Production Buzz
BEST BETS - BOOKS 2 FILM FOR 2022
Was the book better or the movie? Some of our best films are adaptations of classic books. Then again, some of our worst movies are also adaptations of beloved novels. Adapting a book for the screen can be risky. You have to decide how faithful to stay to the story, what plot points you are going to change and why. There’s a lot to consider, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Below are five upcoming movies that have been adapted from popular novels and short stories that we are looking forward to seeing in 2022.
DEEP WATER
Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck may no longer be an item, but they sure play one in this upcoming erotic, psychological thriller from director Adrian Lyne. The movie, which is based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1957 novel of the same name, follows a married couple who have fallen out of love. To reinvigorate their marriage, they embark upon a series of psychological games with each other that lead to deadly results. Here’s hoping de Armas was treated better on this set than Kim Basinger was on the set of Lyne’s 9½ Weeks. Deep Water is set to come out January 14, 2022.
THE BLACK PHONE
This upcoming supernatural horror film from director Scott Derrickson is based on Joe Hill’s 2004 short story of the same name. Set in the 1970s, it tells the story of a serial killer targeting children. When Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) is abducted, he discovers a disconnected phone that transmits the voices of the previous victims. Ethan Hawke stars as a character credited as “The Grabber,” so do with that information what you will. The Black Phone is scheduled to be theatrically released on February 4, 2022.
THE NIGHTINGALE
Real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning are set to star as sisters in this adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. Directed by Mélanie Laurent, the story follows two sisters living in France whose lives are torn apart by the German invasion during World War II. This movie adaptation was first announced a couple years ago, but production was pushed back due to the pandemic. A new release date has not been announced, but Netflix and The Walt Disney Company signed a deal with Sony for the film’s streaming rights.
CAT PERSON
Kristen Roupenian’s short story for The New Yorker garnered loads of attention when it came out in 2017, so of course it’s getting the movie treatment. The story follows the brief courtship between 20-year-old college student Margot (Emilia Jones) and 30-something-year-old Robert (Nicholas Braun), who frequents the movie theater at which she works. The short story ignited a public discourse about older men preying on young women, and this film is sure to do the same. This film is currently in production, so no release date has yet been announced.
THE STARS AT NOON
Joe Alwyn and Margaret Qualley are set to star in this adaptation of Denis Johnson’s 1987 novel of the same name. The film, which is being directed by Claire Denis, follows a mysterious English businessman and an American journalist who embark on a romance and become enmeshed in a vast conspiracy in 1980s Nicaragua. Robert Pattinson was initially supposed to play the male lead, but had to drop out due to schedule conflicts. No release date has been set, but the film will be distributed by A24.
