The last 10 years have been great for fan-favorite sci-fi adaptations. Andy Weir’s body The Martian and Ahe Mary project both were turned into very good movies. Blade Runner 2029an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s seminal film Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has been consistently heralded as one of the best of its kind in the 2010s. And now there is Ready Player Onethat combined nostalgia, Steven Spielberg’s unique sensibilities, and Ernest Cline’s prose to solid effect back in 2018. Are there any books coming out over the next nine months that would prove successful if they were brought to life on the big screen?
What follows are three examples of 2026 sci-fi stories coming to a shelf near you in the next few months. Each of them seems like a project that could work on the big or small screen, unlike how The Tree is Damaged coming this year, which is part of The Murderbot Diaries the series that inspired the Apple TV show with Alexander Skarsgård.
3) The Hidden Art of Folding Space by John Chu (April 7th)
So far, John Chu has published only short fiction. And a few of them have been beloved awards. “If You Find Yourself Talking to God, Talk to God and the Unplanned About You” won a Nebula Award and a Hugo Award, among others. Similarly, “Water That Falls on You from Nowhere” won the Hugo again in 2013.
But now he is starting his first book, The Fine Art of Folding Locationand there’s a lot here that would make for a great movie. It follows a physicist who tries to save Earth with the device he uses to keep his mother alive. There’s a lot of internal conflict there. Then there’s the fact that Ellie, the antagonist, has a sister who repeatedly tries to kill her.
2) Franchise by Thomas Elrod (May 12th)
Franchise it is another matter for the writer who has experience in telling stories when he creates his novel. And what is this about? Adapting a book for the big screen.
The Malicarn is a fantasy story turned into a movie franchise. However, Malicarn is also a fantasy world, and those in it believe that their lives are real. About a fan-favorite actor, the studio makes some uncertain decisions about the property, and now he has to struggle with how to help the people in this fantasy world who just want to live.
1) Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim (June 2nd)
Finally, we come to Isabel J. Kim’s Sublimation. Like the other two entries, this is a novel written by someone who has been submitting their short works consistently for several years now (Five, for Kim’s sake). And, even though “Why Don’t We Kill the Kid in the Omelas Pit” won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story, this book looks to be his most interesting project yet.
The purpose of Sublimation can be summarized as follows: If you move to another country, your copy will remain in the country you left. As children raised by their parents and their biological parents, it is common for one to meet the other. Soyoung Rose Kang moved to Korea years ago, and now she’s back after her grandfather’s death. Kang hasn’t talked to his copy or vice versa, but now a copy based in Korea has evil plans to take Kang’s place and enjoy the life he made for himself. Even though the movie has a few people saying, “It sounds like that Us,” its cultural adaptability makes it a project worth developing.” And the good news is that Universal International Studios actually got the rights to Sublimation with a three book deal. However, since there hasn’t been a similar word on it since then, we’re including this one, if only to keep hope alive now that the book is available.
What 2026 book would you like to see adapted into a movie or TV show? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now at ComicBook Forum!
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