Jackson optioned the rights in 2006 but has not made any moves to develop the project. According to quotes he gave in 2009, it would seem that he had originally intended to make a film trilogy, then realized that the material would be better suited to a miniseries. Unfortunately, that was in a pre-Game of Thrones world where epic fantasies didn’t exist so comfortably on the small screen. There’s been no word since, and Jackson is busy with a number of other projects; but more than one outlet has suggested he turn his attention back to Temeraire.

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Originally published: 2007, Little, Brown and Company

Optioned for: Television (AMC)

What it’s about: In 1847, a Royal Naval expedition crew searching for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks their ships and crew.

Status: Mad Men‘s Jared Harris has signed on to star in AMC’s anthology series, based on Simmons’ novel.

The Themis Files, from Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Originally published: 2016, Del Rey

Optioned for: Film (Sony Pictures Entertainment)

What it’s about: After falling through the ground and into the palm of a giant metal hand as a child, Rose Franklin, now grown-up and a physicist, leads a team to discover the answers behind the hand… and where the rest of the body is.

Status: Josh Bratman (Fright Night) and Matt Tolmach (The Amazing Spider-Man) will co-produce the film adaptation.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Originally published: 2013, Disney Hyperion

Optioned for: Television (Freeform)

What it’s about: When the massive luxury spaceliner Icarus crashes into the closest planet, the only survivors are Lilac LaRoux (daughter of the richest man in the universe) and Tarver Merendsen (a war hero with humble origins). As these literally star-crossed lovers help each other survive, they begin to wonder if they even want to get off their new planet.

Status: Actor and producer Eric Balfour is teaming up with his producing partner Stephanie Varella and Fargo producer Warren Littlefield to adapt the first book in the Starbound trilogy (which includes This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light, both published). Continuum creator/showrunner Simon Barry will write the teleplay.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Originally published: 2016, HarperCollins

Optioned for: Film (Sony Pictures/Safehouse Pictures)

What it’s about: In the dystopian V-City, violent acts have bred actual monsters. One monster, August, can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. But as he tries to tamp down his murderous impulses, he finds himself teamed up with Kate, the daughter of an extortionist, after an assassination attempt.

Status: Sony has optioned the film rights.

Trees by Warren Ellis (writer) and Jason Howard (artist)

Originally published: 2014, Image Comics

Optioned for: Television (Hardy Son & Baker/NBCUniversal)

What it’s about: Aliens land on Earth, but they don’t make contact—they just stand on the surface, exerting silent pressure, refusing to acknowledge humans as intelligent life.

Status: Tom Hardy’s production company is currently developing the TV adaptation.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Originally published: 2017, Hyperion

Optioned for: Film (Cross Creek Pictures)

What it’s about: Unearthed is the first book of a forthcoming duology by the writing duo behind These Broken Stars and is described as “Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones, set in deep space.”

Status: Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman is planning to direct the adaptation.

Uprising, from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

Originally published: 1966, G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: Heinlein’s Hugo-winning novel depicts the revolt of a former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority controlling it from Earth (no doubt where the movie’s title comes from)—a rebellion that counts among its numbers a technician, an academic, and an artificial intelligence committed to the cause.

Status: Fox picked up the movie rights in 2015, with X-Men‘s Bryan Singer attached to direct. This will be the third attempted adaptation of the novel; DreamWorks and Phoenix Pictures both had projects in the works at some point, but each time the rights reverted back to Heinlein’s estate.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Originally published: 1898, William Heinemann

Optioned for: Television (The Firm/MTV)

What it’s about: An unnamed protagonist in Surrey and his brother in London watch as Martians invade southern London.

Status: Teen Wolf creators Jeff Davis and Andrew Cochran will adapt Wells’ iconic novel for television.

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

Originally published: 2009, Del Rey

Optioned for: Film (New Harlem Partnership)

What it’s about: Three young survivors of vicious demon (or coreling) attacks step beyond the safe bounds of warded magic to discover secrets about the past and figure out how to level the playing field between humans and corelings.

Status: After Paul W.S. Anderson’s hold on the rights expired, Spike Seldin (The A-Team) and Hans Futterman picked them up. Brett will adapt his novel into a screenplay. New Harlem is currently meeting with potential financiers and distributors.

The Warriors by Sol Yurick

Originally published: 1965, E.P. Dutton

Optioned for: Television (Paramount TV/Hulu)

What it’s about: When they’re framed for the murder of the leader of New York City’s street gangs, the eponymous Warriors must race back to their home turf of Coney Island before the rival gangs tear them apart.

