Plot Twist: Books Are Doing What Hollywood Couldn’t.... Saving Movies in 2026

There’s a strange kind of thrill that comes from seeing one of your favourite books make it to the big screen. It’s like bumping into an old flame who suddenly got a glow-up (and No, it doesn't counts if he’s your dribble of an ex). You stare, part impressed, part suspicious, wondering if Hollywood’s going to do it justice this time or just break your heart all over again.

Because let’s be honest: the film industry is hanging on by a thread, and that thread is held by women in book clubs who actually finish their reads. 2026 is shaping up to be the year where stories from our shelves save cinema AGAIN.

1. People We Meet on Vacation – 9 January 2026

   

   

   Emily Henry is the patron saint of comfort reads, and People We Meet on Vacation is finally getting its screen debut. Expect sunshine, nostalgia, and enough sexual tension to make you text your holiday fling “hola” after two years of silence. This film’s going to remind you why we all fall for the wrong person at least twice.

   
   

2. Wuthering Heights – 13 February 2026

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Emily Bronté Valentine’s weekend???. The moors. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Do we even need to say more? Please remove the thought of butterflies, sweet riding off into the sunset, because it's not here. this is love with weather warnings. The kind that ruins your mascara and your sense of pride. It’s wild, angry, obsessive and very British.

3. Project Hail Mary – 20 March 2026

   
   
   

   
   
   

   Science fiction isn’t for everyone, but Ryan Gosling definitely is. He plays a lone astronaut trying to save humanity because of course he does. It’s Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, but make it existential thirst trap. I’ll be honest, I haven’t read it yet, but I’m fully ready to pretend I have when I tweet about it. Plot twist: maybe Gosling really can make space sexy.

4. Verity – 2 October 2026

   
   

   

   
   

   Colleen Hoover’s best unhinged novel is coming to life with Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson.That sentence alone deserves a group chat meltdown. It’s dark, twisty, borderline psychotic. The kind of story that’ll make you question everyone's morals and men. You’ll want to discuss it over brunch but won’t know how without spoiling half of it. Read it now before TikTok ruins every single plot twist.

5. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – 20 November 2026

   
   

   

   Just when we thought we’d emotionally recovered from Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins said, “try again.” The prequel Sunrise on the Reaping takes us back to Panem, and yes, the fashion is still questionable. Expect political chaos, heartbreak, and probably a new wave of teenagers quoting Katniss on TikTok like it’s scripture.

Maybe this is what’s keeping film alive not sequels, not superheroes, but stories we already loved once. Stories written mostly by women, read mostly by women, and now funded because studios finally realised we’re the Shit. So whether you’re the kind of reader who races to finish the book before the film drops, or the one who lies and says “I’ve read it” just to feel included 2026 is your year.

Because some stories are worth experiencing twice. Once in your head, and once in a dark cinema with overpriced popcorn and that familiar ache in your chest.

Let’s just hope they don’t f*** it up.