Book To TV Adaptations To Look Forward To In 2023
Bibliophiles rejoice, as we look forward to a promising, jam-packed year of book to TV adaptations. Whether you're a fantasy fanatic, hopeless romantic, mystery enthusiast, or literary realist, you'll find something new to add to your watchlist. You've read the books; now it's time to watch your favorite stories come to life. Will Riley Keough be able to embody the up-and-coming rock star Daisy Jones from Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Daisy Jones & The Six," coming to Amazon Prime Video? Will Lina, Solane, and Maggie experience their respected character arcs from Lisa Taddeo's "Three Women," coming to Showtime? Can the creators of "Game of Thrones" pull off the complex intergalactic world-building from Liu Cixin's series "The Three-Body Problem," coming to Netflix? The fans will be the judge.
From early development to an announced premiere date, the following adaptations have varying production schedules, meaning that we should have a near-continuous stream of adapted content. Make sure to plan time in between to reread your favorites for a refreshed memory, but whether you read the book or watch the show first, there's no wrong way to experience these stories. Get excited as we discover everything there is to know about 2023's most anticipated book to TV adaptations.
Mayfair Witches
Coming to both AMC and its streaming site AMC+, "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" or "Mayfair Witches" will be premiering on January 5, 2023, under the guidance of showrunners Esta Spaulding and Michelle Ashford, according to Variety. Based on Anne Rice's paranormal horror novel series "Lives of the Mayfair Witches," the eight-episode season follows neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair, played by Alexandra Daddario, who discovers she's the heiress to a family of powerful witches haunted by an evil force. Starring alongside Daddario is Jack Huston as Lasher, a powerful, shape-shifting spirit conjured up by the first witch, Suzanne of the Mayfair; Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair, the current Mayfair patriarch; and Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, a character created for the show who serves as Rowan's love interest and combines characters Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner from the book.
"Mayfair Witches" will be Rice's second adaptation with AMC following 2022's "Interview With the Vampire," a gothic horror show based on the novel series "The Vampire Chronicles." Producer Mark Johnson is overseeing the development of the Rice TV franchise for the AMC network, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Johnson works alongside the late Rice and her son Christopher who serve as executive producers for the franchise. Before her death in December 2021, Rice told Variety, "It's always been my dream to see the worlds of my two biggest series united under a single roof so that filmmakers could explore the expansive and interconnected universe of my vampires and witches ... That dream is now a reality."
Lockwood & Co.
The middle-grade paranormal detective series by Jonathan Stroud, "Lockwood & Co.," is coming to Netflix on January 27, 2023, according to Netflix's official teaser trailer. Starring Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati, the series follows Lucy, a girl with extraordinary psychic abilities, as she teams up with two gifted teen boys, Anthony and George, at a ghost-hunting agency. Together they use their skills to fight the many deadly spirits haunting London. Director and writer Joe Cornish leads the eight-episode season alongside executive producers Nira Park and Rachael Prior.
The new series was picked up by the Netflix Original Series team as part of their U.K. expansion, according to Variety. Anne Mensah, VP of U.K. Original Series at Netflix, tells Variety, "Setting up a team entirely based in the U.K. was always about being able to better connect to the fantastic program makers we have here ... but also provides talent the opportunity to make shows that will impact on a global scale." Mensah adds, "This was always about building a base and setting up the business in the U.K. for the long term and there is so much more to come."
Fans who grew up with the novel series are looking forward to Stroud's signature action, suspense, and humor coming to their screens.
American Born Chinese
If graphic novels are more your cup of tea, consider tuning into Disney+'s adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel by cartoonist Gene Luen Yang, "American Born Chinese," which will stream sometime in 2023. Get to know Jin Wang and his friendship with foreign exchange student Wei-Chen. While navigating identity, culture, and adolescence, Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The show stars Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Ke Huy Quan, Jimmy Liu, Sydney Taylor, Daniel Wu, and Michelle Yeoh, among others. Kelvin Yu, who's known for his work on "Bob's Burgers," serves as executive producer and showrunner, along with his brother Charles Yu (via Deadline). Charles is also the author of "Interior Chinatown," a bestseller also being adapted for TV (via Variety).
Disney+ gave a first look at the series during the D23 Expo with an "In Production Featurette." The featurette previews all the action and magic to come from this genre-hopping adventure.
Daisy Jones & The Six
"Daisy Jones & The Six" — based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel of the same name — was ordered by Amazon Studios back in 2018 before the book even hit the shelves. The 13-episode miniseries is co-produced between Amazon Studios and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine. Writing partners Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber serve as executive producers alongside Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter, with Reid as producer (via Deadline). The series stars Riley Keough, Camila Morrone, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, and Tom Wright, among others.
