Story to Screen - 7/10/2026

The Story to Screen Report is back! Sacha has rounded up the latest news from the world of book adaptations, with beloved classics getting a fresh take, bestselling series heading to streaming and plenty more stories making the move from page to screen.

Netflix has revealed the cast for its adaptation of Hannah Grace’s bestselling hockey romance 'Icebreaker', with Daisy Jelley playing competitive figure skater Anastasia “Stassie” Allen and Connor Simos starring as hockey player Nate Hawkins. Gabriel Tierney, Auliʻi Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig and Aidan Shaw have also joined the series. Based on the first novel in Grace’s 'Maple Hill' series, the story sees Stassie and Nate forced to share a rink as they chase their sporting ambitions and find themselves increasingly drawn to each other.

Keanu Reeves is set to star in and produce an adaptation of Oliver Lowe’s upcoming novel 'Kill Current: A Jon Hendricks Thriller'. The story follows burned-out CIA officer Jon Hendricks, who is pulled back into action to avenge the protégé he trained and lost, launching a globe-spanning thriller involving shifting alliances and valuable global assets. The book is due to be published in May 2027.

Colleen Hoover’s 'Verity' is on track to take the top spot at the box office this weekend. Anne Hathaway stars as reclusive author Verity Crawford, with Dakota Johnson playing Lowen Ashleigh, a writer hired to finish her manuscript who becomes caught in a web of mystery and lies. The $40 million adaptation is expected to continue the successful run of Hoover films following 'It Ends With Us', 'Regretting You' and 'Reminders of Him'.

MRC is developing a movie adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s newly announced 'The Two-Body Problem' for Amazon MGM Studios, following 'The Love Hypothesis' film. The sequel novel, due February 2, 2027, reunites Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen and follows their relationship across several years. Hazelwood said seeing the characters brought to life inspired her to return to their story, although the film remains in development.

Eagle Eye Drama has acquired the rights to Matthew Sweet’s biography 'The Great Dictator', with plans to develop the story of romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland for television. Known for her extravagant pink wardrobe and colourful personal life, Cartland became one of the world’s bestselling authors, with her novels selling close to a billion copies in 38 languages. Sweet’s book draws on years of research and access to the Cartland family archives to explore the woman behind the famous public persona.

A live-action 'Mary Poppins' TV series is being developed, but rather than retelling Disney’s famous film, it plans to draw from P. L. Travers’ original eight books. The novels present a more mysterious and unpredictable Mary, with adventures that can be surreal, magical and sometimes frightening. The project is still at the pitch stage, with early conversations taking place with Disney and top-level showrunners being approached.

Netflix is developing a YA drama inspired by Katharine McGee’s bestselling book series, which imagines an alternate America where George Washington became king instead of president. ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ co-writer Ted Malawer will write and executive produce the adaptation, with Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein (Gossip Girl) also executive producing. The story follows the young descendants of America’s royal family, including two princesses competing for the crown and two young women vying for the prince’s heart.

The first trailer has arrived for ‘Clarissa’, Arie and Chuko Esiri’s loose adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’. Shot on 35mm and set in Lagos, the film stars Sophie Okonedo as a high-society woman preparing to host a party where she unexpectedly reunites with close friends from her youth. David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio, Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ayo Edebiri also star, with Neon releasing the film in US cinemas on December 11. NZ release and streaming details are yet to be announced.

The full trailer has arrived for ‘Ebenezer’, Ti West’s new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, with Johnny Depp taking on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Nathaniel Halpern adapted the classic story, with Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley among the cast. ‘Ebenezer’ is set to arrive in New Zealand cinemas on November 12.

Hulu is developing a series based on Elle Kennedy’s bestselling thriller 'Thornbird', with 'Pretty Little Liars' creator Marlene King set to write and executive produce. The story follows 17-year-old Ryan Shipley as she returns to her childhood hometown ten years after her father, notorious serial killer Gabriel Thorn, was caught, while desperately trying to keep her identity secret. Published under Kennedy’s E. Kennedy pseudonym, the novel follows Ryan as she attempts to unravel the crimes buried in her family’s past before it’s too late.

Alice Feeney’s upcoming thriller 'Twist' is being developed as a series by Fifth Season, reuniting several of the creatives behind Netflix hit 'His & Hers'. William Oldroyd is set to write and direct the adaptation, which follows a flight attendant secretly living a double life with two husbands until a murder shatters their worlds. Told from two perspectives, the story explores love, marriage, revenge and how well we can ever truly know the person we marry. 'Twist' is due to be published early next year.

Anne Hathaway has revealed she would love to play Nesta Archeron if Sarah J. Maas’s 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' ever makes it to screen, thanks to the character’s journey of personal growth. However, Hathaway admitted she believes she is wrong for the role, despite being a fan of the series. There is currently no 'ACOTAR' adaptation in the works, but fans will certainly be keeping a very close eye on Anne in the future.

David Oyelowo and Viola Prettejohn will star as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander in Sky’s eight-part reimagining of Stieg Larsson’s 'Millennium' book series. The mystery thriller will bring the story into the present day, following the pair as they investigate the decades-old disappearance of Harriet Vanger while confronting a new threat. Filming is set to begin in Lithuania next month.

Jensen Ackles will star as former police detective Lucas Davenport in MGM+ crime thriller 'Rules of Prey', based on the first book in John Sandford’s long-running 'Prey' series. The eight-episode adaptation follows Davenport as he is drawn back into law enforcement to investigate a serial killer targeting Minneapolis citizens and seemingly sending a message directly to him. Production is set to begin this month in Toronto.

Anonymous Content is developing a feature film based on Nicholas Boggs’ biography ‘Baldwin: A Love Story’, in partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground. Booker Prize winner Marlon James and Boggs have been commissioned to write the screenplay, exploring the life and relationships of influential writer James Baldwin.

Paramount Television Studios is developing a series based on Keith Rosson’s horror novel 'Coffin Moon' with Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple’s Iron Ocean. Set during a brutal Oregon winter in 1975, the story follows a veteran and his adopted niece as they hunt, and are hunted by, the vampire that slaughtered their family. Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue are attached to develop, adapt and serve as showrunners.

Kaliane Bradley’s bestselling fantasy novel 'The Ministry of Time' is becoming a six-part BBC series starring Aoife Hinds and Billy Howle. The story follows a new government department experimenting with time travel and historical expats, including Commander Gore, an officer from Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 Arctic expedition. Gore soon finds himself caught in an intense and forbidden romance with Sophy as the experiment unfolds.

That’s it for this week’s Story to Screen Report! We’ll be back with another round-up of the biggest adaptation news, but until then, let us know which of these you’re most excited to watch.