Status: The Russo brothers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War) will direct a script from Frank Baldwin as a one-hour drama.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Originally published: 2010, Tor Books

Optioned for: Film (DMG Entertainment)

What it’s about: The first installment in The Stormlight Archive follows Kaladin, a medical apprentice turned slave; Brightlord Dalinar Kholin, commanding one of ten armies in a war that makes no sense; Shallan, an untried woman seeking to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic; and the fallen Knights Radiant and the Shardblades they left behind.

Status: DMG Entertainment has made a licensing and film deal for the rights to Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. DMG likened the acquisition to obtaining the rights for a comic-book universe, as the Cosmere contains The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, White Sand, and more. They are currently fast-tracking an adaptation of Way of Kings; screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the writing team behind several Saw films, will adapt the screenplay. DMG is also adapting the Mistborn series for film but has not determined a screenwriter yet. Sanderson will serve as an executive producer. In the meantime, check out our Way of Kings dream-cast.

We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory

Originally published: 2014, Tachyon Publications

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: Psychotherapist Dr. Jan Sayer brings together the final girls (and final boys) of various horror-movie scenarios for a support group. But in trying to help these survivors, Dr. Sayer unwittingly unlocks the supernatural evils buried within their consciousnesses.

Status: After Wes Craven’s death in 2015, Syfy announced that it still intends to move forward with a number of projects, including We Are All Completely Fine.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Originally published: 1962, Viking Press

Optioned for: Film (Further Films/Great Point Media)

What it’s about: One of Jackson’s best-known stories, We Have Always Lived in the Castle centers on a perverse, possibly murderous family whose isolation from the outside world is upended by a distant cousin (Sebastian Stan) looking to uncover dark secrets.

Status: Michael Douglas is producing the thriller adaptation, from a screenplay written by Stacie Passon (Concussion) and Mark Kruger (Damien, Teen Wolf).

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Originally published: 2003, Doubleday

Optioned for: Film (Narrativia & The Jim Henson Company)

What it’s about: The first of several Tiffany Aching stories, about the young witch-to-be’s discovery of her powers. Armed with her frying pan and common sense, and aided by the Wee Free Men, Tiffany faces off against headless horsemen, dreams come true (in the worst way), and the Elf Queen.

Status: Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna Pratchett announced back in 2013 that she was adapting the novel as a feature-length film, but there were no updates until the project was confirmed at Pratchett’s memorial. The Jim Henson Company will co-produce with Narrativia.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Originally published: 1990, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (TBA)

What it’s about: Everything you need to know is in the Wheel of Time Reread Redux.

Status: In early 2015, a baffling Wheel of Time “pilot” appeared online. Harriet McDougal, the late author’s wife and CEO of the Bandersnatch Group (to whom the movie and TV rights reverted back to in February 2015), released a statement clarifying that the pilot was neither seen nor approved by the Jordan estate. In April 2016, McDougal announced that legal issues had been resolved and “WoT will become a cutting edge TV Series.” Official word to come soon from the studio.

Wicked, from Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Originally published: 1996, HarperCollins

Optioned for: Film (Universal Pictures)

What it’s about: Maguire’s political and ethical commentary is a revisionist take on the Wicked Witch’s life—reimagining her as Elphaba, the misunderstood, green-skinned girl who befriends another witch-to-be, Galinda, at Shiz University and stumbles upon corruption in the Emerald City.

Status: Technically, the movie is adapting the beloved Broadway musical Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holtzmann. But since their show was inspired by Maguire’s book, I’m counting it. Universal recently announced the release date: December 20, 2019. The only other information we know so far is that Stephen Daldry and Marc Platt—both producers of the long-running show—will direct and produce, respectively.

Wild Cards, from the Wild Cards series edited by George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass

Originally published: 1987, Bantam Books

Optioned for: Television (Universal Cable Productions)

What it’s about: Martin’s shared-universe anthology tracks the aftermath of an alien virus released after World War II, which killed 90% of those who contracted it but imbued a small number of survivors with extraordinary powers. Some have used them for good, others for evil. The 22 published installments have featured stories by dozens of authors, including Roger Zelazny, Pat Cadigan, Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, Cherie Priest, Paul Cornell, and more.

Status: Martin recently announced that Universal Cable Productions is adapting the mosaic novels for television, with co-editor Melinda Snodgrass (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as showrunner alongside producer Gregory Noveck from Syfy Films. Martin also invites readers to share their dream casts!

Wool by Hugh Howey

Originally published: 2013, Simon & Schuster

Optioned for: Film (20th Century Fox)

What it’s about: In a post-apocalyptic future characterized by a ruined and toxic landscape, surviving humans live in a silo deep underground. When Sheriff Holston breaks the community’s most important rule, asking to go outside, he is replaced by mechanic Juliette. But as Juliette is entrusted with fixing her silo, she begins to discover just how broken their society is.