"Daisy Jones & The Six" tells the story of a Fleetwood Mac-inspired band in the '70s. It features original music from the stars playing Daisy Jones, Billy Dunne, Graham Dunne, Karen Sirko, and Warren Rhodes. Witherspoon raves about the project, saying, "As soon as I started reading 'Daisy Jones & The Six,' I immediately fell head over heels in love with it, and I'm thrilled to be bringing it to the screen with Amazon and Jen Salke, whose passionate pursuit of the material spoke volumes. ... I am so confident that Daisy and her band's journey toward finding their voice will leave just as permanent a mark with viewers around the world as it did with me" (via Deadline). According to Collider, filming wrapped in 2022, so fans anticipate a 2023 release.
The Last Thing He Told Me
Laura Dave's mystery-thriller novel "The Last Thing He Told Me" was published in May 2021. Ahead of its release, the film and TV rights were optioned by Hello Sunshine. In partnership with 20th Television, the project landed at Apple TV+ with a straight-to-series order (via Deadline). Dave and Oscar winner Josh Singer worked as co-creators for the adaptation, with Olivia Newman as director, and Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter as executive producers, as well as Dave and Singer (via Deadline).
"The Last Thing He Told Me" follows Hannah, a woman who develops an unexpected relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter while searching for the truth about her husband's mysterious disappearance. Stars of the series include Jennifer Garner as Hannah, Angourie Rice as Bailey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Owen, and Aisha Tyler as Jules, among others. No release date has been set, but according to Hello Sunshine's Twitter account, filming began in May 2022, which puts the series on track for a 2023 release.
Lessons in Chemistry
Based on the bestselling novel by Bonnie Garmus, "Lessons in Chemistry" is coming to Apple TV+ sometime in 2023, according to an Apple TV+ press release. Brie Larson — known for "Captain Marvel" and "Room" — is executive producing and starring as Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career dreams are not taken as seriously as her male counterparts. It's the early 1950s, and Elizabeth finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab. She accepts a job on a TV cooking show, but Elizabeth isn't just teaching housewives to cook — she's also daring them to change the status quo.
Six-time Emmy Award nominee Lee Eisenberg serves as showrunner. Alongside Larson, the series will also be executive produced by Elijah Allan-Blitz of The Great Unknown Productions; Emmy Award winner Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films; and Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant, among others (via Apple TV+). The ensemble cast features Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Patrick Walker, Thomas Mann, Kevin Sussman, and Beau Bridges. With such an impressive team of creatives, "Lessons in Chemistry" is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Will Trent
Coming to ABC as a procedural drama on January 3, 2023, Karin Slaughter's bestselling "Will Trent" novel series follows Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. With the highest clearance rate in the GBI, Trent is determined to make sure no one feels as abandoned as he was after being thrown into Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system at a young age. The first book in the novel series, "Triptych," was published in 2006. There are now 10 books in the series, the most recent being "The Silent Wife."
The show stars Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent, Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood, and Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner. Executive producers are Slaughter, Liz Heldens, Dan Thomsen, and Oly Obst (via Variety). Get a first look at Trent showcasing his investigative skills in his signature three-piece suit in ABC's series promo.
The Three-Body Problem
The science fiction drama "The Three-Body Problem" is coming to Netflix in 2023. The series is based on Chinese author Liu Cixin's novel of the same name. It follows Chinese physicist and nanomaterial researcher Wang Miao as he becomes entangled in a vast conspiracy after infiltrating a group known as The Frontiers of Science, which has seen multiple suicides among its members. He befriends Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist sent to a secret radar base in a remote region of China after her father's murder. Ye's daughter was one of the suicides Wang must investigate. At the same time, Wang progresses through a mysterious VR game called Three Body, which takes place in an alien world. The object of the game is for the player to use the scientific method to help an alien race understand the nature of their world.
Co-creator and writer Alexander Woo describes the series as "a history of humanity from the point of first contact with an alien civilization all the way to the end of the universe" (via Netflix). Working alongside Woo as showrunners are "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The cast includes Jess Hong, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Marlo Kelly, Benedict Wong, Tsai Chin, Jonathan Pryce, and others.
According to Variety, Tencent has created its own adaptation along with at least two other adaptations in the works in China. With all the different interpretations, it'll be exciting to see which becomes the fan favorite.
The Power
Naomi Alderman's dystopian science fiction novel "The Power" is getting an adaptation that will stream on Amazon Prime Video. Working on the project as executive producers are Jane Featherstone from Sister Pictures, along with Reed Morano and Alderman. The story takes place in a world where all teenage girls develop the power to electrocute people at will. Soon enough, nearly every woman possesses the same power. Now, nothing will ever be the same. "The story is a global one, about the lives of women and men everywhere in the world, so I'm hugely excited that The Power will be sparking conversation and debate essentially ... everywhere. We're going to make something revolutionary and, dare I say it, electrifying," says Alderman (via Deadline). Stars include Toni Collette, Auliʻi Cravalho, John Leguizamo, Toheeb Jimoh, Ria Zmitrowicz, Halle Bush, Nico Hiraga, Heather Agyepong, Eddie Marsan, and others.
