
‘Forgotten Spaceman’
Courtesy of Foreigner Ltd.
Several best-selling books will make way for returning TV shows and new ones in 2026.
Summer has seen several adaptations like Every Year After, Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie, Peacock’s The Five-Star Weekend, Apple TV’s Lucky and Silo Season 3 and Netflix’s Ransom Canyon Season 2 and My Life With the Walter Boys Season 3 roll out.
May welcomed Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus books to the small screen mid-month with the first season of the hockey romance series launching on Prime Video. Still to come in May is the second season of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder on Netflix. Summer has several projects in store.
March saw the arrival of a rarer type of book adaptation — the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me based on a concurrent sequel novel that Laura Dave wrote to her first book of the same name that inspired the Apple TV series. And April will welcome Margo’s Got Money Troubles to the Apple TV series family. Summer has Every Year After, Lucky and The Five Star Weekend in the wings.
One of the first major arrivals in January was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on George R. R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight, after Netflix’s series based on Alice Feeney’s thriller His & Hers. The prequel series to Game of Thrones has been a long time in the making. Part 2 of Bridgerton Season 4, based on the third book in Julia Quinn’s series, arrived Feb. 26 after leaving audiences on a major cliffhanger ask.
Read on for more TV shows based on books coming out this year.
RELATED: Apple Shows Off 2026 Film & TV Slate At Flashy, Tightly Curated Los Angeles Press Day
My Life With the Walter Boys Season 3, Netflix

My Life With the Walter Boys is based on Ali Novak’s original novel of the first name, and while Novak published a sequel book, My Return to the Walter Boys in 2025, that follow-up takes a different path from the show. Season 3 arrived on the streamer August 6, and Novak announced a third novel in the universe shortly before premiere. A fourth season is now in production.
RELATED: ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ Renewed For Season 4 At Netflix
Hugh Howey’s Silo Trilogy – Wool, Shift and Dust

Season 3 of Apple TV’s Silo, based on Hugh Howey’s trilogy, will debut July 3 on the streamer with the finale coming Sept. 4. The series will end with its fourth season.
Lucky by Marissa Stapley

Hello Sunshine’s and Apple TV’s series adaptation of Lucky by Marissa Stapley will premiere July 15 with the finale arriving August 19. The show stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular protagonist, a young woman raised by a con artist (Timothy Olyphant). She has complex relationships with Annette Bening’s mob boss Priscilla and her husband (portrayed by Drew Starkey). Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor will star as Agent Billie Rand.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Blake Crouch’s science fiction best-seller, Dark Matter, transformed into a TV series with season one arriving on Apple TV in May 2024. The second season will arrive on the streamer two years after it was renewed, with the first episode debuting Aug. 28.
Pride and Prejudice Series at Netflix, Based on Jane Austen’s Book – Fall
Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice series, created by bestselling author Dolly Alderton and Euros Lyn (Heartstopper) will hit the small screen this year, but the details of release month or date have not yet been revealed. The six-part series will star Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennett, Jack Lowden as Mr. Darcy, Olivia Colman as Mrs. Bennett, Rufus Sewell as Mr. Bennett, Jamie Demetriou as Mr. Collins, Daryl McCormack as Mr. Bingley, Louis Partridge as Mr. Wickham, Fiona Shaw as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Freya Mavor as Jane Bennett, Rhea Norwood as Lydia Bennett, Siena Kelly as Caroline Bingley, and Hopey Parish and Hollie Avery as Mary and Kitty Bennet in their screen debuts.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Zoe Kazan’s modern take on John Steinbeck’s classic East of Eden, published in 1952, will come to Netflix this fall, four years after its development was initially confirmed. Florence Pugh will star as Cathy Ames, antiheroine of the story, with Tracy Letts playing Cyrus Trask, Martha Plimpton playing Faye, Ciarán Hinds playing Samuel Hamilton, Joseph Zada (We Were Liars, The Hunger Games) playing Cal Trask and Joe Anders playing Aron Trask. Christopher Abbott will play Adam Trask, Mike Faist will portray Charles Trask and Hoon Lee will play Lee. Kazan’s grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 East of Eden movie. She wrote the screen adaptation of the novel and serves as co-showrunner alongside Jeb Stuart.
Returning and New Book-to-TV Adaptations in the Works:
Below find a list of book adaptations in progress from early stages such as casting to production:
Previously Released in 2026:
His & Hers – Netflix, Based on Alice Feeney’s Novel Of Same Name