Status: Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel screenwriter Nicole Perlman was hired to revise previous drafts of the screenplay. However, there’s been no update on the project since mid-2015.

The Wrong Grave, from “The Wrong Grave” by Kelly Link

Originally published: 2009, Text Publishing

Optioned for: Film (Independent)

What it’s about: Sixteen-year-old Miles Sperry digs up the grave of his girlfriend Bethany Baldwin, who hasn’t been dead for much longer than a year, to recover the bad love poetry he buried with her.

Status: You can follow along with the production on Facebook and the official website.

Zero K by Don DeLillo

Originally published: 2016, Scribner

Optioned for: Television (FX)

What it’s about: Billionaire Ross Lockhart sends his wife Artis Martineau, diagnosed with a terminal illness, to a secret compound where bodies are preserved and death is staved off. With a personal investment now joining his financial stake, Ross hopes that Zero K can help save Artis’ life… but the story is told from the POV of Jeffrey Lockhart, their son.

Status: The rights were optioned before the book was even published.

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Originally published: 2011, First Second Books

Optioned for: Film (Fox Animation)

What it’s about: When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue—encountering ancient prophecies, doomed planets, and mysterious con men along the way.

Status: Screenwriting duo Morgan Jurgenson and Alex Ankeles (Hyperdrive, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) will adapt Eisner Award winner Ben Hatke’s Miyazaki-esque graphic novel trilogy.

IN DEVELOPMENT

100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello (writer) and Eduardo Risso (artist)



Originally published: 1999-2009, Vertigo Comics

Optioned for: Film (New Line Cinema)

What it’s about: In Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s noiry, pulpy comic book series, the mysterious Agent Graves approaches people with a gun, the identity of the person who ruined their lives, and a hundred rounds of untraceable ammunition.

Status: Tom Hardy is on board to produce and potentially star in the movie adaptation.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Originally published: 2002, Gollancz

Optioned for: Television (Netflix)

What it’s about: In a post-cyberpunk future, human consciousness can be stored, downloaded, and reuploaded into “sleeves,” or new bodies. Soldier Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) is downloaded into the body of a disgraced cop to investigate the death of a Meth, or aristocrat, who’s convinced that he was murdered. The rest of the cast includes James Purefoy (as Laurens Bancroft, a Meth), Dichen Lachman (as Takashi’s sister Reileen Kawahara), Leonardo Nam (as Stronghold Kovacs, Takeshi’s former body), and more.

Status: Formerly being developed as a movie with Mythology Entertainment, now Altered Carbon will be a Netflix series produced by Skydance Television. Morgan will act as a consultant (and possibly write some episodes) for the ten-episode season.

Bodies by Si Spencer (writer) and Tula Lotay, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick, and Dean Ormston (artists)

Originally published: 2014, Vertigo Comics

Optioned for: Television (Hulu)

What it’s about: This miniseries follows four detectives trying to solve four murder cases, all in London but in distinct time periods: the 1890s, the 1940s, 2014, and post-apocalyptic 2050.

Status: Amulet screenwriter Aron Coleite is developing Bodies with Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey company.

Castle Rock, from various works by Stephen King

Originally published: various

Optioned for: Television (Hulu/Bad Robot)

What it’s about: Named for the fictional Maine town appearing (or mentioned) in many of King’s novels and short stories, Castle Rock is a horror anthology series that will both draw from King’s existing body of work while including new stories.

Status: J.J. Abrams will produce; Manhattan creator Sam Shaw will write with Dustin Thomason, who also served as a writer and executive producer on Manhattan. Hulu has released a teaser.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Originally published: 2015, Tor Books

Optioned for: Film (G-BASE)

What it’s about: Traveler-magician Kell’s official job is to deliver correspondence between the parallel Londons, but his unofficial job is smuggling visitors to see the flourishing magic of Red London, or the eerie control of White London (though no one is allowed in Black London). When a thief from boring Grey London robs, saves, and then joins Kell, he discovers the perilous magic at the root of everything.

Status: While the original plans for the adaptation was a limited series along the lines of Game of Thrones, the project changed direction in 2017: Schwab will be a producer on the movie version of the first book, with the other two volumes serving as material for a potential franchise.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Originally published: 2011, Penguin Books

Optioned for: Television (TBA)

What it’s about: Diana Bishop, an alchemical history professor at the University of Oxford, gets caught up with an ancient manuscript that calls to the magic in her blood, and a charming vampire who may also have designs on her blood.

