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Over the past few days, there have been a lot of book adaptation news on my desk. Let’s stock some more interesting projects and see where they are, why they are exciting, and/or what to wonder about them.
Christopher Nolan’s first poster Odyssey
What is it:
Nolan’s star-studded, bank-destructed, epic-looking adaptation Odyssey I’ll come next year.
Where are we doing it:
Apparently, a face-to-face trailer appeared at the location where I rode the Tiktok and it seemed to have come down immediately. Then came this poster. This is obviously cool.
How confident are we that this will be a good thing:
You’re probably confident about something like this. That certainly sounds like a look. Damon is the sturdy foundation for all kinds of movies. The rest of the cast is as close to the Hollywood pantheon as you’ll find. Real People Greek gods hardly work for me, so that’s a concern, but you couldn’t beat me to the mast.
Edgar Wright’s first trailer running man
What is it:
The second crack adapted to Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name.
Where we are with it:
It’s time. This first full, enthusiastic trailer has earned quite a bit of talk. And with the Prime release date in November, this has juice.
How confident are we that this will be a good thing:
Look, we know that this concept works: someone who is trying to escape when someone is killed/captured. Hunger games. Squid game. The fugitive. Director Edgar Wright is a victor who shows he can combine action, comedy and not a bit of pity, but action and comedy. Powell is hot white right now. And Coleman Domingo and Josh Brolin can’t find enough screens to eat with this. I have zero relationships with either the source material (standing strangely set in 2025) or the first film, but I’m ready for this film.
Jennifer Aniston stars I’m glad your mother passed away series
What is it:
Aniston signed on to play Janet McCurdy’s mom on the Apple TV+ series, based on McCurdy’s runaway bestseller memoir. I’m happy that my mother has passed away. It is the story of a Nickelodeon showbiz mother and daughter who created it.
Where we are with it:
It was inevitable that we would get an adaptation here, and I can only imagine that many people line up in the role of Mom’s plum. Aniston and Apple had something good (or at least long term) Morning News. Therefore, there is the power of the stars and cash to raise this thing.
How confident is it to improve:
McCurdy will co-write and executive produce with Ari Katcher, whose previous projects are not well known. Neither of them have AAA credits on TV, so that’s a wild card. The show is going to hinge on Aniston. She must be bad, nuts, sympathetic, magnetic. As McCurdy’s voice made the memoir an exception, it would be important to find a way to make it in the show. This will become the most challenging role of Aniston’s career. High risk and high reward.
Jac Shaeffer is rumoured to have shown off his fourth wing adaptation on Amazon
What is it:
Speaking of high-risk, high-rewards, Amazon is developing its fourth Wing series. They are already burning through one writer/producer.
Where we are with it:
I’m still looking for a showrunner. The idea that Schafer might be the one who brings this to your TV is quite encouraging. Wandavision It was amazing. Strange and original, with a big set of pieces and a rather wild conceit. These are adjectives that will be useful to those who participate in the Empyrean series.
How confident is it to improve:
All we really have at this point is Yarros’ books and Amazon cash. I don’t think we can have a lot of confidence as we read our first book and saw a big, expensive Amazon project that didn’t work at all. The attention will be huge. I’m in the mind that a really good showrunner can enhance the source material (though I still don’t know what they’re going to do about the sex scene). I think we’ve been away for years since thinking about what this would look like.
That day’s deal
A very good lineup of very, very small priced e-books ahead of the weekend on a holiday. Single out Creative Lake By Rachel Kushner, one of the best books of 2024, me and many others (Amazon, The New York Times, etc.). Kushner is a national book award finalist and the book was nominated for the Booker Prize. An interesting and complicated story about beliefs, drifting and a bit of spycraft. For sale for $2.99 (check out the e-book retailer you want).
