3 2026 Sci-Fi Novels Hollywood Needs to Adapt Next

It has been a strong run for sci-fi books jumping to screens. Andy Weir went two-for-two with The Martian on theaters and Project Hail Mary headed to theaters, Blade Runner 2049 proved the sequel to a Dick adaptation can still hit greatness, and Ready Player One mashed up Steven Spielberg, Ernest Cline, and wall-to-wall nostalgia back in 2018. So what is next? Over the next few months, three 2026 sci-fi novels are rolling in that feel tailor-made for adaptation. Think the same energy that has The Murderbot Diaries back in the spotlight with Platform Decay dropping this year and the Apple TV+ series with Alexander Skarsgard in the mix. John Chu's The Subtle Art of Folding Space ( April 7, 2026) John Chu has stuck to short fiction until now, and it has paid off: 'If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You' picked up both a Nebula and a Hugo, and 'The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere' won a Hugo in 2013. This is his first novel, and the premise practically pitches itself. Ellie is a physicist trying to stop a looming planetary disaster caused by the very machine she is using to keep her mother alive. Add in the not-so-small issue that her sister keeps trying to kill her, and you have an intimate, high-stakes sci-fi thriller with a gnarly sibling dynamic. It is smart, emotional, and tense enough to work as either a feature or a limited series anchored by a powerhouse lead. Thomas Elrod's The Franchise ( May 12, 2026) Another short-fiction standout making a novel debut, and this one is about... adapting a book. Yes, it is meta, but in a juicy way. Inside the story, 'The Malicarn' is a beloved fantasy novel that became a blockbuster film franchise. It is also a real fantasy world, and the people who live there consider their lives fully real. When a fan-favorite actor on our side of the screen notices the studio making shady calls with the property, he has to figure out how to protect the Malicarn folks who just want to live their lives. One foot in Hollywood satire, one foot in portal fantasy, and a clear path to a star-driven movie about the cost of IP obsession. Isabel J. Kim's Sublimation (June 2, 2026) Isabel J. Kim has been consistently publishing sharp short fiction for years, including the Nebula-winning 'Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole.' Her first novel leans into a killer hook: when you immigrate to another country, a copy of you remains where you left. Sometimes, like adoptees seeking out birth parents, the two versions connect. Often they do not. Soyoung Rose Kang left Korea years ago and returns after her grandfather dies. She has never spoken to her Korea-based double. Now that double wants to take her place and enjoy the life Soyoung built abroad. Identity thriller, family drama, and an immigration story with a speculative twist — it is all there. "It sounds like Us" ...is probably what you will hear, but the cultural angle makes it something else entirely. Universal International Studios already bought the rights in a three-book deal, though updates have been scarce since. With the novel about to hit shelves, consider hopes officially rekindled. Bottom line: all three feel screen-ready in different ways — big-idea science, industry-skewering fantasy, and a tense double-life drama. Which 2026 novel are you dying to see adapted? Drop your pick in the comments.

3 2026 Sci-Fi Novels Hollywood Needs to Adapt Next

Read also