Status: While there was a film adaptation in development back in 2011, now it looks as if the All Souls trilogy will appear on TV. Harkness recently announced that Jane Tranter and Bad Wolf would produce the series; Harkness is one of the executive producers and is writing some of the episodes. They haven’t yet confirmed broadcaster, in the U.S. or the UK.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Originally published: 1965, Chilton Books

Optioned for: Film and Television (Legendary Entertainment)

What it’s about: Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, whose family accepts stewardship of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the coveted “spice” in the universe. After a betrayal, Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control over Arrakis.

Status: Legendary Entertainment has reached an agreement with the Frank Herbert estate in which it has acquired the film and television rights to Dune. The agreement calls for the development and production of possible film and TV projects for a global audience. Brian Herbert has confirmed that Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve will helm the project.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Originally published: 1953, Ballantine Books

Optioned for: Film (HBO Films)

What it’s about: Bradbury’s chilling class envisions a future in which fireman Guy Montag begins to question his job to burn books after meeting a young woman who doesn’t share the empty-headed complacency of his peers. While the last film adaptation was in 1966, Fahrenheit 451 has been adapted as a stage play (1979), a radio play (1982), an interactive computer game (1984), and a graphic novel (2009).

Status: Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes) will write, direct, and executive produce the new film adaptation.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman



Originally published: 1974, St. Martin’s Press

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros.)

What it’s about: Channing Tatum has signed on to star as William Mandella, a soldier fighting a fearsome enemy, only to (thanks to time dilation) return to a world he doesn’t recognize.

Status: The project was initially announced in 2015. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts provided an update in late 2016, saying that the adaptation was still happening but had been delayed by the production of his film Passengers.

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman (writer) and Skottie Young (illustrator)

Originally published: 2013, HarperCollins

Optioned for: Film (Fox)

What it’s about: Edgar Wright will direct a part-live action, part-animated adaptation (written by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie) of Gaiman’s children’s book. Johnny Depp will star as a father who, with his son, gets caught up in issues of time travel and breakfast cereal.

Status: Currently the aforementioned folks are in negotiations.

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi



Originally published: 2004, Tor Books

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: Syfy’s adaptation of John Scalzi’s military sci-fi series Old Man’s War takes the name of the second novel (Scalzi jokes that it’s “sexier”) but will pull from all of the OMW books. Syfy sums up the series as following 75-year-old John Perry, who enlists in an intergalactic war that has soldiers fighting in younger bodies into which their consciousness is transplanted.

Status: The series is still in development, but it’s slow going.

Happy! by Grant Morrison

Originally published: 2012, Image Comics

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: After a shootout lands him in the ICU, ex-cop-turned-hitman Nick Sax gets visited by a tiny blue horse named Happy… the invisible friend of a girl being held captive by a child murderer dressed as Santa Claus. As Christmas bells begin ringing, Sax must team up with this figment of a child’s imagination to find her.

Status: Universal Cable Productions is adapting the comic book series for Syfy, with Morrison and writer-director Brian Taylor co-writing the pilot and set as executive producers. Syfy ordered a pilot in fall 2016.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman



Originally Published: 1995, Scholastic UK/1996, Alfred A. Knopf

Optioned for: Television (BBC One)

What it’s about: Lyra, an orphan, and her trusty dæmon Pan travel through parallel universes in order to learn the truth about her parents, prophecies about Lyra’s place in the fight against celestial beings, and the meaning behind the mysterious Dust.

Status: The BBC is partnering with New Line Cinema (who produced the movie version of The Golden Compass in 2007) to adapt all three books for television, with author Philip Pullman drawing comparisons to Game of Thrones and The Wire. Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) will write the teleplay, under the watch of producers Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner (Doctor Who).

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix



Originally published: 2014, Quirk Books

Optioned for: Television (Fox)

What it’s about: The novel follows five employees at the ORSK furniture superstore, as they volunteer to take an all-nighter shift to find out what’s behind the mysterious damage at their store. Fox’s supernatural dramedy (co-written by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz and produced by Charlie Kaufman) seems to be building out this story into more serialized form, focusing on slacker protagonist Amy.

Status: No update yet.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman

Originally published: 2006, HarperCollins/Headline Review

Optioned for: Film (A24)

What it’s about: Enn (Alex Sharp, from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway) and his friends go to a party trying to talk to girls, only to discover that the girls, especially Zan (Elle Fanning), are not what he expected.

Status: Filming began in November 2015, with the movie expected to be released sometime in 2016.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Originally published: 1989, Doubleday

Optioned for: Television (Syfy)

What it’s about: On the eve of armageddon brought about by galactic war, seven pilgrims set out to the Shrike, hidden in the Valley of Time Tombs. Each has a riddle, a hope, and a secret.

