9 sci-fi books getting turned into movies and TV shows soon
Dune Messiah! Running Man! Neuromancer! And more!
Sci-fi is, and has always been, perfect for moving picture adaptation. You only have to look at some of the best streaming platforms to see the wide choice on offer if you’re looking to settle down with a sci-fi movie or TV show. But what you might not realise is that a lot of these highly-watchable picks started out as books.
Authors of science fiction, both past and present, craft wonderfully bizarre and often dystopian worlds that come to life through their novels. Reinterpreting them for the big (and small) screen has proven to be an incredibly favourable concept that has spawned some of the finest pieces of popular culture.
With such breadth on offer when it comes to sci-fi, from expansive space operas to the exploration of artificial intelligence, it’s no surprise that these books continue to get adapted. For the year ahead and beyond, here’s the 9 sci-fi books getting turned into movies and TV shows that you might want to mark on your calendar.
1. Murderbot (May 16th, 2025)
Based on the hugely popular book series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, the Murderbot show for Apple TV sees Alexander Skarsgård takes the lead role of, you guessed it, Murderbot. He’s a robot programmed to kill, but he develops free will and emotions that make doing so extremely difficult.
While Murderbot is tasked with heading to a dangerous planet to protect its scientists as a security android, he’s just not into the idea. Why? Well because he’s much more interested in binge watching his favourite new show instead. And I’m sure Apple TV is keen to make this a binge worthy show, too. If all goes well, there’s seven books in The Murderbot Diaries series and that could mean a whole lot of Skarsgård for Apple's streamer.
2. The Running Man (November 7th, 2025)
You may be thinking you’ve already heard of The Running Man adaptation, but we’re not talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 flick. No, no, no, this is another run at it, brought to life by Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy director, Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) in the titular role.
The premise is literally to make a man run. But how? Well, it’s all part of a deadly game show where contestants must outwit the hunters chasing after them. Pull off the deaf-defying feat and there's a cash prize... plus they gets to keep their lives. It is sci-fi dystopia at its finest and that’s thanks to Stephen King, who wrote the novel back in 1982 under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. There’s always been talk that the 1987 adaptation veered away from King’s writing, but 2025 promises to make sure this Running Man stays on track.
3. Frankenstein (November 2025)
Often referred to as the first ever sci-fi novel, Frankenstein has been adapted plenty of times since Mary Shelley wrote the book. There’s movies, stage plays, TV shows and even video games all starring Frankenstein’s monster with his ‘hideous’ features and large stature frightening many a watcher.
But, never at the hands of directorial genius, Guillermo del Toro. Bringing his dark fantasy prowess to Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Shape of Water, del Toro looks set to breathe new life into the OG monster. And there’s quite the cast list to tell the tale of the mad doctor who brought to life a fiend through scientific experiments. We’re talking Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Christoph Waltz as Doctor Septimus Pretorius, Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza and Jacob Elordi as the Monster.
4. Klara and the Sun (TBC 2025)
Kazuo Ishiguro is a genius of the unusual. Though Klara and the Sun is his eighth novel, it’s only his second leap into dystopian sci-fi, his first being Never Let Me Go, which was also turned into a movie. And clearly Ishiguro has continued to impress with his ability to execute a unique concept because they’re making it into a movie with Taika Waititi directing.
A robot named Klara is programmed to combat loneliness as an AF, aka Artificial Friend, and for months, she spends a lot of time alone in the shop waiting to be picked. Until Josie, an unwell child, chooses to take her home. It’s a fantastic portrayal of both automation and anxiety, twisting the two together, and exploring emotional connections between humans and robots.
5. Neuromancer (TBC 2025/2026)
In 1984, William Gibson released his debut novel, Neuromancer. And since then, it has become one of the most iconic books in sci-fi literature. Unsurprisingly, it’s getting made into a TV show by what is fast becoming one of the standout streamers in sci-fi, Apple TV.
Case is a down-and-out computer hacker, but being good at what he does has resulted in him being offered one last job - to carry out an extremely dangerous heist. It’s a cyberpunk world with a megacorp at the helm, ruling over the city with technology as its weapon. But, even if Case decides he doesn’t want to do it, his freedom of choice is taken away from him. Neuromancer acts as the first part in what carried on to be the Sprawl trilogy of books. So, like the already popular series Silo by Hugh Howey on Apple TV, there’s more story to tell beyond the first novel. This is a biggie — it's inspired the likes of The Matrix and Ready Player One with its visionary imaging of virtual worlds, and is one we're really excited about.
6. Project Hail Mary (March 20th, 2026)
Astronaut Ryland Grace doesn’t remember why he’s on the space mission he’s woken up from a coma to, thanks to a bout of amnesia. While he slowly gains his memory back, he realizes the sheer scope of what he must do to save Earth. And to bring it to life on the big screen, we'll have Ryan Gosling in the lead role of this adaptation.
Chances are if you’ve found yourself looking for sci-fi books turning into movies and TV shows, you’ll have probably already heard of Project Hail Mary’s author, Andy Weird, and his other movie, The Martian. With critical acclaim already in his arsenal, there’s no doubt that this next movie will be a most excellent watch. But, before it comes to screens, it’s first and foremost an award-winning read.
7. Dune: Messiah (December 18th, 2026)
Frank Herbert’s Dune has already enjoyed life most recently as two epic movies, spearheaded by sci-fi director extraordinaire, Denis Villeneuve. And in 1969, as a sequel to his 1965 novel, Herbert published Dune Messiah, which is only the second of six novels in the Dune series. So, there’s the potential for there to be a lot more movies.
Without giving too much away for anyone yet to read or watch the first book/first two movies, it’s another epic adventure for Paul Atreides including deadly battles, fractious religious standings and the hope to bring humanity a liveable future. While we await its unconfirmed 2026 release date, there’s also the Dune: Prophecy TV show which was released in 2024 for those wanting a deeper understanding of the Bene Gesserit.
8. The Testaments (TBC 2026)
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has run for six incredible seasons on Hulu depicting the dystopian world of the Handmaids, a group of fertile women forced to birth children for the rich in society. The government of Gilead rules a society that brutally punishes anyone that struggles to adhere to their strict laws, though one brave Handmaid named Offred wants a better life for her and everyone else.
34 years after Atwood’s novel was published, she finally released a sequel called The Testaments, itself set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. Of course, don’t read The Testaments ahead of the first novel, but if you want to skip the current TV adaptation, you could read The Handmaid's Tale book and pick up where it leaves off with this new show in 2026.
9. The Ministry of Time (TBC)
Little is known about The Ministry of Time TV show, though it was announced to have been commissioned by the BBC in 2024. But then again, not a lot has been known about its writer, Kaliane Bradley, as this is in fact her debut novel that was only just released in 2024. A fast commission though must point to good things.
The Ministry of Time tells the tale of a government employee hired to work at the new Ministry of Time department. There, she takes on the role of a ‘bridge’ to help time-travellers, known as ‘expats’, to become integrated across the intricacies of time. It’s a little bit of everything with romance, history, comedy and of course sci-fi woven throughout the timelines of this novel. It’s so captivating in fact that Barack Obama picked it for his summer reading list, and perhaps you should too.