Set in Atlanta, Tessa Thompson stars as Anna, a news anchor pulling away from her job, friends and family until a murder in her hometown of Dahlonega gets her attention. Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal) starts to suspect her when she flocks to the scene and searches for answers. It’s his side vs. hers, and someone is lying.
Tell Me Lies Season 3 – Hulu, Based on Carola Lovering’s Book Of Same Name

Season 3 of Belletrist’s series adaptation of Carola Lovering’s Tell Me Lies will arrive on Hulu Jan. 13. Showrunner Meagan Oppenheimer hinted at a time jump at the end of Season 2, but rest assured the same fraught dynamics will be on full display.
The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie – Netflix

Netflix will release the three-part series adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery Jan. 15. Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce as determined detective Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent, the series centers on a practical joke gone wrong at a lavish country house party. The series also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Corey Mylchreest, Ed Bluemel, Martin Freeman, Nabhaan Rizwan and more.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – HBO Max, Based on George R. R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which spans six episodes, is based on George R. R. Martin’s prequel novella that is set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire — which lent itself to House of the Dragon. The series premieres January 18.
Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli

For fans missing Heated Rivalry, Jennifer Iacopelli’s Finding Her Edge provides the basis for Netflix’s next figure-skating show. Not the same as hockey, but that ice sports world is likely to surge after the success of the Crave and HBO Max series starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. Finding Her Edge launched Jan. 22 on Netflix, and the show was swiftly renewed for a second season following the show’s arrival on the streamer.
The Lincoln Lawyer, Season 4, Based on The Law of Innocence

Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer, which arrived Feb. 5, is largely based on the sixth book in Michael Connelly’s series. The show stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller. The series is streaming on Netflix. It has been renewed for a Season 5.
Bridgerton Season 4 – Netflix, Based on Julia Quinn’s An Offer From A Gentleman

Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie’s (Yerin Ha) love story will take center stage after Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) went from friends to lovers in Season 3. Season 4 will get the split treatment just as Season 3 did, with Part 1 debuting Jan. 29 on Netflix followed by Part 2 Feb. 26.
The Night Agent Season 3, Netflix

Netflix’s The Night Agent, which returns with a third season Feb. 19, is originally based on Matthew Quirk’s bestselling political novel. The ongoing seasons have expanded beyond the novel, and the show will end with its fourth and final season.
The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 – Apple TV, Based on The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 arrives on Apple TV Feb. 20. The show’s second season will take its lead from Laura Dave’s new sequel novel, The First Time I Saw Him, which publishes Jan. 6, giving readers and watchers plenty of time to catch up ahead of premiere. Judy Greer has joined Season 2, as have Rita Wilson and more.
Vladimir, Based on Julia May Jonas’ Novel of the Same Name, Created by Jonas

Leo Woodall and Rachel Weisz will lead Vladimir, created, written and executive produced by Jonas. Bad Sisters showrunner Sharon Horgan also executive produces the limited series adaptation. Additional cast include John Slattery, Ellen Robertson, Jessica Henwick as Cynthia.Matt Walsh, Kayli Carter, Miriam Silverman, Mallori Johnson, Tattiawna Jones and Louise Lambert.
Outlander, Season 8 – Starz, Based on Diana Gabaldon’s Series
The final season of Starz’s Outlander arrives in March. The show is based on Diana Gabaldon’s hugely popular historical fantasy series that spans nine novels and two novellas.
Scarpetta – Prime Video, Based on Patricia Cornwell’s Book Series

Prime Video’s Nicole Kidman-starring Scarpetta landed a two-season order at the streamer. Kidman will star as the titular Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner whose attention to detail and steady hand allow her to speak up for victims and unmask a serial killer. Scarpetta arrives in March.
Virgin River, Season 7, Based on Robyn Carr’s Book Series
The seventh season of Virgin River, based on Robyn Carr’s 20-book series, arrives March 12 on Netflix.

Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall
Psychological thriller series Imperfect Women, based on Araminta Hall’s book, will premiere March 18 on Apple TV+ with two episodes. The series has eight episodes total, and cast includes Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara as well as Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, Leslie Odom Jr., Audrey Zahn, Jill Wagner, Rome Flynn, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Violette Linnz, Indiana Elle, Jackson Kelly, Keith Carradine, Ana Ortiz and Wilson Bethel. Annie Weisman created the series for television.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Apple TV, Based on Rufi Thorpe’s Novel of the Same Name

Elle Fanning stars as Margo, a single mom who dropped out of college to raise her child and found a new source of income in the process — OnlyFans. In the Apple TV show based on Rufi Thorpe’s best-selling novel, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Margo’s mother Shyanne, and Nick Offerman will portray her father, former professional wrestler, Jinx. The star-studded cast doesn’t stop there. Margo’s Got Money Troubles debuts April 15.
Prime Video’s The House of Spirits, Based on Isabel Allende’s Novel
Fernanda Urrejola, Eva Longoria, FilmNation and studio Fabula are behind the TV series adaptation of Isabel Allende’s most popular novel. It will premiere on the streamer April 29.
Prime Video’s Off Campus, Season 1, Based on The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Prime Video’s much anticipated television series adaptation of Off Campus will debut its first season May 13, with all episodes dropping at once. Created by Louisa Levy, Off Campus follows an elite ice hockey team and the women in their lives, as they navigate coming of age. Season One follows the sexy and fun “opposites attract” romance between quiet songwriter, Hannah, and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett. The show received an early renewal for Season 2 ahead of its premiere.
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

The second book in Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy has inspired Season 2 of the BBC and Netflix tv series, which launches May 27 on the streamer. Emma Myers returns as Pippa Fitz-Amobi with her best friend Cara (Asha Banks) and boyfriend Ravi Singh (Zain Iqbal) by her side as a new murder mystery case presents itself.
RELATED: ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’ Season 2 Trailer: Emma Myers’ Pip Has A New Case To Solve
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After has been adapted into the Prime Video series, Every Year After, which premiered with all eight episodes on June 10. Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett will play central couple Percy and Sam.
RELATED: Prime Video’s ‘Every Year After’: What To Expect In The TV Show Adaptation From Cast To Plot
The show was renewed for a second season, based on Carley Fortune’s One Golden Summer, at Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Netflix’s series adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books debuted on Netflix with its first season July 9. The series has already been renewed for a second season ahead of its launch. Showrun by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the series stars Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry) as Laura Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes as her older sister Mary, Luke Bracey as Pa, and Crosby Fitzgerald as Ma.
RELATED: Everything We Know About Netflix’s ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Season 2 So Far
Season 2, based on On the Banks of Plum Creek, is in production now.

The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand’s television adaptation will arrive July 9 on Peacock with all eight episodes. This is another adaptation starring Jennifer Garner as main character Hollis Shaw, a famous chef who invites different friends from throughout her life to the titular weekend after she suffers a horrible loss.
The Five Star Weekend was officially renewed for a Season 2 in August.
Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas

Season 2 of Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, stars Minka Kelly, Josh Duhamel, Jack Shumacher, Marianly Tejada, Casey W. Johnson, Garrett Wareing, Lizzy Greene and more. Steve Howey, Patricia Clarkson, Heidi Engerman and more have boarded Season 2, which will extend the story taken from the novel of the same name in Thomas’ series. Season 2 arrived July 23.
RELATED: ‘Ransom Canyon’ Season 2 Gets Premiere Date & First-Look Photos
Adaptations From 2025:
Find some of the big book-to-series adaptations of 2025 below.
Long Bright River – Peacock – March

Based on the best-selling book by Liz Moore, Long Bright River’s television adaptation arrived on Peacock in March. The show stars Amanda Seyfried in the role of Michaela “Mickey” Fitzpatrick.
Ransom Canyon – Netflix – April

Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas was adapted into a ten-episode season of television that is now streaming on Netflix. Starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelley, the show also follows two other romances in the small Texas town, with the addition of a murder mystery “spine” as showrunner and creator April Blair called the element of investigating the death of Duhamel’s rancher Staten Kirkland’s son.
Forever by Judy Blume – Netflix – May 8

Judy Blume’s Forever, published 50 years ago, has been reimagined by producer, creator and showrunner Mara Brock Akil. The show stars Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark and Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards, a respective up and coming track and field star with good grades and a basketball player who’s really a nerd in an athlete’s body. The pair’s flame that kindles throughout the show reflects the strong feelings of first love that many teenagers experience.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – Season 1 on Prime Video – June 18

