13 book-to-film adaptations to watch in the second half of 2019
Love adaptations inspired by books? These 13 movies are scheduled to appear in Canadian theatres in the second half of 2019.
The Kitchen
Based on: The Kitchen graphic novel series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle
What it's about: The Irish gangs of Hell's Kitchen rule the neighbourhood in The Kitchen, an adaptation of the 2015 graphic novel series of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
The crime drama with comedic elements stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss as wives who take over organized crime operations after their husbands are incarcerated.
Release date: Aug. 9, 2019
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Based on: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark children's horror series by Alvin Schwartz
What it's about: This horror film, directed by André Øvredal and produced by Guillermo del Toro, is based on the children's book series of the same name by the late American author Alvin Schwartz.
Filmed in Toronto, the film incorporates elements from the horror anthology to tell a spooky story of monsters come to life in 1968 America.
Release date: Aug. 9, 2019
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Based on: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
What it's about: Based on the 2008 novel by American author and film producer Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a novel told from a dog's point of view.
The comedy-drama features a dog named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) owned by Denny (Milo Ventimiglia) and Eve Swift (Amanda Seyfried) who reflects on life's ups and downs through his close connections to humans.
Release date: Aug. 9, 2019
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Based on: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
What it's about: Featuring a stacked cast (including Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer and Laurence Fishburne), this comedy revolves around Bernadette Fox, an agoraphobic architect and mother who goes missing. Her daughter Bee is determined to find her before their family's trip to Antarctica.
Release date: Aug. 16, 2019
The Informer
Based on: Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellström
What it's about: Based on the 2009 thriller novel by the Swedish crime-writing team of Anders Roslund and Borge Hellström, The Informer stars Rosamund Pike, Joel Kinnaman, Clive Owen and Common. It tells the tale of a reformed criminal who goes undercover in prison to infiltrate a criminal organization.
Release date: Aug. 30, 2019
It Chapter Two
Based on: It by Stephen King
What it's about: In the second chapter of Stephen King's horror classic It, the kids of the Losers Club are now all grown up and head back to their hometown to battle the fearsome Pennywise once more. The film stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Isaiah Mustafa and Bill Skarsgård.
Release date: Sept. 6, 2019
The Goldfinch
Based on: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
What it's about: The Goldfinch is based on the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It's about a young boy whose life is upended after his mother is killed in an art gallery bombing.
The coming-of-age tale of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption stars Luke Wilson, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Paulson.
Release date: Sept. 13, 2019
Joker
Based on: The Batman comic book series by DC Comics
What it's about: The classic comic book villain — and Batman nemesis — the Joker gets his own film in this psychological thriller.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, the film is about a failed funnyman named Arthur Fleck, whose descent into mental illness translates into a life of crime in Batman's hometown of Gotham City.
Release date: Oct. 4, 2019
The Woman in the Window
Based on: The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
What it's about: The Woman in the Window is a 2017 thriller novel by Dan Mallory using the pen name A. J. Finn.
This film adaptation of the bestselling book stars Amy Adams as a child psychologist who loves drinking and spending time spying on her neighbours — until she witnesses a crime and decides to investigate.
Release date: Oct. 4, 2019
The Good Liar
Based on: The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle
What it's about: This thriller — about a con man and the rich widow he intends to swindle — stars Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren. Based on the 2016 bestselling novel by Nicholas Searle, it's a moody meditation on love, lies and secrets that come to light.
Release date: Nov. 15, 2019
The Rhythm Section
Based on: The Rhythm Section by Mark Burnell
What it's about: The Rhythm Section stars Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown and Blake Lively. It's a spy thriller — based on the 1999 novel by U.K. author Mark Burnell — involving a woman seeking to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family.
Release date: Nov. 22, 2019
Cats
Based on: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
What it's about: The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats was inspired by T.S. Eliot's 1939 whimsical poetry collection of verse about cats titled Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
The 2019 film adaptation stars Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson and Judi Dench in this story about the tribe of cats called the Jellicles.
Release date: Dec. 20, 2019
Little Women
Based on: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What it's about: Featuring a star-studded cast — including Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet and Meryl Streep — this anticipated eighth film adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott work is directed by Greta Gerwig.
Little Women explores the connected stories of sisters living in 1860s Massachusetts during the Civil War.
Release date: Dec. 25, 2019