Twenty-five movies based on books have already been released in the U.S. this year. Tackling everything from horror to fairy tales to history, these adaptations prove that filmmakers are enthralled by stories rooted in literature. Whether or not audiences are equally as captivated varies wildly, as billion dollar-grossing behemoths (Beauty and the Beast) are listed alongside box-office flops (Rock Dog…we hadn’t heard of it either.)
Check out the titles below to view every English-language movie released since January that was based on a book or a comic series.
Based on: The chapter “The Bridge to Body Island” in The President’s Vampire by Robert Damon Schneck
Directed by: Stacy Title
Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Doug Jones
Release Date: January 13th
Based on: Sophie and the Rising Sun by August Trobaugh
Directed by: Maggie Greenwald
Starring: Julianne Nicholson, Takashi Yamaguchi, Margo Martindale
Release Date: January 25th
A Dog’s Purpose
Based on: A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Britt Robertson
Release Date: January 27th
iBoy
Based on: iBoy by Kevin Brooks
Directed by: Adam Randall
Starring: Bill Milner, Maisie Williams
Release Date: January 27th
Based on: Remember This House (unfinished manuscript) by James Baldwin
Directed by: Raoul Peck
Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson
Release Date: February 3rd
Based on: Ring by Koji Suzuki
Directed by: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe
Release Date: February 3rd
Based on: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
Directed by: James Foley
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan
Release Date: February 10th
Based on: Characters from DC Comics
Directed by: Chris McKay
Starring: Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis
Release Date: February 10th
Based on: Colour Bar by Susan Williams
Directed by: Amma Asante
Starring: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike
Release Date: February 17th
The Girl with All the Gifts
Based on: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Directed by: Colm McCarthy
Starring: Gemma Arterton, Glen Close, Sennia Nanua
Release Date: February 24th
Rock Dog
Based on: Tibetan Rock Dog by Zheng Jun
Directed by: Ash Brannon
Starring: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard
Release Date: February 24th
Based on: Before I Fall
Directed by: Ry Russo-Young
Starring:Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller
Release Date: March 3rd
Based on: Characters from Marvel Comics
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen
Release Date: March 3rd
The Shack
Based on: The Shack by William P. Young
Directed by: Stuart Hazeldine
Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer
Release Date: March 3rd
Based on: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Directed by: Ritesh Batra
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling
Release Date: March 10th
Based on: Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens
Release Date: March 17th
Based on: Trainspotting and Porno by Irvine Welsh
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle
Release Date: March 17th
Based on: Wilson by Daniel Clowes
Directed by: Craig Johnson
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern
Release Date: March 24th
Based on: The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi
Release Date: March 31st
Based on: Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow
Directed by: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano
Release Date: March 31st
Based on: The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
Directed by: Niki Caro
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl
Release Date: March 31st
The Case for Christ
Based on: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
Directed by: Jon Gunn
Starring: Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen
Release Date: April 7th
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Based on: The Smurfs by Peyo
Directed by: Kelly Asbury
Starring: Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson
Release Date: April 7th
Based on: The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Directed by: James Gray
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller
Release Date: April 14th
The Circle
Based on: The Circle by Dave Eggers
Directed by: James Ponsoldt
Starring: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks
Release Date: April 28th