Lots of summer films are still in theaters, but as we roll into September, there are a host of upcoming new movie releases adapted from memoirs, novels, or fantasy series, and classic characters brought to life or reimagined for the screen. Here’s what’s on tap for September – December!
SEPTEMBER
A Simple Favor (September 8, R) – starring Henry Golding, Blake Lively and Linda Cardellini: adapted from the psychological suspense thriller by Darcey Bell.
Bel Canto (September 14) – starring Julianne Moore, Christopher Lambert and Ken Watanabe in an adaptation of Ann Patchett’s novel.
The Children Act (September 14, R) – starring Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Fionn Whitehead: adapted from the family court drama by Ian McEwan.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls (September 21, PG) – starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black; from the children’s novel by John Bellairs.
Little Women (September 28, PG-13) – starring Lea Thompson, Ian Bohen and Taylor Murphy in a modern reboot of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott.
OCTOBER
Venom (October 5) – starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson: superhero film based on the Marvel Comics villain Venom.
First Man (October 12, PG-13) – from the biography First Man: A Life of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen.
Beautiful Boy (October 12, R) – starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet as the father and son from the memoir Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff.
The Hate U Give (October 19, PG-13) – starring Amandla Stenberg, K.J. Apa and Anthony Mackie; adaptation of the bestselling novel by Angie Thomas, which took on the fraught topic of police shootings and race through the lens of a high schooler’s experience.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (October 19, R) – starring Melissa McCarthy: dark comedy based on the memoir by the self-described “literary forger” Lee Israel.
NOVEMBER
Boy Erased (November 2) – starring Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges; from the memoir by Garrard Conley.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (November 2) – starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, and Matthew Macfadyen; Disney treatment of E. T. A. Hoffman’s classic fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”
The Grinch (November 9, PG) – animated film starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the latest theatrical reboot of the classic Dr. Seuss story How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Holmes and Watson (November 9) – starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the duo in this humorous adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes books by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web (November 19) – starring Claire Foy, Lakeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks; from the novel continuing Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series by David Lagercrantz.
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (November 16) – starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Dan Fogler in the second film based on J. K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
DECEMBER
Mary, Queen of Scots (December 7) – starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie; based on the biography Queen of Scots – The True Life of Mary Stuart by historian John Guy.
Mortal Engines (December 14) – sci-fi adventure starring Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang and Robert Sheehan: adapted from the first in the teen/young adult Hunger City Chronicles by Philip Reeve.
Mary Poppins Returns (December 19, PG) – starring Emily Blunt as the iconic nanny reappearing to her now-grown charges in Depression-era London – featuring the character originating in the classic Mary Poppins series by P. L. Travers.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 19) – starring Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, and Jake Johnson in an animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales.
Alita: Battle Angel (December 21) – action adventure starring Lana Condor, Jennifer Connelly, and Eiza González: adapted from the character and series Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.
Aquaman (December 21) – live-action superhero adventure starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman: featuring the DC Comics character Aquaman.