10 films based on children's books we can't wait to see in 2022
Published on: 22 December 2021 Author: Catriona Wightman
Some of our favourite children's books are being turned into movies in 2022! Find out what we're looking forward to seeing on the big screen this year (in no particular order...)
1. Peter Pan & Wendy
Jude Law is playing Captain Hook. Do we really need to say anything more? This live action Disney adaptation - starring Alexander Molony as Peter, Ever Anderson as Wendy and Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell - promises to be a real treat, bringing J. M. Barrie's classic story to life once again.
2. White Bird: A Wonder Story
R. J. Palacio's classic story Wonder has already been turned into a movie - now it's the turn of White Bird! We join Julian (the character from Wonder) as his grandmother shares stories from her time as a young Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied France. It stars Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren - what a cast.
3. The School for Good and Evil
Netflix is working on this film based on Soman Chainani's young adult series of the same name, and we can't wait to find out how it turns out. It focuses on best friends Agatha and Sophie, who are kidnapped to The School for Good and Evil - when their fortunes are reversed and their friendship is put to the test, will they be able to find their way home?
Agatha will be played by Andi Mack star Sofia Wylie while Broadway's Sophia Anne Caruso is taking on the role of Sophie... plus the extended cast includes the likes of Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Yeoh. Phew!
Read our review of The School for Good and Evil
4. and 5. Pinocchio
Nope, we didn't make a mistake - there are apparently two Pinocchio movies coming our way in 2022! One is a live action film from Disney, starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto (we're instantly sold). Other stars involved include Luke Evans, Cynthia Erivo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is providing the voice of Jiminy Cricket.
We're also due to get a stop-motion animated version from director Guillermo del Toro, with voices from the likes of Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz. But we'd expect this version to be a bit darker than Disney's...
6. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Based on a 1960s story by Bernard Waber, we think this is going to be such a cute animation! It's all about a crocodile called Lyle who lives in house in New York and enjoys spending time with his neighbours - until one of them insists he belongs in a zoo. Can Lyle prove he's not as bad as people might think? The cast includes Javier Bardem and Constance Wu (incredible).
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Ready for more from Greg Heffley? Disney+'s animation will come in 2022, following up this year's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And you know we love Wimpy Kid.
8. The Bad Guys
We absolutely love Aaron Blabey's hilarious story The Bad Guys - so what a treat that it's now being turned into an animated movie! With Sam Rockwell, Mark Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade and Zazie Beetz among the cast, we think this is going to be so much fun.
9. The Railway Children Return
We're not entirely sure if this counts as it's a sequel to the iconic movie The Railway Children... but since that was based on a book, we're going for it! Jenny Agutter returns as a grown-up Bobbie alongside the likes of Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay, and the plot apparently revolves around children being evacuated during the Second World War. If there's another 'Daddy, my Daddy' moment, we may not be able to handle it.
10. Matilda
Again, technically this is based on the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, but we still think it counts! We don't know what we're more excited about: No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as Mr and Mrs Wormwood or Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull (we just know she'll be terrifying!) It's not coming to Netflix until December 2022, but get your massive chocolate cake ready now...
The television to look out for in 2022
It's not just movies having all the fun in 2022! Amazon's prequel to The Lord of the Rings is due to finally arrive in September, and given it's being called the most expensive television series ever, we think it's going to be one to watch.
We're also really excited about Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Alice Oseman's wonderful Heartstopper, about the friendship - and romance - between two boys who meet at school.
And Apple TV+ is hitting the ground running, with an animated adaptation of Cece Bell's fabulous graphic novel El Deafo coming in January.
Also in the works...
We're also really excited about some other television shows and movies that we've heard are in the works - but unfortunately, we don't have any dates for them yet so we might need to wait a little longer.
We've already heard that Disney+'s TV adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians might not be here until 2023, but we think it will be worth the wait. We're also really excited about the news that Disney+ is working on a series based on Kwame Alexander's The Crossover - we love that book!
Pic: Sir Quentin Blake
Elsewhere, Fox in the USA is apparently working on a new animated show based on Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, while the streaming service Peacock is working on a new Vampire Academy series (we might even get it in 2022 if we're lucky!)
And over on Netflix, we are ridiculously excited about the Lockwood & Co TV show and, of course, all the Roald Dahl projects they have in the works - including two new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory animated series, including one based on the Oompa-Loompas! We're getting the popcorn ready now...
Topics: Features
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