Apple TV+’s adaptation of Hugh Howey’s novels will return with a Season 2 in November. The show stars Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, Rick Gomez, Caitlin Zoz, Tanya Moodie and Iain Glen. with Steve Zahn joining the cast for Season 2.
The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton – Apple TV+ – June 18, 2025

Season 2 of Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers will arrive this summer, and Leighton Meester has joined the cast. Based on the book by Edith Wharton, which was published with multiple versions that end differently, the show’s first season followed a group of five girls led by Nan (Kristine Frøseth) who venture to England from their American homes during the Gilded Age, exemplifying the culture clash between the two countries.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 (We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han) – Prime Video – July 16
The third and final season of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty is slated to come out July 16 with a bonus amount of episodes to bring the adaptation of Jenny Han’s beloved book trilogy to a conclusion. The third installment of the YA coming-of-age series, based in We’ll Always Have Summer, will unfold in a whopping 11 episodes, one of which will be directed by Han. Season 1 had seven episodes, which all dropped on the streamer at once, and Season 2 had eight, which released week to week after the first three rolled out on premiere day.
RELATED: ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Movie Greenlit At Prime Video
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan – Hulu – July 23

Washington Black will follow the 19th-century journey of George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year-old boy born on a sugar plantation in Barbados. Wash’s scientific skill and genius set him up for an interesting and unexpected destiny. Forced to flee his home, he sets out on an expedition across the globe, encountering all kinds of people and characters. The series will star Ernest Kingsley Jr. as Washington Black, Ruper Graves as Mr. Goff, Iola Evans as Tanna Goff, Edward Bluemel as William McGee, Sharon Duncan Brewster as Miss Angie, Eddie Karanga as Young Washington Black, Tom Ellis as Tith and Sterling K. Brown as Medwin.
My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak – Season 2, Netflix, August

After a popular first season on Netflix adapted from Ali Novak’s novel that gained traction on Wattpad, My Life With the Walter Boys is in the midst of production on a second season, though the first season did tackle all the book material. Novak is writing another Walter Boys novel called My Return to the Walter Boys, but the show’s second season won’t be connected with that book.
All Her Fault – Peacock – Nov. 6, Based on Andrea Mara’s Novel
Peacock’s strong hit series All Her Fault, starring Sarah Snook, Dakota Fanning and Jake Lacy among others, arrived on the streamer at the beginning of November. The story follows Marissa (Snook), whose son goes missing after a playdate. When Snook’s character shows up to pick up her son Milo (Duke McCloud), she doesn’t recognize the lady at the front door, and the woman doesn’t have Milo.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 (The Sea of Monsters) – December 10

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series Season 2 will be based on the events found in the second book of the original quintet: The Sea of Monsters. Season 2 of the Greek mythology-grounded fictional series will arrive on Disney+ in 2025. New casting additions that have been made ahead of the continuation of Percy, Grover and Annabeth’s story include Daniel Diemer as Percy’s half-brother Tyson, a Cyclops, Tamara Smart as Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, Andra Day as Annabeth’s mother the goddess Athena and Courtney B. Vance as the god of skies and thunder, Zeus. Vance will take over from the late Lance Reddick who died shortly after the release of the first season.
Thank the gods, Disney renewed the Greek mythology-based YA series for a third season, which will likely follow the events of Riordan’s The Titan’s Curse, ahead of the Season 2 premiere on Disney+.
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In 1988, Afghanistan sent its first cosmonaut into space. Yes, really. Abdul Ahad Momand went where no Afghan had gone before — or has gone since — making Pashto the fourth language ever spoken beyond Earth. So why does barely anyone remember his name, his journey, or the hope it sparked among fellow Afghans at the time?
Part of the answer may lie in timing: just as the spaceflight took place, Afghanistan was on the brink of civil war, a conflict that would soon force millions of its people into exile. As a new film argues, the country’s story has been shaped by conflict, exile and diaspora ever since, with science, culture and ideas pushed to the margins.
Elham Ehsas (There Will Come Soft Rains, Yellow, Our Kind of Love), a London-based Afghan filmmaker and actor, is working to change that narrative and spotlight a piece of history too often left out of it. His short film Forgotten Spaceman — which blends documentary and essay elements while uncovering a surprising link between Afghanistan’s space history and his own family’s past — will world premiere on Aug. 9 in the Pardi di Domani – Concorso Internazionale program of the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival.
Ehsas wrote, directed and edited Forgotten Spaceman, which is executive produced by Catherine Tschaepe and Jack Thomas-O’Brien of Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films, which backed the film. World sales and festivals are being handled by María Vera of Kino Rebelde.
Beyond the story of Afghanistan’s spaceman and Ehsas’s own family history, the short also examines “shadows of colonialism and the memory of a fractured and silenced nation,” per its synopsis. Ehsas spoke with THR about his surprise at discovering Momand’s story, how Forgotten Spaceman came together, and what he hopes audiences take away from it.
Can you share a little bit about the journey behind Forgotten Spaceman?
I feel this film was almost a coming of age for me in terms of getting to know my own past and my country’s past. I was researching a short fiction film that I was trying to make around space. And then I came across Abdul Ahad Momand, and I was like, “Who is this guy? How is it possible that we have an Afghan cosmonaut who went to space?” He put Afghanistan on the map in 1988. When he called his mom, Pashto became the fourth language ever spoken in space. It’s Russian, English, Mandarin and Pashto. And it just blew my mind.
So I went to my parents and spoke to my mom and dad, and I was like: “How did you guys not tell me about him?” And it’s interesting because I’ve spoken to a lot of my cousins and family members my age and asked, “Do you guys know we have a spaceman?” And they were all [reacting the same way]: “What? Come again?” So, almost at every turn, this was a teaching opportunity for my own cousins and friends as well. It was such a discovery.
And I also learned a lot. Through this experience of listening, I learned about making a documentary because it’s my first documentary. I learned to just relinquish control and go where this story is taking me. Sometimes, letting go is one of the best things you can do.

