Booksology Previews of these YA adaptations always come with the caveat that most of the titles included are by and/or predominantly white voices. This is because people, mainly people of color, do well. It’s getting harder and harder to keep justifying these roundups with “hopefully we’ll get more results.” At some point, we as YA fans need to demand better representation, and as we already do, we need to respond. In addition to studios failing to represent young people as they really are, this means money is being left on the table.
As 2026 begins, let’s take a look at some of the movies and small screen YA productions you can look forward to this year. All titles here have a confirmed release date or have been confirmed by project officials. I haven’t included titles that have movie potential because I don’t know if they have movie potential (option just means you can keep the project for movie potential). Titles in pre-production or in production based on IMDb status, e.g. children of blood and bones and inheritance game is not included, but some titles are not included. post– This may include production. The film adaptation, which is in pre-production and currently in production, has no indication of a release date, especially if there is no casting news or filming updates yet.
Each adaptation below includes a link to the book, the date the adaptation will be published, and where it can be viewed.
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Finding Her Edge, January 22nd, Netflix
Adriana comes from a family of figure skaters. Her parents are gold medalists and her sister also has top talent. Adriana aspires to continue that tradition and win the Junior World Championship.
There are some pitfalls, but they are big ones. The biggest problem is that her parents’ skating rink is struggling financially. That means everything she and her family have worked so hard to build could be completely destroyed. While training with her new partner, Braden, Adriana realizes that one thing they can do besides show off their moves on the ice is pretend they’re dating. This will keep their fan base really interested and excited.
But then Adriana begins to fall seriously in love with Brayden, and her feelings are complicated by the return of her first love, a boy who happens to be her former skating partner. How will Adriana be able to overcome her old and new emotions, keep her skating career in tip-top shape, and work to save her family’s rink?
“This Is Not a Test” Courtney Summers, February 20th, in theaters
If you were looking for The Breakfast Club The film adaptation of the 2012 YA novel follows a protagonist who isn’t particularly interested in surviving a zombie apocalypse when he encounters zombies.
Sloane Price grew up in a violent household and losing her beloved sister was one of the worst things that ever happened to her. She was almost relieved that the zombie apocalypse was here. She can give up.
So when she barricades herself in a high school with five other teenagers, everything she thought she knew about life, survival, and death is thrown into question as the six battle the unimaginable outside.
One Piece Season 2, March 10, Netflix
The live-action adaptation of this wildly popular comic book is back for a second season, with a third already planned.
one piece Monkey D. Luffy (commonly known as Luffy) strives to become the Pirate King and discover One Piece, which is rumored to be the world’s greatest treasure. Luffy has one big problem. That is, even though they dream of living in the sea, they do not have the ability to swim.
My Life with the Walter Boys Season 3, Fall, Netflix
There’s no firm date yet as to when we’ll see season 3 My Life with Walter BoysBut we do know that filming is complete. It will be available on streamers in the fall.
Season 2 of the show ended on a big cliffhanger, so instead of accidentally spoiling it, here’s a synopsis of the entire story. Jackie wants to be perfect to get her parents’ attention. They are too busy to notice things and live a typical New York City life. But when they die in a tragic accident, Jackie is dragged to a small town in Colorado to live with the Walter family.
There, in a home with 11 boys and a girl, Jackie learns that striving for perfection isn’t the best way to live her life, even though Walter’s boys’ habits drive her up a wall.
“Sunrise of the Reaper” by Suzanne Collins, November 20th, theaters
The next work is definitely hunger games The series will be a great theatrical experience. We already knew the release date for this movie two years ago with a teaser trailer released (wild!).
Collins’ latest film is set before the first Hunger Games story and follows a young Haymitch. You can take a peek at the trailer here.
“A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts” by Ying Chan Compestin
A recent update on the film adaptation of this series of short stories states that some of the stories will wrap up production in 2025, with the entire animation set to be completed in 2026. It’s not entirely clear what this means for a US release, but it looks like it will be released in Asia first. (If the IMDB entry is to be believed, some episodes may have already been released).
In Chinese tradition, when someone dies or starves unjustly, they come back to haunt the living. Some people are satisfied with the food, while others continue to be possessed. The stories in this collection journey through Chinese history and also include recipes and historical notes to take each story off the page.
Forever. . . Season 2, Netflix
It’s refreshing to see a female creator’s work adapted for more than one season. The history of such shows being canceled after one season and without any marketing is one of the themes of the 2020s. But what’s even more refreshing is that the film, which centers on teens of color and depicts their coming of age and sexuality, will be returning for a long-awaited second season.
This is a Judy Blume classic, but set in 2018 Los Angeles.
There is no official release date at the time of writing, but it is expected to hit screens sometime this year.
Otaku Girl Season 2, Netflix
second season of otaku girl The story follows an awkward, neurodivergent teenage girl who stumbles into a modeling job and has to balance the demands of being a teenager with the fashion industry.
Heartstopper: ForeverNetflix
Are you disappointed that the story of Nick and Charlie in Heartstoppers has ended on TV at the end of 2024? Never fear. A full-length feature film is scheduled to hit small screens later this year. Filming ended in July.
The plot of this entry in this series has not yet been published. Because this work is based on the sixth and final book in the book series. This book is also not yet available.
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer Netflix
Stephenie Meyer’s Fall 2024 release. midnight sun– it tells a story twilight Edward’s point of view is animated for Netflix. Reports regarding the film adaptation state that Meyer is part of the production team that will bring the story to life on screen.
Considering how much Bananas fans wanted a complete re-release; twilight It will be released in theaters this year to commemorate its 20th anniversary, and is likely to record the highest audience ratings upon release.
“The Benefits of Being Unrequited” by Becky Albertalli
Have you been thinking that you might need to revisit the Simonverse after the release of ? I love you, Simon 2018 and its friends I love you, Victor In 2020? You might be lucky.
Last time there was a lot of news about a possible film adaptation of Albertari; The benefits of not being rewarded, The story takes place in the summer of 2024 as 17-year-old Molly pursues her first love. There were some updates about the cast, but that was about it.
However, according to the latest information on IMDB, Benefits of not being rewarded It’s in post-production. There are no streamers associated with this project yet, but news about this project may be announced in 2026.
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