Do you prefer books over movies or movies over books? Film adaptations can be quite tricky: they can either capture the story successfully or miss a few key points, as the narrative is condensed for viewing. However, we still look forward to them anyway. After all, who wouldn’t want to see their favorite characters come alive on the big screen?

Check out this list of film-adapted titles coming out this year and in early 2026, which you can also find at the Manila International Book Fair, the country’s biggest and longest-running book fair, happening from September 10 to 14, 2025:

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

Film release: August 2025

Ella Durran is a student at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship who juggles school while working in a presidential campaign. The conflict begins when her meticulously planned life is interrupted by Jamie Davenport, a charming but infuriating local who turns out to be her professor. What starts as a casual fling soon becomes something more serious when Ella discovers Jamie is hiding a life-changing secret.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Film release: August 2025

They call themselves “The Thursday Murder Club”: four unlikely aged friends living in a peaceful retirement village, meeting every week to discuss and investigate unsolved cold cases. ​However, when a real murder occurs, the amateur sleuths find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Their unorthodox approach reveals that there’s more to these retirees than meets the eye.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Film release: August 2025

Driven by an obsessive curiosity about the secrets of life, scientist Victor Frankenstein creates a living being from pieces of the dead. Horrified by the grotesque outcome, he abandons his creation. Victor’s refusal to grant the creature’s request for a companion sets off a tragic and vengeful chain of events.

The Running Man by Stephen King

Film release: November 2025

This novel explores the toxic environment of reality television shows. Ben Richards, a man with no money, tries to save his sick daughter by participating in ‘The Running Man’, a game show where the rules are simple: for every hour he survives, he earns money. Readers and in-universe audiences alike are on the edge of their seats as an elite team of ‘Hunters’ tries to capture and end him.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Film release: November 2025

The second part of the wildly successful Wicked film, helmed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande last year, returns near the end of 2025, continuing the adventures of Elphaba, a green-skinned witch born in the land of Oz. Shunned and misunderstood from birth, and soon by the rest of Oz, she must now uncover the dark political secrets and corruption that the Wizard strives to keep in the shadows. This novel tackles the complex themes of prejudice, propaganda, and the nature of good versus evil.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Film release: December 2025

The seemingly perfect Winchester family hires Milly, a maid who just wants gainful employment. But what follows is a household that holds dark secrets: though beautiful, Nina is erratic and cruel, while the handsome husband Andrew hides skeletons underneath the perfect facade. As the story progresses, Milly realizes that she might not have been hired to clean the house, but to do a much more sinister job.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Film release: January 2026

This best-selling friends-to-lovers romance novel follows Poppy Wright, a fun-loving, travel-obsessed girl with dreams of becoming a travel writer, and Alex Nilsen, a quiet and reserved English teacher who likes things done a certain way. What brings these two together are the week-long vacations they take every summer, until their last trip spells disaster, causing them to drift apart. Two years later, the unhappy and regretful Poppy wants to go back to those happy memories, and asks Alex for one more vacation to fix things, an invitation which Alex accepts.

The Manila International Book Fair is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc., with the support of the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), the Philippine Booksellers Association (PBAI), the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI), the Overseas Publishers Representatives’ Association of the Philippines (OPRAP), the Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA), and its media partners: GMA 7, Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, CETV, and Arkadymac.com.

This is a press release. Minor edits have been made by the 8List.ph editorial team.

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