‘Forgotten Spaceman’
Courtesy of Foreigner Ltd.
The film starts out as a story about the Afghan spaceman, but then it also connects to your family story, and then you zoom out to show us a universal story. Did you know from the start that Forgotten Spaceman would also touch on these bigger themes?
This whole film was a complete accident. I was trying to make this fiction film about space and then found Momand. And then I realized that he’s a refugee out in Europe somewhere, so then my idea was that I’d make a documentary about me looking for him. I put in about four, five months of work, shooting different footage around London. When I found out that he’s in Stuttgart in Germany, I thought I’ll go to Germany and speak to him.
And then several months into this whole process, my dad gave me a picture. “Oh yeah, I have this photo of Momand.” That completely blew the whole thing open for me. It was insane. I can’t believe we have this photo, and I can’t believe that this photo speaks so much of my own family and of my own relationship with Momand and space, but also all of us and our relationship to home, to our country, to Afghanistan.
Do you want to talk more about the photo and what it shows, or is that too much of a spoiler? And what did you do?
I pivoted because I felt something was happening here. I am being guided by this film, and this film wants to be something else. Because I come from a narrative background, I’m used to scripting, casting, shooting, crafting, and engineering this whole narrative. But here is a true story that kept evolving, and it kept changing, and I felt the best thing here was to surrender to what’s happening. Maybe the story isn’t about me looking for Momand. Maybe the story is about this photo. And what if I can build something around this one photograph? No spoilers, but for people who see it, they’ll realize why this picture is so important, and that gave me the architecture for the rest of the film.
Parts of the film felt a bit like a detective movie to me. And it also felt like a journey of discovery where another layer is uncovered. We see some family footage but also official, I assume, TV footage from Afghanistan about the space trip. Where did you find all this footage?
It’s so interesting that you speak about the detective element. I almost felt like a detective trying to find this footage, these different pieces of archive. It’s really hard to find pre-Soviet era archive footage around Afghanistan, especially around such a niche as the space program.