The project has been delayed multiple times. First, the project was set to start production in late 2019 in Georgia, but withdrew due to the newly signed "heartbeat" bill (via Time). Then, filming began in early February 2020, but was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic (via Deadline). With the series back in production, there's hope for a 2023 release.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Fans of "The Haunting" anthology series "The Haunting of Hill House" or the "Midnight Mass" miniseries can look forward to creator Mike Flanagan's newest project with Netflix, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." Published in 1839, the short story follows an unnamed narrator as he visits the mysterious estate of his friend, Roderick Usher, and features themes of identity, isolation, and family. The series will also loosely follow the storylines of other works by Poe. Knowing Poe, it will likely be gloomy and atmospheric.
Working with Flanagan is his Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy, along with Emmy Grinwis, Michael Fimognari, and Intrepid Pictures' Melinda Nishioka (via Deadline). The cast consists of stars such as Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, and others. According to Collider, the eight-episode horror limited series wrapped filming in the summer of 2022, and a 2023 release is anticipated.
Wool
The dystopian science fiction novel "Wool" by Hugh Howey is coming to Apple TV+ in March 2023, according to a comment made by Howey on one of his Facebook posts. Published in 2011, "Wool" is the first book in the "Silo" series. It tells a story of life, love, and survival at all odds. Set in a dystopian future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Rebecca Ferguson stars as the lead Juliette, along with Tim Robbins as Bernard, Rashida Jones as Allison, David Oyelowo as Holston, Common as Sims, and others. Graham Yost serves as showrunner, while Hugh Howey, Remi Aubuchon, Nina Jack, and Ingrid Escajeda executive produce (via Variety).
Development for an adaptation has been a long journey. According to Variety, the project began as a feature film at 20th Century Studios, with Ridley Scott and Steven Zaillian among those attached to produce the film. However, The film was ultimately shelved due to Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. In 2018, a new iteration of the project was in development for television at AMC, with the series eventually moving to Apple TV+.
Three Women
"Three Women" is a new drama coming to Showtime based on Lisa Taddeo's bestselling novel of the same name. The story, inspired by true events, explores female desire while following three women on a course to radically change their lives. Lina is a homemaker in suburban Indiana whose 10-year marriage has lost its passion. Craving affection, she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming. Sloane, a successful entrepreneur in the Northeast, is happily involved in an open marriage until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Then there's Maggie, a student in North Dakota who allegedly has an inappropriate relationship with her married English teacher. Gia fills in for Taddeo as a writer grieving the loss of her family who persuades each of these women to tell her their stories.
It stars Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, Gabrielle Creevy, and Shailene Woodley. Taddeo serves as writer and executive producer, with Laura Eason as showrunner, according to Showtime. Although the teaser trailer announces a fall 2022 release, the series has yet to air; therefore, a 2023 release is expected.
The White House Plumbers
If you're interested in the ethical challenges of leadership, another nonfiction adaptation to keep on your radar is HBO's new political drama "The White House Plumbers." The limited series is based on public records and the book "Integrity" by Egil "Bud" Krogh and Matthew Krogh (via Variety). The series tells the story of how political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy led to the downfall of the Nixon administration. Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux star as the leads, along with Kiernan Shipka, Ike Barinholtz, Yul Vazquez, David Krumholtz, Rich Sommer, Kim Coates, Liam James, Zoe Levin, Nelson Ascencio, John Carroll Lynch, and others. Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck are the creators, with David Mandel executive producing and directing all five episodes (via Variety). You can find even more details about the series on HBO's website. According to an HBO Max promo video, the series is coming to streaming in 2023.
Love and Death
HBO Max's "Love and Death" is a true crime limited series inspired by the book "Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs" by investigative journalists John Bloom and Jim Atkinson and two deep-dive articles from Texas Monthly titled "Love & Death in Silicon Prairie, Part I & II" (via Deadline). The true story follows Candy Montgomery, a Texas housewife accused of the murder of her friend Betty Gore in 1980. The series comes from the "Big Little Lies" and "The Undoing" duo of David E. Kelley and Nicole Kidman, as well as Lionsgate Television. Lesli Linka Glatter serves as director (via Deadline). Elizabeth Olsen stars, along with Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore, Patrick Fugit as Pat Montgomery, and Lily Rabe as Betty, among others. If you dare get caught up in the messy business of this chilling, axe-wielding murder, prepare for a 2023 release exclusively on HBO Max.