Status: Bradley Cooper, who has been trying to adapt the novel for years, is now working with Syfy to adapt the novel into an “event series” (i.e., miniseries). Itamar Moses (Boardwalk Empire) is set to write the screenplay.

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss



Originally published: 2007, DAW Books

Optioned for: Film, Television, & Video Games (Lionsgate)

What it’s about: In Rothfuss’ fantasy trilogy—the first two books of which have been published—adventurer and musician Kvothe tells his life story, with the majority of the series made up by the flashbacks.

Status: Lionsgate plans to adapt the books into movies and a TV series and tie-in video games… and perhaps eventually for the stage? At any rate, it’s in good hands: Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda will serve as creative producer overseeing this burgeoning franchise, and John Rogers will serve as showrunner of the TV series.

Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E. Butler

Originally published: 1987, Grand Central Publishing

Optioned for: Television (Bainframe)

What it’s about: Lilith’s Brood is a trilogy, in which the alien Oankali save humans from themselves, but for a price (Dawn); some humans agree to mate and evolve with the Oankali, while others revolt (Adulthood Rites); and there emerges a new generation of human-Oankali hybrids (Imago).

Status: Allen Bain acquired the rights in 2015 and shared with io9 some of his ideas about how to adapt some of the series’ fascinating visuals (organic, not mechanical, ships) and controversial themes (interspecies sex with multiple partners) for television. It sounds as if Bainframe is still focusing on adapting the material before looking for a distributor and network/platform.

MaddAddam, from The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

Originally published: 2003, Doubleday/Bloomsbury

Optioned for: Television (HBO)

What it’s about: The speculative fiction trilogy follows the 21st-century human race before and after the Waterless Flood, brought about by corporations’ control and an overabundance of genetically-engineered organisms. The latter two books look at the survivors of the Flood and how they rebuild society.

Status: Darren Aronofsky is adapting the series for HBO, with Atwood acting as a consulting producer. The last update comes from late 2014, in which Atwood says she’s met with the development team to discuss structure and the like.

Meg by Steve Alten

Originally published: 1997, Bantam Books

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros/Gravity Pictures)

What it’s about: When a deep-sea submersible is stuck in a trench at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after an attack by a prehistoric shark called the Megalodon, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must rescue the crew. Why is he the best man for the job? Because he’s the only one who has encountered this creature before.

Status: Comes to theaters March 2, 2018. Check out the first production photo.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Originally published: 2011, Crown/Archetype

Optioned for: Film (Amblin Entertainment)

What it’s about: In 2044, most people have abandoned their grim, poverty-stricken reality for the OASIS, a completely immersive MMORPG. When OASIS creator James Halliday passes away, he leaves behind a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque Easter egg hunt for his fortune. Leading the search are aspiring gunter (egg hunter) Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), his best friend Aech, and famous gunter Art3mis.

Status: Coming to theaters March 30, 2018.

Real Artists, from “Real Artists” by Ken Liu

Originally published: 2011, MIT Technology Review of Science Fiction

Optioned for: Film (Semaphore Studios)

What it’s about: Young animator Sophia (Bones‘ Tiffany Hines) is offered her dream job; but at the interview with Palladon (Teen Wolf‘s Tamlyn Tomita), she discovers the unsettling secret behind the company’s creative process.

Status: Now that writer-director Cameo Wood and her team have secured funding, they’re in post-production on their adaptation of Liu’s short story.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson



Originally published: 1993, Bantam Spectra

Optioned for: Television (Spike TV/Skydance)

What it’s about: Red Mars tracks the early colonization and terraforming of Mars, as told through the perspectives of the First Hundred who are chosen to leave behind an Earth suffering from overpopulation, ecological disasters, and the emergence of transnational corporations threatening to overthrow the world’s governments.

Status: Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski will adapt the series for Spike TV, which gave it a straight-to-series order in late 2015. However, Spike has paused the project after showrunner Peter Noah departed in early 2016. The network said in a statement that it will continue to develop the series but that “[w]e are pausing to ensure we get the script right and to deliver fans what they want—a fantastic show that fully captures the spirit of these wonderful books.”

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Originally published: 2014, Del Rey

Optioned for: Film (Universal Pictures)

What it’s about: Humanity has spread to other planets but has also instituted a color-coded caste system, which means that Reds like Darrow toil beneath the surface of Mars, believing that they are making the surface habitable for future generations. But when he discovers that upper castes made it to the surface long ago, Darrow confronts the godlike Gold caste.

Status: Marc Forster (World War Z) plans to direct the movie adaptation, but it sounds like it’s slow going. In an early 2016 update, Brown explained that he had written two drafts of the script, with a “buddy” helping out on a third go. Most of all, he stressed that Forster “has been very careful” because “he loves the material.”

Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Originally published: 1972, Macmillan

Optioned for: Television (WGN America)

What it’s about: This Russian sci-fi novel centers on Red Schuhart (Matthew Goode), who enters “the Zone”—a dimension formerly inhabited by aliens—to collect mysterious artifacts to sell on the black market. But when something goes wrong in his world, Red must return to the Zone over and over again to find answers.

Status: Jack Paglen (Alien: Covenant) is writing the pilot. Interestingly, Roadside Picnic had previously inspired the 1979 film Stalker.

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

Originally published: 2003, Marvel Comics

Optioned for: Television (Hulu)

What it’s about: Upon discovering that their parents are supervillains, six teenagers steal or embrace newfound superpowers and fight to right their parents’ wrongdoings.

Status: Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) will write the pilot and executive produce alongside Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb (who had a hand in Jessica Jones) and Jim Chory (Daredevil). The Runaways and The Pride have been cast, but no release date has yet been announced.

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman



Originally published: 1989, Vertigo

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros/DC Entertainment)

What it’s about: After escaping nearly a century of imprisonment, Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams and one of the Endless, goes about rebuilding his kingdom. Along the way, he visits Hell and Asgard, attempts to undo massive sins, and searches for his missing brother.

Status: The production team, which includes David S. Goyer (Batman v Superman) and Gaiman executive producing, is trying to condense the massive epic into a movie without going straight-up action movie. The production suffered a slight setback when Joseph Gordon-Levitt exited amid creative differences, but it looks as if Goyer and co. are continuing on. No release date set yet.

Skin Trade by George R.R. Martin



Originally published: 1989, Orion Publishing

Optioned for: Television (Cinemax)

What it’s about: George R.R. Martin describes his 1988 novella as an “offbeat werewolf noir”: Private investigator Randi Wade gets involved in a string of gruesome serial killings (taking the skin of victims) that reminds her of her father’s death two decades prior. But when a close friend becomes a target, she’s pulled into a hairy underworld.

Status: Cinemax has ordered a pilot script, to be written by Kalinda Vazquez (Prison Break, Once Upon a Time).

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu



Originally published: 2015, Tor Books

Optioned for: Film (Paramount Pictures)

What it’s about: Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is a chronman: He jumps back and forth in time to help delay humanity’s demise in the future. But when he brings a scientist from the past into the future with him, they both become fugitives.

Status: Michael Bay will direct the film adaptation, with Wesley Chu executive-producing.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik



Originally published: 2015, Del Rey

Optioned for: Film (Warner Bros)

What it’s about: Plain, clumsy, loyal Agnieszka is handed over to the Dragon, a fearsome wizard who takes one girl from her village every ten years. She never expected to be taken—expected he would take her beautiful, brave best friend Kasia—but as Agnieszka begins exploring the magic she never knew she had, it soon becomes clear why the Dragon felt compelled to take her instead.

Status: Naomi Novik is working with Ellen DeGeneres to adapt the novel.

The Watch, from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Originally published: 1983, Colin Smythe

Optioned for: Television (Narrativia)

What it’s about: Described as a “Pratchett-style CSI,” this procedural would pull from stories about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch from the Discworld novels.

Status: In the Discworld Monthly Newsletter released in November 2015, Pratchett’s assistant Rob Wilkins wrote, “There will be no news from Narrativia regarding the Discworld Watch series until the first day on set.” That would imply that the project is still in some stage of development, without giving any sort of concrete timeline.

Wildwood by Colin Meloy (writer) and Carson Ellis (illustrator)

Originally published: 2011, Balzer + Bray

Optioned for: Film (LAIKA)

What it’s about: Set in an alternate version of Portland, OR, the middle-grade epic fantasy follows young Prue McKeel, who must enter the Impassable Wilderness after her little brother is abducted by a murder of crows.

Status: LAIKA picked up the rights shortly after publication, but the film, a stop-motion adaptation, has not been released yet.

Xanth series by Piers Anthony

Originally published: 1977, Ballantine Books & Del Rey

Optioned for: Television and Film (SP Entertainment Group)

What it’s about: Anthony’s long-running fantasy saga takes place in the eponymous land of Xanth, whose inhabitants develop their “talent,” or magic, to become powerful magicians while encountering mythological creatures and maybe popping back and forth into Mundania.

Status: Producer Steven Paul’s (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost Rider) SP Entertainment Group is launching development of the Xanth novels into both a feature film and a television series.

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn (writer) and Pia Guerra (artist)



Originally published: 2002, Vertigo

Optioned for: Television (FX)

What it’s about: Brian K. Vaughan’s landmark comic book series—and the series that got me hooked on the medium—examines the fallout of a worldwide plague that wipes out everyone with an XY chromosome, except for aspiring escape artist Yorick and his monkey Ampersand. While the female survivors struggle to rebuild society, several groups target the last man and chase him across the Earth.