‘Forgotten Spaceman’
Courtesy pf Foreigner Ltd.
I reached out to a bunch of official, independent archive houses, [Russian Space Agency] Roscosmos, as well as the Afghanistan archive in Kabul. Because my dad is a journalist, he still has his network in Afghanistan. So I was speaking to a bunch of really interesting people, and through that, we found all of this beautiful footage. But I wanted the texture of the footage to not just be about his flight, but also about the rest of Afghanistan, about the history of his country. So that meant I had to dig deeper into the Soviet invasion from ‘79 to ‘89. At one point, I licensed about six hours of random footage that I didn’t know what it was. I just knew it was coming from Afghanistan and from that part of history. An archive house said, “Look, the deal is we’ll give you this for an affordable price, but we don’t know what’s in it, so you have to just take a blind shot.” So I had all of this footage, and it really helped me get the whole thing together. So, yes, the whole thing is a discovery.
You have big-name executive producers on the film, such as Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films…
I’m incredibly lucky for this project to attract such incredible collaborators, including someone like Ken Loach and Sixteen Films. They are renowned for telling stories that aren’t often told, telling human stories from different times and from different social and historical backgrounds. One of the executive producers is Sixteen’s Jack Thomas-O’Brien, who worked on this amazing film On Falling [by Laura Carreira]. So I have had a bunch of collaborators that I was sending the film to and getting their thoughts. The story started in my bedroom, and it just started getting bigger and bigger with all of these collaborators. It’s all about the magic of the moment [of the Afghan space trip], but also space and what it tells us about home and ourselves. I’m very lucky for the film to have resonated with incredible collaborators who have come on board and championed us and supported us. It’s just an incredible privilege and honor.
You mentioned how Forgotten Spaceman goes into what space tells us about Afghanistan and, actually, also the exile experience. Can you talk about that a little bit?
When I started this film, I thought I was making a film about this really super cool guy called Momand, who was an Afghan spaceman. But as the film was evolving in front of my eyes, I realized that there’s this family connection, so it’s also about me and my family. But then you keep going, and you keep discovering, digging deeper and deeper, excavating. And then I realized that actually this film isn’t just about Momand, me and my family. It’s about all of us and all of those people who have left home and moved. It’s about migration, it’s about refugeeship, it’s about the loss of home and the things we leave behind.

‘Forgotten Spaceman’ director Elham Ehsas
Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
Here is Momand, an astronaut who went up to space, took the Quran with him and spoke Pashto up there. And then he came plummeting back down, went into exile, lived in Germany and became an accountant. So, it’s also about what a country loses when its children go into exile.
That also speaks to memory, history and this divide between the East and the West. The East has these incredible stories, this incredible history, but this fragile memory, while the West has a short memory. As an Afghan filmmaker, I thought it was almost my duty to bring this story to life. I need more people to learn about Momand, and I need more people to know that he was Afghan. We’re not just bullets and blood and violence. We’re more than that. The West has chosen to only show Afghanistan in a specific light, which speaks to a bias. My colleagues from the diaspora and I feel it’s our duty to tell these stories in different ways.
The film mentions that Afghans’ and Afghanistan’s stories usually get told through violence, conflict and war…
Yes, for most of my lifetime, Afghanistan has been defined in the world’s imagination by conflict, headlines of war, statistics of death. But that’s not the country that my parents grew up in, or my grandparents. And it’s not the whole story of the place. Afghanistan is a country of poets and scientists and filmmakers and history and art and music, as I’ve shown in the film as well. And it’s a country that sent a man into space in 1988. When you start pulling on that thread, you find the whole landscape of achievement and imagination that has been buried and the tragedy of the lost potential of those people who had no choice but to move.
Is that also why Forgotten Spaceman features Afghan music?
I was faced with this incredible, epic tale of this man, and then through that tale, I zoom out and talk about our country and migration and refugees. But how do I tell that story, especially in a short documentary, in the most succinct way? I love music, especially Afghan music. I grew up on it, especially old folk songs. So, I thought, what if I engineer the film like a music album? What if it’s built around three different songs for the three different acts of the story? And that’s where the inspiration for that came. I went down this deep rabbit hole of old Afghan music that I grew up listening to, but also discovering new songs and remembering which songs my mum or dad used to listen to when I was a kid. I found these three beautiful, beautiful songs, and the fourth one in the credits by an incredible artist called Zarsanga.

‘Forgotten Spaceman’
Courtesy of Foreigner Ltd.
Does the film’s original title Hershewe Fazanawerd mean exactly the same as the English title – Forgotten Spaceman?
It literally translates to the man who went to space, or the spaceman. But Afghanistan has two national languages: Pashto and Dari. I was mindful that my previous films had dialogue in Dari, and I never included Pashto, which is actually my mother tongue, and it’s the language that Momand spoke in space. So, I decided to do the voiceover in Pashto, almost as an ode to my mother tongue and to Momand.
I heard that you are working on your first feature as a writer and director?
Yes, it’s a feature film called Our Kind of Love, and it’s based on my first-ever short film. We’ve been working hard on developing it with the BFI, and we’re just coming out of the script stage. Making films is so hard, and telling stories is so hard. I think there is value in putting a lot of time into trying to get it right, especially when you want to speak about a specific theme.
Our Kind of Love ultimately is about the East and the West meeting. The short film was about an Afghan woman who was on a first date with an Afghan man who was born here [in the U.K.], and she was born in Kabul. It’s about how, if you put the East and the West together in a room, they interact. I’m a first-generation refugee. I came from Afghanistan to this country, and so I juggle two identities, and I juggle two cultures and countries. That’s what really always informs my work.

