Story to Screen 20/08/2026

From first-look reveals and major casting news to some of our most anticipated adaptations finally taking shape, there’s been plenty happening in the story-to-screen world. Sacha has rounded up the biggest adaptation news you need to know in this week's 'Story to Screen Report'.

The BBC and A24 are teaming up on a six-part adaptation of Kaliane Bradley’s bestselling novel 'The Ministry of Time', with Aoife Hinds and Billy Howle leading the time-travelling romance about a civil servant tasked with helping a Victorian-era Arctic explorer adjust to modern life. Alice Birch, whose credits include 'Normal People' and 'Dead Ringers', is adapting the novel, with 'The End of the F***ing World' director Jonathan Entwistle directing and Ncuti Gatwa among the supporting cast.

HBO has officially renewed 'It: Welcome to Derry' for a second season, which will turn the clock back 27 years from Season 1 to 1935 and the height of the Great Depression. The new chapter will centre on the Bradley Gang massacre from Stephen King’s 'It', with Brad Caleb Kane returning as showrunner alongside creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who have envisioned the prequel as a three-season story moving progressively further into Derry’s past.

The first teaser for 'The Bluey Movie' has debuted at Disney’s D23, offering a first look at Bluey and Bingo’s move from the show’s distinctive 2D style to CG animation ahead of its August 6, 2027 theatrical release. The new look has already sparked strong backlash online, with longtime fans and parents arguing that the simple 2D animation is a key part of 'Bluey''s charm and questioning the decision to change one of the show’s most recognisable qualities.

Anna Todd’s 'House of Crowns' hasn’t even been published yet, but Amazon MGM Studios is already developing the forthcoming romance novel as a TV series. Set at an elite Swiss boarding school for the children of royalty and world leaders, the story follows a scholarship student and a wealthy heiress who fall into a forbidden romance, with 'Killing Eve' writer Elinor Cook adapting and Todd executive producing in her first move into television.

Netflix has released a beautiful set of first-look stills from its seven-episode adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 'East of Eden', giving us our first proper look at Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames alongside Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist and Ciarán Hinds. The sweeping period drama, written and executive produced by Zoe Kazan, premieres globally on October 1, with the gorgeous new images already hinting at the scale and atmosphere of the adaptation.

Alex Aster’s BookTok sensation 'Lightlark' is still moving toward the big screen, with Universal and the producers behind 'Twilight' attached, although the adaptation remains in pre-production with no cast or release date announced. Meanwhile, the bestselling fantasy series is nearing its end, with Aster confirming 'Crowntide' is the second-to-last instalment and one final 'Lightlark' book still to come.

Disney+ has released first-look images of Dafne Keen as Artemis and Saara Chaudry as Zoë Nightshade in Season 3 of 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians', unveiled as part of the show’s D23 presentation. The new season adapts Rick Riordan’s 'The Titan’s Curse', bringing the Hunters of Artemis to the screen as Percy faces Annabeth’s disappearance, a dangerous new prophecy and a quest that could determine the fate of Olympus.

Romance is having a major screen moment, with authors including Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren and Maurene Goo joining producers at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss why Hollywood is finally investing more heavily in the genre. Romance reportedly accounts for 23% of book sales, and with projects like 'The Love Hypothesis', 'Love, Theoretically' and 'The Paradise Problem' among the growing wave of adaptations, producers are calling for studios and streamers to give these stories the same budgets, casting power and prestige treatment as other major genres.

Lionsgate has marked 100 days until 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' hits cinemas by sharing a reel of 100 frames from the highly anticipated adaptation, offering another glimpse at the film’s take on Haymitch Abernathy’s Games. Fans are already bracing themselves for the emotional damage, with comments ranging from “100 days until I get traumatised all over again” to predictions of being dragged out of the cinema in tears when the film arrives on November 20.

Netflix’s long-awaited adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' has officially started casting, and after years of speculation, we’re very ready to see who lands the coveted roles. Anna Kendrick is directing following her debut 'Woman of the Hour', while fan favourites include Ana de Armas for Evelyn, Brittany Snow as Celia St. James, and Scott Eastwood and Harry Styles among the dream picks for Evelyn’s many husbands.

Warner Bros. is closing in on the film rights to Allen Levi’s word-of-mouth phenomenon 'Theo of Golden', with Tom Hanks in talks to star as the title character and produce the adaptation. The heartwarming novel follows an elderly man who arrives in the small Southern town of Golden and begins buying portraits of local residents from a nearby art museum, before quietly returning each painting to the person depicted or their family. It’s another huge milestone in the book’s remarkable journey, which began as a self-published novel in 2023 before exploding through word of mouth and becoming a global bestseller, selling more than 3.5 million copies in the U.S. and securing publication in 43 languages.

That’s a wrap on this week’s 'Story to Screen Report'. With casting underway, first looks arriving and plenty more adaptations gathering momentum, there’s lots to keep on our radar. Sacha will be back next week with another round-up of the biggest story-to-screen news.