Status: The producer who wooed Vaughan into adapting his beloved series (which was wrapped up in movie deals for ages) for television? Nina Jacobson, who has a little hit on her hands with the Hunger Games franchise. Fans will be heartened to hear that Vaughan is very involved in the project; in fact, he will co-write the show with showrunner Michael Green (American Gods). Last we heard from FX, the script would be ready by early-to-mid 2017; it will be an ongoing series rather than a limited one.

COMING SOON

American Gods (Television, Starz)

Adapted from: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Originally published: 2001, William Morrow

What it’s about: Showrunners Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Heroes) are excited to make Gaiman’s novel, about the battles between old gods and new, into a sort of anthology series. (Not to be confused with his reboot of the old-school anthology series Amazing Stories.) That means that in addition to following protagonist Shadow, they’ll also be touching upon other characters, like Bilquis and (we hope) The Technical Boy.

Status: Fuller and his team are hard at work—sharing Twitter gems like this—and making sure they honor the book’s diversity. Most of the cast has been set, with Ricky Whittle as Shadow, Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning as Laura Moon, Jonathan Tucker as “Low Key” Lyesmith, and Crispin Glover as Mr. World. Check out this adorable photo from their first table read… then feast your eyes on the first trailer! American Gods will premiere April 30.

Annihilation (Film, Paramount Pictures)

Adapted from: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Originally published: 2014, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

What it’s about: The first installment of VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy follows a biologist (Natalie Portman), a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a surveyer, and an anthropologist (Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez, whose roles have not yet been clarified) as they venture into the untamed Area X. They are the twelfth expedition, after their forebears’ explorations ended in violence, madness, and death. The biologist, our narrator, is especially concerned with discovering the secrets of Area X, as they relate to her missing husband (Oscar Isaac). Ex Machina‘s Alex Garland is writing and directing; he talks about the process here.

Status: Comes to theaters sometime in 2017.

Beautiful Dreamer (Film, The Colony Media)

Adapted from: “Memories of My Mother” by Ken Liu

Originally published: 2012, Daily Science Fiction

What it’s about: A young woman faced with a terminal illness and two years to live uses space travel and time dilation to visit her daughter every seven years over her lifetime.

Status: After having its West Coast premiere at a film festival in June 2016, this short film should be released online eventually. In the meantime, here’s a calendar of which festivals you can find the film at.

The Circle (Film, Playtone/EuropaCorp)

Adapted from: The Circle by Dave Eggers

Originally published: 2013, McSweeney’s

What it’s about: Mae Holland (Emma Watson) thinks she’s landed a dream job at The Circle, a powerful social media company. But when the company’s founder (Tom Hanks) pressures her to become an on-camera presence instead of just being behind-the-scenes, she finds herself bombarded by followers and their expectations, which threaten her identity.

Status: In theaters April 28; watch the latest trailer!

Cloak and Dagger (Television, Freeform/Marvel Television)

Adapted from: Cloak and Dagger by various authors and artists

Originally published: 1983, Marvel Comics

What it’s about: Marvel is expanding its television universe with a show aimed at teenagers on Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family). Tandy “Dagger” Bowen and Tyrone “Cloak” Johnson are an unusual duo, in that their superpowers are incredibly complementary: She can create daggers of light, while he can engulf others in total darkness. No word yet on which of Cloak and Dagger’s many Marvel Comics plotlines the show will actually be based.

Status: Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights, An Untamed State) will direct the pilot, and the leads have been cast: former Disney Channel star Olivia Holt will play Tandy, while The Night Of’s Aubrey Joseph will portray Tyrone. The series is expected to premiere in late 2018.

The Dark Tower (Film & Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Adapted from: The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Originally published: 2003, Plume Books

What it’s about: Stephen King has described the series as his magnum opus: Combining themes from sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and Western, it follows a gunslinger (Idris Elba), the Man in Black he’s following (Matthew McConaughey), and his quest to find a tower that is both physical and metaphorical.

Status: Sony Pictures Entertainment is partnering with Media Rights Capital to produce a number of movies as well as a complementary TV series. Screenwriter Nikolaj Arcel (the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), who taught himself English in order to read King’s books, wrote the script. The Dark Tower, the first movie, opens in theaters in summer 2017, after the release date was pushed back from February. (Check out more stills here.) And later in 2017 or in 2018, once the movie is coming to cable or streaming services, the TV show will premiere: Based on Wizard and Glass, it’s a 10-to-13-episode prequel series following a young Roland.

