We look forward to these book-to-film adaptations

BOOKS have always been great course material for films and TV shows. It’s a relationship that has mostly worked brilliantly for books and the films, with many books ending up as classics and earning the authors and publishers, millions. The past year has seen many book to film adaptations, including the Academy Award winning Nomadland, The White Tiger, French Exit, Two Kisses for Maddy (Fatherhood), Without Remorse and Cruella.

Here are the upcoming film adaptations we are looking forward to and the books they’re based on. This is your chance to read the books before the films are released in the coming months.

Dune

(R356 on Loot.co.za) The film is based on the August 1965 book written by Frank Herbert. This is a reboot of the 1984 film. The book tells the story of the Atreides clan, a powerful family who are forced to take control of a desert planet, which has the source of the most sought after commodity in the galaxy.

The protagonist is Paul, the heir apparent to the empire, who is a brilliant and gifted young man and must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. The film recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival and stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya and is directed by Denis Villeneuve. It’s out in cinemas next month.

The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed

(R213 on Loot.co.za)

Sara Gay Forden’s tome on the fabled Italian family that gave the world one of the most famous designer brands, has been adapted for film by Ridley Scott with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver in the leading roles.

Forden’s book searches for the answers in the intriguing case of the murder of Maurizio Gucci. Did Patrizia Reggiani murder Gucci because of his spending? Did she do it because her ex was preparing to marry his mistress? Or is there a possibility she didn't do it at all? It’s a story about the family behind the brand and their most fraught time of their lives. The film releases in November.

Nightmare Alley

(R311 on Loot.co.za) Originally published in 1946, Nightmare Alley is a noir about the sleazy side of show business and William Lindsay Gresham has created characters that begged to be seen on screen.

Adapted by Kim Morgan and Guillermo del Toro, and starring Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper, Willem Dafoe and Rooney Mara, the film tells the story of carnival worker, Stan Carlisle, who has reached rock bottom. Ambitious and driven, he devises a plan that will get him out of his sad life. Soon he is manipulating people and with a few well-chosen words, hooks up with a psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.

It will be released in December.