The War of the Worlds: Book vs. Series

The BBC's 2019 miniseries The War of the Worlds adapts H. G. Wells's book, with a screenplay by Peter Harness. Eleanor Tomlinson and Rafe Spall play a couple facing a Martian invasion in Edwardian England.

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About the book and the series
Book
The War of the Worlds cover
Author
H. G. Wells
Year
1897
Pages
180Buy book
Audiobook length
5 hr 54 minGet audiobook
Narrator
Peter Batchelor

A cylinder falls onto a common near an English town, drawing curious spectators who have little reason to fear its occupants. When the Martians emerge with weapons that overwhelm the army, an unnamed writer is separated from his wife and forced into flight. His account follows the collapse of ordinary life as refugees, soldiers, and would-be survivors struggle to understand the invasion.

Series
The War of the Worlds poster
Year
2019
Episode
1 hrWatch on Amazon
Seasons
1
Episodes
3
Network
BBC One
Cast
Eleanor Tomlinson, Rafe Spall, Robert Carlyle, Rupert Graves
Genre
science fiction
IMDb
View on IMDb

In Edwardian England, Amy and George are trying to build a life together despite the scandal of his existing marriage. A mysterious object landing near their home draws them into an invasion that tears through the society already determined to keep them apart. As Martian machines advance, Amy must find a way to survive both the initial attacks and the altered world they leave behind.

Other adaptations of this book

  1. The War of the WorldsMovie · 1953
    Details
    The War of the Worlds poster
    Director
    Byron Haskin
    Writer
    H. G. Wells, Barré Lyndon
    Year
    1953
    Runtime
    1 hr 27 min
    Cast
    Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Cornthwaite

    A supposed meteor attracts curious residents to a small California community, but the object contains visitors with devastating weapons. Scientist Clayton Forrester and local teacher Sylvia Van Buren find themselves fleeing an invasion that conventional defenses cannot stop. While researchers search for a weakness in the Martians, reports from elsewhere reveal that the attack extends far beyond their town.

  2. The War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds · Movie · 2005
    Details
    War of the Worlds poster
    Director
    Steven Spielberg
    Writer
    David Koepp, Josh Friedman
    Year
    2005
    Runtime
    1 hr 57 min
    Cast
    Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin

    Ray Ferrier is looking after his estranged children when a strange storm brings enormous war machines out of the ground. With his New Jersey neighborhood collapsing around them, he sets out to reach their mother, struggling to keep a frightened daughter and defiant teenage son together. Crowded roads and desperate survivors make every attempt to find shelter more dangerous.

  3. The War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds · Series · 2019 · Canal+
    Details
    War of the Worlds poster
    Creator
    Howard Overman
    Writer
    Howard Overman
    Year
    2019–2022
    Episode
    48 min
    Seasons
    3
    Episodes
    24
    Network
    Canal+
    Cast
    Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Natasha Little, Léa Drucker

    A signal from space raises hopes of contact with another civilization, but the arrival that follows kills most of the population. Scattered survivors in Britain and France search for family, shelter and an explanation while hostile machines patrol the emptied streets. Scientists trying to understand the attackers uncover a threat whose connection to humanity is more complicated than anyone expected.

  4. The War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds · Movie · 2025
    Details
    War of the Worlds poster
    Director
    Rich Lee
    Writer
    Marc Hyman
    Year
    2025
    Runtime
    1 hr 29 min
    Cast
    Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Iman Benson

    Homeland Security analyst Will Radford monitors threats through a vast surveillance system, sometimes turning its reach toward his own adult children. When unexplained events escalate into an alien attack, the screens on his desk become his window onto a catastrophe he cannot physically reach. Trying to protect his family also exposes disturbing gaps in what his government has told him.

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