Join us on a trip around the world of literature as we survey the international titles that are coming to the big and small screen. There’s a sharp-shooting French cowboy, a Japanese take on Beethoven, Spanish classics and sci-fi, drama, fantasy and spirituality along the way.
ARGENTINA: ‘The World Jones Made’ (Philip K. Dick)
LIMITED SERIES: The Future is Ours is inspired by Philip K. Dick’s ‘The World Jones Made’ and marks the first Spanish-language adaptation of one of the sci-fi supremo’s works. The producers of 2025 hit series The Eternaut are making this one for Netflix.
BRAZIL: ‘The Pilgrimage’ (Paulo Coelho)
MOVIE: Also for Netflix is The Pilgrimage, with Vicente Amorim (Senna) directing. One of Coelho’s early novels, it follows a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and a quest for spiritual fulfilment.
CANADA: ‘Last Night in Montreal’ (Emily St. John Mandel)
FILM: Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven) has adapted her book ‘Last Night in Montreal’ for the big screen with Semi Chellas. The story follows Ali, whose life unravels when his girlfriend Lilia disappears without warning on the night he plans to propose.
CANADA: ‘Flesh’ (David Szalay)
FILM: This is very early stages but is too good not to include. David Szalay’s ‘Flesh’ won the Booker Prize, the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction. We scooped the news that Conclave prodco House Productions, BBC Film and Access are adapting the novel, which follows István from adolescence to old age.
FRANCE: ‘Lucky Luke’ (Morris and Goscinny)
SERIES: Disney+ is readying a live-action take on ‘Lucky Luke’, the classic Morris and Goscinny comic book series. Alban Lenoir plays the titular cowboy “who shoots faster than his shadow.” The France-produced series lands in Spring 2026.
GERMANY: ‘Momo’ (Michael Ende)
FILM: From the author of ‘The Neverending Story’, the film adaptation of ‘Momo’ will star Martin Freeman, Alexa Goodall, Claes Bang and Laura Haddock. The fantasy adventure follows an orphan girl fighting to save time itself.
GREECE: ‘The Great Chimera’ (M. Karagatsis)
SERIES: A visually stunning, yet tragic, journey of love, life and death, Karagatsis’ novel is being adapted as a six-part TV drama. The cast includes Fotinì Peluso, Andreas Konstantinou and Dimitris Kitsos.
ICELAND: ‘Fury’ (various)
SERIES: Inspired by the legendary Icelandic Sturlunga saga, Seberg helmer Benedict Andrews will direct Fury. A brutal tale of power, politics and blood feuds, it has been called Iceland’s Game Of Thrones.
ITALY: ‘No Place To Be Single’ (Felicia Kingsley)
FILM: In an idyllic Tuscan town, the life of Elisa (Matilde Gioli) is turned upside down when a childhood friend returns, reawakening feelings from yesteryear. The movie of the book drops on Prime Video in 2026.
INDIA: ‘Revolutionaries: The Other Story Of How India Won Its Freedom’ (Sanjeev Sanyal)
SERIES: The Revolutionaries will follow Indian freedom fighters taking on the British Raj. Inspired by the nonfiction book, it covers the story of their lives, sacrifices and love for their country, and will drop on Prime Video.
IRELAND: Grown Ups (Marian Keyes)
SERIES: Irish writer Marian Keyes is having a TV moment with her ‘Walsh Sisters’ books getting adapted, and ‘Grown Ups’ is set to hit Netflix in 2026. Set in Dublin, it follows the tight-knit and chaotic Casey Clan.
JAPAN: ‘Faking Beethoven: The Great Producer Lies’ (Shiho Kagehara)
FILM: Faking Beethoven is a Prime Video movie adaptation of Kagehara’s nonfiction tome that delves into a musical scandal in 19th-century Vienna. The screenplay was written by Japanese comic Bakarhythm, and Yuki Yamada stars as Schindler and Arata Furuta plays Beethoven.
MEXICO: ‘Mal de Amores’ (Ángeles Mastretta)
FILM: Set in 19th Century Mexico, Netflix’s series adaptation of ‘Mal de Amores’ (‘Lovesick’) is directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, daughter of its author Ángeles Mastretta, and intertwines a story of war and family.
NORWAY: Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole
SERIES: Tobias Santelmann play the iconic Detective Harry Hole, and Joel Kinnaman his adversary and fellow detective Tom Waaler. The Jo Nesbo adaptation drops on Netflix in early 2026.
POLAND: ‘Pionek’ (Małgorzata Fugiel-Kuźmińska & Michał Kuźmiński)
SERIES: Streamer SkyShowtime is prepping Pionek, a sequel to its Polish crime series Śleboda. Hopes are high after Śleboda became a big-hitting original for the Comcast and Paramount-owned Euro-streamer.
SAUDI ARABIA: ‘Traveler’s Hell’ (Osamah Almuslim)
FILM: Osamah Almuslim is adapting his own book for the big-screen with local media powerhouse MBC behind the project. Female director Hana Al-Omair is on board the horror pic.
SPAIN: ‘The House Of The Spirits’ (Isabel Allende)
Allende’s story of a family saga sold over 70 million copies and a 1993 movie adaptation starred Meryl Streep, Glen Close and Antonio Banderas. Allende and Eva Longoria are exec producers of the upcoming series for Prime Video.
SWEDEN: ‘When The Cranes Fly South’ (Lisa Ridzén)
FILM: An elderly man looks back over his life and, in the modern day, fights the attempts of those around him to take away his beloved canine companion. Winner of numerous awards including Swedish Book Of The Year, a movie adaptation is in the works.