The Defenders (Television, Netflix)

Adapted from: various Marvel Comics characters

Originally published: N/A

What it’s about: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team up in New York City against a threat (which will somehow involve Sigourney Weaver).

Status: Premieres August 18; watch the latest teaser.

Drink, Slay, Love (Television, Lifetime)

Adapted from: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Originally published: 2011, Margaret K. McElderry Books

What it’s about: After a unicorn stabs her through the heart, eternally-sixteen-year-old vampire Pearl discovers that she’s able to walk around in sunlight without getting burned to a crisp. When the Vampire King of New England chooses Pearl’s family to host his annual feast, she must enroll in high school to procure some fresh meat for the meal. But as she finds friends and love interests in high school, something begins to eat away at her—not bloodlust, but a conscience.

Status: Bella Thorne will co-executive produce Lifetime’s TV movie adaptation of the novel, starring Cierra Ramirez. Premieres in 2017.

Good Omens (Television, BBC/Amazon Prime)



Adapted from: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Originally published: 1990, Gollancz/Workman

What it’s about: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett co-wrote this comedy about the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley trying to avoid the End Times, brought about by Satan’s son.

Status: Long rumored, now confirmed: At a recent memorial for Pratchett, Gaiman revealed that the late author wrote him a letter before his death imploring Gaiman to adapt their book on his own. (Gaiman: “At that point, I think I said, ‘You bastard, yes.’”) The six-part miniseries will premiere sometime in 2018.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Television, Hulu)

Adapted from: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Originally published: 1985, McClelland and Stewart

What it’s about: Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a handmaid, or concubine, belonging to a wealthy couple in the totalitarian Republic of Gilead. She narrates the story of how Gilead came to be, as well as her small and large acts of sedition within the established hierarchy, and her search for her missing family.

Status: The ten-episode series will premiere on April 26… and Margaret Atwood has a cameo!

IT (Film, Warner Bros/New Line Cinema)

Adapted from: IT by Stephen King

Originally published: 1986, Viking

What it’s about: A malevolent being disguises itself as phobias, but mostly as a disturbing clown, in order to hunt a group of children. As adults, they return to their hometown to confront the fear they know only as “IT.”

Status: Comes to theaters September 8; watch the first trailer.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Film, Warner Bros.)

Adapted from: every King Arthur tale ever

Originally published: N/A

What it’s about: In Guy Ritchie’s reimagining of Arthurian legend, Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) doesn’t learn about his royal lineage until he pulls Excalibur from the stone. Fighting alongside the Resistance and the enigmatic Guinevere, he must defeat the tyrant Vortigern to avenge his parents and reclaim his birthright.

Status: Comes to theaters May 12; watch the “dynamic” first trailer.

Marjorie Prime (Film, Passage Pictures)

Adapted from: Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison

Originally published: 2015, Playwrights Horizons

What it’s about: In the age of artificial intelligence, aging Marjorie (Lois Smith), slowly losing her memories, spends her time talking about her life with her handsome companion, Walter (Jon Hamm)—a hologram of her late husband.

Status: Premieres at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival; will likely come to theaters shortly after.

Midnight, Texas (Television, NBC)

Adapted from: Midnight, Texas by Charlaine Harris

Originally published: 2014, Ace

What it’s about: In Charlaine Harris’ series, phone psychic Manfred Bernardo relocates to Midnight, Texas, and then winds up overstaying his welcome—probably because of all the murders. It’s certainly an intriguing town, from the way executive producer David Janollari (Six Feet Under) describes it: “It’s where humans and the supernatural co-exist, and where everyone has a secret. It’s equal parts humorous, sexy, and downright scary.”

Status: Premieres July 25. Watch the latest trailer!

The Mist (Television, Spike TV)

Adapted from: The Mist by Stephen King

Originally published: 1980, Signet

What it’s about: TWC-Dimension TV, which produced the 2007 movie adaptation of The Mist, will take another stab at King’s eerie novella about a Maine town shrouded in a mist filled with supernatural monsters, and what the townspeople do to survive.

Status: Adam Bernstein, who directed the pilots for Scrubs, 30 Rock, and Fargo, will helm the series. Premieres June 22; watch the first trailer.

Mr. Mercedes (Television, Audience Network)

Adapted from: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Originally published: 2014, Scribner

What it’s about: When a killer dubbed “Mr. Mercedes” (Harry Treadaway), due to the grisly nature of his automobile crime, taunts retired detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) with a series of lurid letters and emails, Hodges must stir himself from his depression to stop Mr. Mercedes from killing again.

Status: David E. Kelley (The Practice) will serve as showrunner. The series is set to premiere in fall 2017.

New Warriors (