Every year, October brings new tricks and treats, including a grab bag of book-to-screen adaptations. Watch for Kirkus’ in-depth columns on Salem’s Lot, a Max original film version of the classic vampire-horror novel by Stephen King (premiering Oct. 3), and Nickel Boys, a theatrical film based on the Kirkus Prize–winning book by Colson Whitehead, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross (premiering Oct. 25). Here are four more book-to-screen adaptations on the way:

Oct. 4: The Outrun (theatrical film premiere)

This film is based Amy Liptrot’s 2017 memoir of growing up with an evangelical Christian mother and a mentally ill father in Orkney, an archipelago off the coast of Scotland. As an adult, Liptrot left for London and a decade of self-destructive behavior involving alcohol and drugs. Upon her return to Orkney for rehabilitation, she found a new appreciation for the natural beauty of the place where she grew up. This movie version, which Liptrot co-wrote with director Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher), fictionalizes some elements—Saoirse Ronan doesn’t play Liptrot, specifically, but a character named “Rona”—although the film was shot on location in the gorgeous Orkney Islands. The trailer promises stunning visuals, as well as an intense performance from its star.

Oct. 11: Disclaimer (miniseries premiere, Apple TV+)

Cate Blanchett leads an impressive cast in this seven-episode miniseries based on Renée Knight’s 2015 psychological thriller. In the novel, Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful documentary filmmaker living in London, discovers a novel in her house that features scenes from her past in its pages—including events that she wants to keep secret. Other chapters tell the story of retired, widowed teacher Stephen Brigstocke, who seeks revenge on Catherine for things that happened years ago. It’s a tangled tale that Kirkus’ reviewer called “atmospheric and twisting and ripe for TV adaptation.” This adaptation features plenty of talent in front of and behind the camera: It’s written and directed by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma) and co-stars Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville, Sacha Baron Cohen, and The Power of the Dog’s Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Oct. 18: Rivals (series premiere, Hulu)

Bestselling author Dame Jilly Cooper is widely known in her native England for writing what some critics snarkily call “bonkbusters”: soapy, sexually explicit melodramas, often set in glamorous industries and locales. Her Rutshire Chronicles (11 books and counting) launched with 1986’s Riders, and this miniseries is based on its follow-up, Rivals, which was published in the United States as Players. It’s a “good-humoredly glitzy, vulgar romp through the British TV industry,” according to Kirkus’ reviewer, centered on the antics of television mogul Baron Tony Baddingham and, well, his rivals: famed talk-show host Declan O’Hara and Her Majesty’s Minister of Sport Rupert Campbell-Black. The show, set in 1986, looks like lively fun; it stars the always entertaining David Tennant as Baddingham, Poldark’s Aidan Turner as O’Hara, and Alex Hassell (who had a small role in the excellent film Young Woman and the Sea) as Campbell-Black.

Oct. 27: The Marlow Murder Club (series premiere, PBS)

Robert Thorogood, the British creator of the long-running BBC One TV series Death in Paradise, launched a cozy-mystery book series with The Marlow Murder Club (2022), which he followed with Death Comes to Marlow (2023) and The Queen of Poisons (2024). They focus on the adventures of three women in the South East England town of Marlow—retired crossword compiler Judith Potts, dogwalker Suzie Harris, and Becks Starling, the wife of a local vicar—who take it upon themselves to solve local murders; later, they become official advisors to the police. Our review called the first installment “lightweight but no-nonsense and genuinely brainy.” This new show's first season, created and co-written by Thorogood, is airing in the U.S. as four episodes of the PBS series Masterpiece Mystery!, and it’s sure to appeal to those who enjoy small-town amateur-detective fare. Fans of British TV will recognize members of the fine cast, which features Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey) as Potts, Jo Martin (Doctor Who) as Harris, and Cara Horgan (The Sandman) as Starling.

David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.