Hayley breaks down the movies and TV series based on books due to hit screens in the coming months.
Ripley
Patricia Highsmith’s classic The Talented Mr. Ripley, nearing 70 years old, is having quite the moment: its influence was clearly felt in last year’s hit film Saltburn, and now a second adaptation is on its way to Netflix, this time as a miniseries. Andrew Scott will star as the titular con man Tom Ripley, who becomes dangerously enamoured with his newfound status when an aristocrat hires him to convince his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to return home from Italy—an endeavour that leads Ripley to a life of deceit and murder. Also starring Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn, with multiple Oscar winners behind-the-scenes, the series is shot in black and white to complement the mid-century time period and sports a much slicker and more noirish tone than the 1999 film adaptation by Anthony Minghella.
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer was an instant hit upon its release in 2015, combining elements of war, espionage and dark comedy, and securing status as both a bestseller and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Almost a decade later, a series adaptation is coming to the small screen, a joint production between HBO and beloved indie production company A24, with Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook as showrunner. Australian actor Hoa Xuande stars as the Captain, a Viet Cong plant in the South Vietnam army, and the story focuses on his exile in the United States during the final days of the war as he continues to spy on a community of refugees. Xuande stars alongside Robert Downey Jr., who is playing multiple different roles in one hell of an acting flex following his Oscar win for Oppenheimer.
Origin
How do you turn an academic, thesis-based nonfiction book into a narrative film? Isabel Wilkerson’s groundbreaking Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents might seem like the kind of book that would more suit a documentary treatment, but Ava DuVernay, director of Selma and 13th, opted for a different route, centring Wilkerson as the protagonist of her adaptation, Origin. The author’s ideas about a caste system in America, comparable to that of India and Nazi Germany, are then woven into the story through her experiences as she comes to write her book. It’s a bold and unique approach, and having premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival to rave reviews, with great notices for lead actress Aunjanue Ellis, most critics seemed to agree that the result is a moving, thought-provoking work of art. There's also a New Zealand link - Stan Walker's song, I AM features on the soundtrack.
The Idea of You
Hollywood is cautiously continuing to pump out more star-powered rom-coms, and after thoroughly enjoying last year’s Anyone But You, I’m willing to take a shot on anything. This one is headlined by Anne Hathaway and helmed by The Big Sick director Michael Showalter, adapting the super successful novel by Robinne Lee. Said to be based on Harry Styles fanfiction, The Idea of You centres on Solène, a recently divorced mum who finds herself courted by the singer of a One Direction-esque boyband when she attends their Coachella set with her teen daughter. The film, which is coming to Amazon Prime Video, recently debuted at the SXSW film festival to great ink, with critics praising Hathaway’s performance as well as the surprising depth given to the characters and story.
Dark Matter
If you know me, I’ve probably told you to read Blake Crouch at some point. His hugely readable sci-fi thrillers were practically made to be adapted, and now one of them is finally (finally!!!) coming to the screen. Dark Matter follows Jason, a physics professor with a wife and son who, after being abducted, awakens to a world in which his family doesn’t exist, and he is a genius scientist who has made a remarkable and terrifying discovery. Apple TV+ has picked up the universe-hopping novel for a series adaptation, with Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in starring roles, and Crouch acting as head writer and showrunner. Nothing guarantees a faithful adaptation like the author taking the reins, so I’m obviously hoping for this to be a roaring success, and for Recursion (my favourite) to quickly follow in its wake.
The Watchers
It’s not very often we get horror adaptations that aren’t Stephen King, and with the genre absolutely booming in print right now, it’s nice to see Hollywood taking more inspiration from fiction. Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan himself (there’s no mistaking that name), is making her feature directorial debut with The Watchers, having already helmed several episodes of her dad’s thriller series Servant. Based on the novel by A. M. Shine, the film will star Dakota Fanning as Mina, a young artist who becomes stranded in an Irish forest, where she finds a bunker and a band of strangers who warn her of terrifying creatures that emerge from the woods at night. This is another book I’ve already read and loved, so I will definitely be perched in the theatre for opening weekend… and yes, there is a twist.
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