Some of our fave films of all time sprang from books, from The Godfather to The Shawshank Redemption. So it’s pretty exciting that there are still some big adaptations to come in 2019. Besides a star-studded new version of a beloved novel and a sequel to a horror classic, there are some book-inspired films which might surprise you...

Little Women (Out 26 December)

The film: Director Greta Gerwig follows up Lady Bird with her take on a literary classic. The incredible cast includes Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson and Florence Pugh. Oh yes, and Meryl Streep
The book: Louisa May Alcott’s much loved novel about the four March sisters, loosely based on the writer’s own life
What’s different? Rumour has it Gerwig has ditched the chronological timeline of the book. Meryl Streep has already declared it “a masterpiece”
Bonus fun fact... Saoirse Ronan follows in the footsteps of Katharine Hepburn and Winona Ryder in playing Jo. No pressure!

Cats

The film: One of Broadway’s biggest ever musicals gets a starry Hollywood movie
The book: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was inspired by Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a collection of feline-themed children’s poems by T.S Elliot
What’s different? Expect awesome special effects (including CGI fur), choreography by Hamilton’s Tony Award winning Andy Blankenbuehler and a bonkers but brilliant cast that includes Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Ian McKellen and Taylor Swift
Bonus fun fact... The cast went to “cat school” to learn their moggy moves

Jumanji: The Next Level

The film: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan return for the sequel to fantasy adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
The book: A 1981 children’s picture book by Chris Van Allsburg about a magical board game inspired the original Jumanji movie with Robin Williams
What’s different? The 2017 reboot switched the action from board game to video game. This movie sees the gang sucked back in, this time to rescue a friend
Bonus fun fact... Van Allsburg also wrote The Polar Express

Frozen 2

The film: Only the sequel to one of the biggest animated movies of all time
The book: Frozen was very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairytale The Snow Queen
What’s different? Disney reworked the story to be about sisters, Anna and Elsa, rather than two friends. This sequel will see them strengthen their bond as they team up to save their kingdom and find out how Elsa got her powers
Bonus fun fact...There are seven new songs ????