What We Know About The Midnight Library Adaptation

Oscar-nominated Florence Pugh is set to star in and produce the upcoming film adaptation of Matt Haig’s bestselling novel, which has been one of the most talked about books the past few years, selling over 12 million copies worldwide and becoming a New York Times bestseller.

The film will be directed by Garth Davis, who previously worked with Pugh on the upcoming series East of Eden.

For anyone who missed the book during its height in late 2020, The Midnight Library is a fantasy/philosophical novel that follows Nora Seed, a young woman who finds herself trapped in a mysterious library between life and death.

 

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Inside this purgatory she opens books to find each is a chance to experience different versions of her life, marked by different choices and consequences of her actions. Whether that be different careers, relationships, dreams or versions of herself, she gets to experience all of it.

Basically, it is the ultimate “what if?” story, which is probably why it connected with so many readers in the first place. Because honestly who hasn’t thought about what their life would look like if they had taken a different path.

That is also what makes the story feel like such a natural fit for Pugh. The book deals with regret, depression, choice and the strange way people measure whether or not they have lived a meaningful life. In the wrong hands, that could easily become too sentimental, but Pugh has built a career out of making big emotions feel grounded.

Whether it is Little Women, Midsommar, Oppenheimer or We Live In Time, she has a way of playing characters who feel vulnerable and real without making them feel overly polished. And Nora Seed is not a character who needs to feel polished. She needs to feel lost, overwhelmed and quietly convinced that every version of her life has somehow gone wrong.

Which is probably why the story feels so relatable. On paper the stunning visuals and world-building portrayed in the book should make it perfect for cinema – a magical library, endless alternate lives offering many different settings and a lead character that undergoes a wide range of emotions. If handled correctly, it could be the makings of a great adaptation that captures the same magic of the book.

Writer Matt Haig has said he is happy Nora’s story is in “great hands”, while Davis has described the novel as a celebration of life in all its possibility and complexity. Production for the film is expected to start later this year, with filming reportedly planned for early 2027.

No release date is confirmed yet, but with Pugh leading and the book already developing somewhat of a cult following it feels like one of those adaptations people will be watching closely.

But if done correctly, it is probably going to one of those films that will make us spiral slightly over the lives we did not live.

Words by Andrew Connolly