Upcoming Netflix Original Book Customizations (2020-2021)

Hello book lovers, and welcome to the What’s on Netflix book club! Some of Netflix’s most popular originals in recent years have been literary adaptations: Anne with an E, the Haunting of Hill House, and Sweet magnoliasto name a few.

If you’ve already worked your way through Netflix’s extensive customization library, here’s your guide to where you can go next. Maybe your favorite book could be coming soon!

Some of these customizations are much more advanced than others. We tried to include as much detail as possible! While there are a lot more rumored adjustments out there, we’ve only included those with a decent amount of news available online.

Behind her eyes

Based on: Behind her eyes by Sarah Pinborough.
Coming to Netflix: 2020

While we don’t have an exact release date yet, you shouldn’t have to wait too long for it. Here is a plot summary from Netflix:

“A single mother gets involved in a twisted mind game when she starts an affair with her psychiatrist boss while connecting with his mysterious wife.”

El Desorden Que Dejas / The mess you leave behind

Based on: The mess you leave behind by Carlos Montero
Coming to Netflix: Herbst 2020

One of the biggest problems many book lovers face is when an adaptation is too far from the original. However, this is unlikely to happen The mess you leave behind: The novel’s author, Carlos Montero, actually directs it.

This Spanish-language drama follows a literature teacher, Raquel, who takes on a role as a substitute teacher in a small town. However, she soon learns that her predecessor Elvira committed suicide. Raquel is quickly drawn into the mystery of Elvira’s life and the state in which she left her affairs.

Firefly Lane

Based on: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Coming to Netflix: December 2020

Here’s another customization that’s coming to the small screen very soon. The series begins in the 1970s and is a coming-of-age drama that spans three decades. This is how Netflix describes the piece:

“Based on the New York Times bestseller, Firefly Lane is the comprehensive story of two inseparable best friends and their enduring, complicated relationship spanning four turbulent decades.”

You can check out everything we know Firefly Lane so far in this article.

Pieces of her

Based on: Pieces of her by Karin Slaughter
Coming to Netflix: End of 2020 / beginning of 2021

This eight-part thriller is directed by Toni Collette (The sixth sense, Little Miss Sunshine, in her shoes) and Bella Heathcote (50 colors of Darker, Pride & Prejudice and Zombies). Collette plays Laura: a speech pathologist and a dedicated mother. However, a fatal incident at her local mall changed Andy’s (Heathcote) perception of her mother forever. After this harrowing event, secrets begin to unfold about Laura’s past.

All the light that we can’t see

Based on: All the light that we can’t see by Anthony Doerr
Coming to Netflix: TBC

The adaptation of this Pulitzer-winning novel is being directed by Shawn Levy and his production company 21 Laps (Strange things).

All the light that we can’t see is discontinued during World War II. It tells the story of Marie-Laure, a blind French teenager, and Werner, a German soldier whose paths collide in occupied France.

Anatomy of a scandal

Based on: Anatomy of a scandal von Sarah Vaughn
Coming to Netflix: Herbst 2021

We’ve covered this topic extensively on What’s On Netflix as we know many of you are excited about the upcoming release of Anatomy of a scandal.

This anthology series is produced by Large Little lies Creator David E. Kelley and former House of cards Showrunner Melissa James Gibson. There are some big names to play in Anatomy of a scandal, to. Expect Sienna Miller (American sniper and GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), and Rupert Freund (homeland).

The series (and the book) tell the story of two women and a man who are embroiled in a very ugly public scandal. James, a senior Westminster politician, is charged with rape but his wife, Sophie, believes he is innocent. Kate is the attorney pursuing the case, and she is convinced that James is guilty and must pay for his crime.

Animated Roald Dahl miniseries

Based on: Various Roald Dahl stories
Coming to Netflix: Possibly 2020

If Roald Dahl books were an important part of your childhood like us, it’s time to rejoice. Several Roald Dahl animated stories are in the works including:

• Boy
• The BFG
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Charlie and the big glass elevator
• Esio Trot
• The giraffe and the pelly and me
• George’s wonderful medicine
• Walk alone
• Henry Sugar
• The magic finger
• Matilda
• Reimeintopf
• Die Twits

Read our full article on Roald Dahl Animated Content Coming to Netflix here.

