Have book adaptations found their new home on streaming services? All signs point to yes. And it makes sense. Movie Theaters are not doing well, people are no longer paying for tickets to see a movie opening night, but they will watch it from their couches.
Over the past few years we have seen countless adaptations, most notably Big Little Lies. The book was released in in the Summer of 2014 and was quickly snatched up by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, “Hello Sunshine” coming to HBO just three years later when it debuted in the Spring of 2017. Released with critical acclaim, earning 8 nominations and wins at the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards, it spawned a sequel and encouraged other production companies to start grabbing the rights of other IP right as it is released.
There have been other success stories like with Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” and “The Witcher” and Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Looking for Alaska” with many others adaptations on streaming services that have launched the careers of up and coming actors and actresses and re-affirmed the careers of very well-known actors, pulling in an already established fan base.
The fact of the matter is, most of these streaming services have the platform to tell these type of stories. They have the model built for binging shows and the trajectory to tell the story in full, without sacrificing important, scenes and characters. And we have seen movies fail more times over - the failed movie adaptations based on the stories and the books that we love that don’t have the timeline to really tell the story: “The Giver”, “Twilight”, “Mortal Instruments” and many more. In movies, you have two hours at most to convince the audience to get to know the character, care about him/her and tell their story. On streaming services, they can tell the story in eight to ten one-hour parts, introducing the characters and their back stories can just be one episode – they are literally built to develop the plot and story over time instead of rushing through the motions to get to the climax.
One way how we have seen this poorly executed in movie format is the classic montage scene. Come on, you guys know what I’m talking about. It’s the scene in the movie where they sprint through days/weeks/months of plotline or relationships to get to the ending.
Here is an example:
All in all this was a terrible movie anyway, but you get it right? I mean the basis of that movie’s plot was about the 10 days of them falling in love and they condensed it down into two minutes and fifty-two seconds. Not saying all books can and should be transformed to the smaller, streaming screens but it most cases it’s a better avenue to tell the story.
So what’s coming down the pipeline in 2020? We have quite a few novel adaptations that are coming to Hulu, Netflix, and other services in the next few months, but I’ll list out my favorites.
Normal People (Hulu)
Based on the novel of the same name, “Normal People” was released in the Summer of 2018 and marked author, Sally Rooney’s, second released behind “Conversations with Friends” in 2017. “Normal People” quickly rose on the charts and sold over 64,000 copies in just the first 4-months of publication. Not even a year after it was released, BBC and Hulu snatched the rights to the book in May 2019 to create a mini-series that would premier first on the BBC Network and then released on the popular streaming service.
The adaptation stars two new actors on the scene, both of Irish descent. “Normal People” follows Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan as they journey from high school onto college and explores how their social class impacts their relationship along the years. Told from a different perspective and in 3-4 month chunks at a time, we watch as Connell and Marianne are constantly pulled back together to be there for each other at vastly different points of their lives.
I have read this and it is one of my most highly anticipated releases.
Starring: Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones
Release Date: Spring 2020
Streaming Site: Hulu
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Grabbed up again by Reese Witherspoon’s Production Company, “Little Fires Everywhere” is set to be released in March 2020. “Little Fires Everywhere” paints a picture of domesticity of two different families, raising their children in suburban Ohio in conflicting different ways. It was released in Fall of 2017 and again was another book that was quickly adapted and set for a release date. The series will star Reese Witherspoon as Elena Richardson, a upper-class house wife that is clingy onto stereotypes and ideals of the time, regardless of who they hurt and Kerry Washington as Mia Warren, an unconventional mother who has just recently moved to town.
The book series takes place in the mid-90s, no word yet on if the television series will make the jump to modern day, but the story focuses on the relationship between Elena (Witherspoon) and Mia (Washington) and how their parenting techniques put them at odds with one another. Striving for perfection at the cost of everything, Elena creates a rift between her and her youngest daughter Izzy, as Izzy begins to find solace in Mia’s company.
Likewise, Mia’s daughter Pearl, begins to become assimilate herself within the Richardson’s family, craving a sense of normalcy that she does not feel with her mother and their lifestyle. As Elena’s sense of purpose in life starts to unravel, she begins poking into Mia’s mysterious past, looking for answers that maybe she should leave un-touched.
“Little Fires Everywhere” explores the class system in suburban life at the expense of others. Definitely looking forward to this adaptation!
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Joshua Jackson
Release Date: March 18, 2020
Streaming Site: Hulu
Daisy Jones and The Six (Amazon Prime)
“Daisy Jones and The Six”, although a fictional novel, is rumored to be about the rise of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac in the 1970s. The novel’s rights were grabbed up by Amazon Prime Video to be released sometime in 2020 or early 2021. The story follows Daisy Jones, a teenager growing up in seedy Los Angeles in the late 1960s, as she begins to discover the underground music scene of the city.
The story follows the rise of “The Six” the band that comes together to form what people are referring to as “Fleetwood Mac” as they rise to fame in the 1970s becoming a global phenomenon. Daisy Jones in the story is rumored to be Stevie Nicks as she finds her way throughout the novel and discovering her voice in the midst of the chaos around her.
Amazon Prime Video has promised the series to have at least 12 episodes and has just started casting the parts but Daisy will be played by Riley Keough. Keough has been acting for years in smaller roles and parts, but she will be in the movie “Zola” (2020) which debuted with critical acclaim at Sundance Festival this year. Other actors that have been included in the series but with no indication on the parts that they will be playing are Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, and Camilla Morrone so far.
No word yet on an official release date, but this will be a large project for Amazon Prime Video and their desire to compete with other, larger, more established streaming sites.
Trailer: TBD
Starring: Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Camilla Morrone
Release Date: TBD
Streaming Site: Amazon Prime Video
Cursed (Netflix)
“Cursed” will be premiering on Netflix in 2020 and will star rising actress, Katherine Langford in the title role. Based on the popular book series, “Cursed” is a re-imagining of an Arthurian Tale told through the eyes of a teenage heroine who ends up befriending Arthur on their quest to find Merlin. Told as a coming-of-age story, “Cursed” is told through the eyes of Nimue (Langford) as she embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny.
Trailer: TBD
Starring: Katherine Langford,
Release Date: 2020
Streaming Site: Netflix
And that’s what is coming soon to your streaming screens, make sure you grab the books and read up before the series are released!
And that’s the sitch.
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