Netflix Explores Over 25 Book Options for Future Adaptations

Netflix has quietly secured options on more than 25 books, memoirs, and graphic properties over the past year, laying the groundwork for its upcoming film and television slate for 2026 and beyond. While an option deal does not guarantee a project will reach production, it gives the streaming platform exclusive rights to develop a book into a series or feature film while screenplays and production packages are put together.

The move comes as streaming platforms lean ever more heavily on established literary intellectual property. Earlier this summer, Netflix launched a dedicated online hub called “Watch Your Favorite Books” to highlight its literary adaptations. While active releases like The God of the Woods and This Summer Will Be Different are already scheduled for 2026, this latest slate of options gives a clear sense of where the service is directing its future development budgets.

Crime, Cozy Sleuths, and Expanding Franchises

A key focus of the current option pipeline is building cinematic universes around established bestselling authors. Having already filmed an adaptation of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club directed by Chris Columbus, Netflix optioned Osman’s 2024 novel We Solve Murders in January 2026. The story follows a retired police officer, his private security officer daughter-in-law, and a famous author as they form a new sleuthing trio.

Thriller author Harlan Coben also remains a central figure in Netflix’s overall plans. The platform has optioned Drop Shot, the second entry in Coben’s long-running Myron Bolitar series. The narrative centres on a sports agent turned investigator looking into the murder of a rising tennis star, marking a formal step toward developing the broader Bolitar book universe for television.

Romance, Satire, and Psychological Horror

Beyond traditional crime thrillers, the recent choices show a pronounced push into contemporary romance and dark genre fiction. Netflix optioned two works by bestselling romance author Tia Williams in early 2026: Seven Days in June, an emotional romance about two writers reconnecting in Brooklyn that was previously in development elsewhere, and her Harlem-set novel A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, eyed as a feature film.

On the darker side of the spectrum, Olivie Blake’s satirical horror novel Girl Dinner was optioned in May 2026 for an expected series adaptation. Taking its title from the viral online phrase, the story explores a wealthy college sorority operating arcane rituals and a sinister wellness trend rooted in cannibalism. Netflix has also turned back to classic psychological horror, optioning Shirley Jackson’s 1954 novel The Bird’s Nest following its previous adaptation of her classic work The Haunting of Hill House.

If you ask me, seeing how quickly publishers and studios align around viral trends and established backlists is one of the most fascinating aspects of modern publishing. While reader appetite for high-stakes drama remains strong, as reflected in recent tracking of US publishing revenue growth, these options show television producers are equally keen to seize on internet culture before it fades.

Tech Thrillers and Young Adult Drama

The slate also reflects an interest in timely social thrillers and high school narratives:

• Bruce Holsinger’s Culpability: Optioned in August 2025, this Oprah’s Book Club selection examines moral and legal liability after a self-driving minivan involved in a fatal crash leaves a family facing questions over who was truly at fault.
• Jane Buckingham’s A Lie for a Lie: Optioned in April 2026, this young adult thriller focuses on a cutthroat secondary school plagued by an anonymous social media account executing vigilante revenge on students.
• Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye: Included among the platform’s prestige option acquisitions, signalling an ongoing investment in major literary classics alongside commercial thrillers.

For readers keeping an eye on new book releases, an option deal is only the first step in a long process. Many optioned titles remain in development for years or undergo significant script revisions before receiving a formal green light, but tracking these early deals offers the best preview of what might eventually land on our screens.