‘Forgotten Spaceman’
Courtesy of Foreigner Ltd.
What’s next for Forgotten Spaceman?
We’re really excited that the film will premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, and then it is going to Toronto. I’ll be so curious being there for the first screening at Locarno to look at the audience and their reactions. It will be such a privilege for me to see them experience it. The film is how the legacy of Momand survives, and the legacy of these refugees who have done great things.
Do you ever think that Forgotten Spaceman could be expanded into a feature-length film?
Well, it’s such an epic story, and it’s such a beautiful story that speaks to so much. So, I’d be very curious to see and discover how it would look as a feature film.
Is there anything else you’d like to highlight or mention?
I want to also speak about my collaborators, the people I worked with on this film, and especially the music. My co-producer is Lorraine Bhattachary, and our composer CJ Mirra. Our sound designers are Rob Szeliga and John Cohen, who did such an incredible job because a lot of the film lives and dies in the sound. A lot of these experiences are so sonic, especially in space, and we wanted it to be something grand and beautiful. They all smashed it, and that’s what this film, and film in general, is about — collaboration.
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One of the original Blue Bloods is making a trip to Beantown after Donnie Wahlberg teased an upcoming guest star on Boston Blue.
Deadline can confirm that Will Estes will reprise his Blue Bloods role as Jamie Reagan on an upcoming episode of the CBS spin-off after Wahlberg shared a behind-the-scenes photo with his onscreen brother.
“Welcome (back) to the family! Jamie Reagan! AKA Will Estes!” wrote Wahlberg on his Instagram Story with the photo, which also featured co-stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Marcus Scribner and Mika Amonsen.
Following Blue Bloods‘ 2024 finale, Wahlberg reprised his role as Det. Danny Reagan in the spin-off Boston Blue, which premiered last October, with the role of Danny’s Sean recast with Amonsen after Andrew Terraciano played him in the parent series.
Other Blue Bloods stars have previously reprised their roles on the spin-off, including Bridget Moynahan as Danny’s sister Erin, Len Cariou as Danny’s grandfather Henry Reagan and Will Hochman as Danny’s nephew Joe Hill.

Boston Blue received an early renewal for Season 2 in December, set to return on Oct. 9, as the show continues to follow Wahlberg’s Danny after he left the NYPD for the Boston Police Department.
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Dwayne Johnson is speaking out on Disney‘s live-action Moana not exactly being a hit with critics.
Johnson, who voiced Maui in the original 2016 animated film Moana and its 2024 follow-up, recently spoke to People magazine about how the movie’s early reviews started positively before the reception shifted.
“Our first two reviews came out. I’ll never forget it… They were amazing. I was like, wow,” the actor recalled, before adding that then “it went another way — as sometimes happens. That’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic, David Rooney, did, however, give the film a favorable review, calling it “one of Disney’s better live-action remakes.” He added, “The new Moana is a captivating family entertainment that deserves to find an audience.”
The live-action Moana, released in theaters last month, earned a 31 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its audience score was significantly higher at 88 percent.
The Smashing Machine star added that he and his wife, Lauren Hashian, had many conversations about the response. “The challenge was, OK, let’s remember, though, what’s going to be beyond this opening weekend. Let’s remember what’s happening right now and the noise that’s happening right now,” he said.
“If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem,” the Jumanji actor said. But what meant the most to him was that “the culture really stood up,” as Johnson is of Samoan heritage.
“Because of me and our kids who can now look at the big screen and go, ‘That’s us for the first time on a big screen. That’s us up there. How cool is that?’,” he said.
Catherine Laga’aia starred in the title role, taking over from Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced the character in the animated films. Johnson reprised his role as Maui in the live-action adaptation.
The film, though, didn’t make waves at the box office, grossing $264 million worldwide against a reported $250 million production budget.
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