When Netflix launches “movies based on books” as a category, subscribers couldn’t be more excited. Books have always turned into movies, but there has been a particular uptick in productions as of the last few years. Like Netflix, streaming and production companies are converting our favorite books into movies so we can see them come to life and share these stories with cinema lovers. This new category brings a new kind of movie to our screens and some of the best ones we found on Netflix may surprise you.
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Why are more books becoming movies?
Everyone loves a good movie that can pull you in. Where did these stories start? Oftentimes, from books, which is why the film industry started turning books into movies. These movies appeal to both readers and non-readers alike because everyone can enjoy an engaging story across a wide variety of genres. The classic debate of whether to watch the movie or read the book first will strike again. Regardless, it’s certainly nice to discover new movies this way and Netflix set a clear category to help its viewers do so.
Our favorite Netflix movies based on books
10. The Weekend Away
The Weekend Away is about two best friends who go away to Croatia, and one of them gets accused of killing her best friend. She attempts to uncover the truth about what happened to her best friend and clear her name. Her efforts to figure out the truth end up revealing a painful secret. The book was written by Sarah Alderson and came out in 2020. It only took two years for it to be written as a screenplay and filmed into this suspenseful movie.
9. The Old Guard
The Old Guard is about immortal mercenaries, a covert team that gets exposed. They must now fight to keep their identity a secret. Things start to unravel for the team an unexpected new member is discovered. The question is, will the rest of the team be able to trust this new member? Greg Rucka wrote the book, and it was published in 2017. This is only the first book that is part of a three-book series. As Netflix launches “movies based on books,” they included The Old Guard because they produced it. Fans of the movie are interested to know if they will end up creating the other two books into movies.
8. World War Z
World War Z is about Gerry Lane, who is a former United Nations employee who travels the world in the hope of stopping a zombie pandemic from happening. The armies and governments are collapsing because of the pandemic, which threatens to destroy humanity. You must watch and see if he can stop the pandemic before it destroys everything. Max Brooks wrote the book, and it was published in 2006. The book wasn’t adapted into a film until seven years after the book was published.
7. The Good Nurse
The Good Nurse is about Amy, a compassionate nurse, and single mother stretched to her physical and emotional limits from the demanding night shifts in the ICU. Help arrives when Charlie, a thoughtful nurse, starts in her unit. They share some long nights and develop a strong friendship. She starts questioning Charlie when mysterious patient deaths lead to an investigation. The book was written by Charles Graeber and was published in 2013. It is based on a true story about America’s most prolific serial killer.
6. Extraction
Extraction is about Tyler Rake, who is a black-market mercenary. He takes a job on the deadliest extraction of his entire career. He has to rescue a kid who is the son of an imprisoned crime lord when he gets kidnapped. Tyler can’t trust anyone, even those he thinks are close friends. The book version of the movie is called Ciudad by Ande Park, Anthony Parks, and Joe Russo. It is a graphic novel turned into a film. They made sure to add all the gore shown in the graphic novel in the movie to keep it authentic to the story.
5. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is about Craig, a teen who befriended and did odd jobs for Mr. Harrigan. Mr. Harrigan dies, and Craig puts his smartphone in Mr. Harrigan’s pocket before the burial. When Craig gets lonely, he sends his dead friend a message; he is shaken when he receives a return text. The book is originally called If It Bleeds, written by the famous Stephen King. If you enjoy horror and drama, you will love this twisted and terrifying movie.
4. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is about Lara Jean Covey, who writes letters to all her past loves. The letters are only meant for her eyes until the letters are sent to all her previous loves. She gets thrown into madness when one of her past loves confronts her individually. Jenny Han wrote the book, part of a three-book series. All the books were turned into films that can be watched on Netflix.
3. The Kissing Booth
The Kissing Booth is about Elle Evans, a high school student who has never been kissed and decides to run a kissing booth at the school spring carnival with her best friend, Lee. She secretly has a crush on her best friend, older brother Noah. Elle is left up to choose to follow the rules of friendship to never date Lee’s older brother or follow her heart. Beth Reekles wrote the book, part of a three-book series. All the books were turned into films that can be watched under Netflix’s movies based on books category.
2. Luckiest Girl Alive
Luckiest Girl Alive is about Ani, who works at a glossy magazine, has a killer wardrobe, and is about to get married. She gets asked to be part of a crime documentary to tell her side of the story of an incident that occurred when she was a teenager at Brently School. She must confront a dark truth that will unravel her precisely crafted life. The book was written by Jessica Knoll and was released in 2016. Jessica never expected to have the famous Mila Kunis play her, but Mila was able to bring the character to life.
1. Bird Box
Bird Box is about a mother that must find strength during an unknown global terror and flee with her children down a river in hopes of finding safety. Due to the deadly forces, you cannot see, they must embark on the journey blindly. Josh Malerman wrote it, and this is only the first book in the two-book series. The first movie was a success, and fans are curious whether we will get another movie based on the second book. Sandra Bullock brought the character Malorie to life in the film, and over 45 million people streamed this post-apocalyptic thriller. Now that we know Netflix launches movies based on books as a category, we can see a trend in that a lot of them stem from their original work. Clearly, Netflix sees an audience for such a category.
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Where is Netflix’s movies based on books category?
Netflix launches “movies based on books” this month and it is not surprising that this will become very popular. You can usually see Netflix’s movies based on books category toward the bottom of the home screen after clicking the movie folder. Given that Netflix’s home screen changes all the time, you might see the category under a specific genre. For example, you might see “Drama movies based on books” as a category separate from “movies based on books,” depending on what you watch and how you search. You have to pay close attention to the category titles because the category could slide right past you while scrolling through Netflix.