As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many have turned to books for safe, stay-at-home entertainment and enjoyment. Your Mechanics' Institute membership makes it easier than ever to procure a mile-high stack of books or pack your digital shelf with eAudiobooks or eBooks. As always, reading continues to sustain and nourish us through these uncertain times.
So what film and television adaptations can we look forward to in 2021? Plenty. Producers have been busy harvesting literature and developing scripts for adaptations. For us, that means a fresh slate of new titles and a host of book-based binge watching to look forward to.
If you love reading it forward as much as we do, MI Library has all these titles and more, available for check out through its "To Go" service.
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - First published in 1970, James Herriot's series of books about a country veterinarian has had several film and television adaptations, including a 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small and a TV series by the same name. You may want to re-read Herriot's classic story, as Masterpiece begins airing an all-new seven-part series based on Herriot's books this month.
Cherry by Nico Walker - This novel garnered much buzz as the author was incarcerated at the time of its 2018 publishing. The story follows an unnamed narrator as a college student, a soldier during the Iraq war, and as a drug addict and bank robber after his return from the war during the midst of the American opioid epidemic. The film is scheduled to release in theaters in late February, then set to stream on Apple TV in March.
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey - Healey's 2014 story follows an elderly woman descending into dementia who becomes convinced her best friend is missing. Glenda Jackson stars in the film which aired in the United Kingdom in 2019. This month, PBS Masterpiece will stream it for viewers in the United States.
French Exit by Patrick DeWitt - Sony Pictures' film adaptation of DeWitt's 2018 darkly comic novel about a wealthy widow and her adult son who flee New York for Paris in the wake of scandal and disintegration is scheduled for release in theaters next month. DeWitt, a Canadian author, also wrote the screenplay for the 2020 film.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - Lionsgate will release a film adaptation entitled Chaos Walking this March. Set in a dystopian world where there are no women, Ness' 2018 sci-fi novel is a coming-of-age story about a boy who can hear others' thoughts in a stream of images, words and sounds. A British-American author, Ness is best known for his young adult novels, including the Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls.
The Long Song by Andrea Levy - Levy's 2010 novel about July, a young slave on a British-ruled sugar plantation in Jamaica during the early 1800s airs as a three-part series on Masterpiece this month. Levy was born in London to Jamaican parents. She passed away in February 2019 and leaves a legacy of five novels, each exploring -- from different perspectives -- the problems faced by black, British-born children of Jamaican emigrants.
News of the World by Paulette Giles - A Civil War veteran, Captain Kidd agrees to deliver a 10-year-old girl, captured by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle against her will. Over the long journey, the captain realizes he must hand the girl over to a couple who sees her as an unwanted burden. The film, starring Tom Hanks, is expected to stream on Netflix at an unspecified date in 2021.
Without Remorse by Tom Clancy - First in the John Clark series, Clancy's 1993 novel serves as an origin story for the Navy SEAL Vietnam veteran character. The film, starring Michael B. Jordan has had a bumpy ride amidst pandemic scheduling. However, it is expected to be released in February but this too may change.
