“You ought to be in pictures.” That’s our theme for this special edition of The Pulse, featuring books that have gone beyond the pages and turned into TV or Big Screen adaptations.
We Cannot Tell a Lie:
E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, a haunting 2014 psychological thriller that’s centered on family, love, secrets, and lies, is headed to the small screen, according to Variety. The Prime Video series will be written with Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) and Carina Adly MacKenzie (Roswell, New Mexico). Plec, MacKenzie, and Lockhart are among the series’ executive producers.
More Lies:
Sarah Underwood’s Lies We Sing to the Sea, a magical coming-of-age drama set in Ancient Greece and inspired by the myth of Penelope’s hanged maids, is headed to the big screen, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Ripley Parker, the writer and executive producer of Everything Now, is penning the adaptation.
No Lie — These Titles Are Ripe for More:
Check out BookTrib’s books-to-screen section for some great reading and great ideas for books that could become the next TV or film vehicle.
“Brokeback Mountain” Heads to the Stage:
Annie Proulx’s short story “Brokeback Mountain” is headed to the London stage. The story of two lonesome cowboys who fall in love in the big, wide open spaces of Wyoming was adapted for film in 2004, and was a commercial and critical hit in 2004, winning three Academy Awards, which starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. The production is set to premiere on May 10 and run for three months.
Casting Call:
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl) will star in a new series adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 psychological thriller, The Day of the Jackal. Redmayne has been cast as the Jackal, a professional assassin who is contracted to kill French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962.
Big News for “Small Things” Fans:
Cillian Murphy has been cast in the feature adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novel Small Things Like These. Murphy will also produce the film that’s been greenlit by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, which will finance the project. Small Things Like These takes place over Christmas in 1985, when a devoted father discovers the startling secrets being kept by the convent in his town, and some shocking truths about his own life as well.
Here Comes the Judge:
The Audio Publishers Association says Whoopi Goldberg will be a guest judge for this year’s Audie Awards. The Audies revealed its shortlists last month, with finalists including Viola Davis, Paul Simon, Malcolm Gladwell, Molly Shannon, and Billy Porter.
Thrills and Chills:
This month in Jon Land’s The Thrill List, readers get to experience daring prison escapes, killer blizzards and historic mob tales that is sure to keep them glued to their seats!
An Ode to Greek Mythology’s Most Hated Woman:
Costanza Casati contributes a mesmerizing addition to the book world with her debut novel, Clytemnestra, which recounts a breathtaking story of love and vengeance through the eyes of ancient Greece’s most notorious heroine.
Biracial Army Brat’s Story to Become Memoir:
Musician and comedian Reggie Watts, known as the bandleader for The Late Late Show with James Corden, will publish Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again with Tiny Reparations Books this fall, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Ntozake Shange’s Lives on in Upcoming Collection:
A collection of previously unpublished writing by the late author Ntozake Shange is coming this summer, titled Sing a Black Girl’s Song: The Unpublished Work of Ntozake Shange, Legacy Lit announced in a news release. Shange is known for her 1976 play, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Sing a Black Girl’s Song is slated for publication on Sept. 12.
Hair-Raising, Dark and Gripping:
With no memory of their trip, one couple fights to grasp reality in The Sundial Inn by Stephen John Ross. This haunting novel is a multifaceted descent into the supernatural that is not for the faint of heart.
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