Consumed

Based on: Consumed by David Cronenberg
Coming to Netflix: TBC

David Cronenberg, better known as a film director, is responsible for titles such as A Dangerous Method, A History of Violence, Crash and Naked Lunch. However, he also wrote a horror novel published in 2014: Consumed.

Cronenberg has since retired to direct the adaptation of his own novel. Consumed follows a French couple in their sixties who travel the world photographing the most interesting people they can find. World of Reel describes the novel as “exquisitely detailed, voyeuristic body horror”.

The girls on the bus

Based on: Hunt Hillary by Amy Chozick
Coming to Netflix: End of 2020

This US political drama is slated for a release in Fall / Winter 2020.

Based on the non-fiction book Hunt Hillary, The girls on the bus shows four female journalists after a parade of flawed presidential candidates in this drama series. It is produced by Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti.

Forever away

Based on: Forever away by Harlan Coben
Coming to Netflix: End of 2020

Here’s another customization that will be available on Netflix very soon (you can already set a reminder on Netflix).

Harlan Coben is a prolific crime writer from the United States whose work is incredibly popular: both in print and on Netflix. Three of his works have already been included in the Netflix original series: The forest, the stranger, and For sure. We predict this whenever Forever away lands on Netflix, it will also be incredibly popular.

Forever away will be adapted in French. Here is Netflix’s recap: “Ten years ago he lost two loved ones. If his fiancée goes missing, he’ll have to uncover hidden secrets – or lose everything. ”

The innocent

Based on: The innocent by Harlan Coben
Coming to Netflix: TBC

More good news for Harlan Coben fans. An adaptation of his novel, the innocent is also in the works for Netflix.

We don’t have a lot of information about this Spanish adaptation yet, but we expect we’ll be following the plot of the novel pretty closely:

“One night, Matt Hunter innocently tried to end a fight – and became a murderer. Now, nine years later, he’s an ex-con who doesn’t take anything for granted. His wife Olivia is pregnant and the two are closing their dream home. But all it takes is a shocking, inexplicable call from Olivia’s cell phone to destroy Matt’s life a second time … ”

The irregular ones

Based on: The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Coming to Netflix: 2021

If Enola Holmes If you’re already craving another Sherlock fix, you’re in luck: this Sherlock Holmes spinoff is slated to be released in 2021.

The Baker Street Irregulars is a group of characters who appear in several Sherlock Holmes stories. These orphaned children live on the streets around Sherlock Holmes’ apartment and occasionally help him solve crimes. In the Irregulars, these children are under the employment of Dr. Watson and help save London from supernatural forces.

The midnight club

Based on: The midnight club by Christopher Pike
Coming to Netflix: TBC

The Midnight Club was published in 1994 and is a YA horror novel set in a home for dying teenagers. Late at night, the kids gather to share scary stories. They make a pact that whoever dies first must visit the others from beyond the grave.

The midnight club is developed by Mike Flannagan: creator of the haunted hill house. Flanagan seems quite excited to be working on this adaptation when he went to Twitter to confirm the news, stating, “It’s an honor to introduce a new generation of young horror fans to the world of Christopher Pike.”

A hundred years of solitude

Based on: A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Coming to Netfix: TBC

In 2019, Netflix announced that it had acquired the rights to 100 years of solitude: the comprehensive classic novel by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story spans 100 years of the Buendia family’s history and all of the tragedy, romance, and heartbreak that befell them.

This will be the first adaptation of the novel since its publication in the 1960s. Garcia Marquez believed that nothing could do justice to the fantastic, magically realistic elements that embellish the plot. Netflix must have said something right, however: Gabriel García Márquez’s sons are acting as executive producers.

Three wishes

Based on: Three wishes by Lianne Moriarty
Coming to Netflix: TBC

Created by the author of Big little lies, three wishes follows three completely different sisters as their lives weave and unfold around their glamorous Manhattan wedding weekend that ends in shocking tragedy.

We don’t have much information on this subject, but based on the success of Big little liesWe think it’s gonna be a hit.

The chronicles of Narnia

Based on: The chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Coming to Netflix: TBC

This is very exciting news for fantasy lovers. While we’ve had a lot of Narnia customizations before, none was like us.

Back in 2018, it was announced that Netflix had acquired the rights to customize all seven Chronicles of Narnia books, some of which have never been customized before.

Check out our full article on Netflix’s Adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia for all the details and regular updates.

Is your favorite book coming to Netflix? Did you hear a rumor we should investigate? Let us know in the comments below!