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Adaptation Report: April 2016
31 Plays2 days ago
On this episode of BookWatch’s Adaptation Report: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Bridgerton, oh my! On this month’s adaptation report, The BookWatchers discuss upcoming April releases and react to new headlines including the brand new Harry Potter trailer, controversies in The Ton, and the first ever Game Of Thrones film. Are you watching any of the April releases?
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Transcript
Introduction to Book Watch
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, book watchers. On this episode of Book Watches Adaptation Report, we've got Game of Thrones. We've got Harry Potter. We've got Bridgerton. most importantly, we have a little alien named Rocky. All of of that coming up after these messages. I'm Sarah Day.
00:00:16
Speaker
I'm Chris. And I'm Jordan. And we'll see you shortly.
00:00:28
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you are a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
Current Reads and Watches
00:00:53
Speaker
So guys, what are we reading and watching? Or what have we been i'm reading and watching this month? The last few weeks I've been reading ah Remarkably Bright Creatures with an upcoming adaptation. So I've been trying to kind of get through that one so we can see if we can fit it into our and our future coverage.
00:01:11
Speaker
So far, really great. about halfway through. Really touching and definitely something I'm im excited to finish up. I have been finishing up Project Hail Mary and finishing up my...
00:01:25
Speaker
War of Lost Hearts Trilogy. That's the one. We're in book three right now. I've been finishing that up and watching my usual shows that I have on in the background, West Wing, Psych.
00:01:39
Speaker
We saw Project Hail Mary. We're covering that. So that is awesome. Stay tuned. I think that's pretty much it. Nothing nothing too crazy.
Sarah's Personal Updates
00:01:48
Speaker
Fist my bump.
00:01:51
Speaker
I am find out watching nothing that's an adaptation besides Project Hail Mary, of course, but Shrinking and The Pit are on right now, and that's what we're we've been watching. And I'm also rewatching the live action of One Piece, which has been really fun. but We did just finish that as well.
00:02:14
Speaker
So that was yeah that's a real fun one. And you haven't seen the anime yet. No, we started a a few episodes of it, but we haven't gotten very far into it yet. um yeah i just We just announced on ah online, but my wife is pregnant, so she's been falling asleep more easily. It's super exciting about that, but staying awake through shows has been a little bit more of a um of a struggle. So we've started rewatching How I Met Your Mother again just to have something that she can fall asleep in and not fall behind on. Yeah.
00:02:44
Speaker
Yeah. And then for me reading, um it's doesn't have an adaptation, but my book club is doing Wild Dark Shore.
Book Discussion: Wild Dark Shore
00:02:52
Speaker
that has been a wild ride. So if you aren't familiar, go ahead and give that one a try. It's not really apocalyptic, but like the world is dying and they're like saving seeds and they're on this little remote island. Yeah. And this woman washes ashore after a shipwreck. And then there's just mystery after mystery and twist after twist. And I've got 20 minutes left of the book.
00:03:16
Speaker
And like shit is just hitting the fan right now. And I'm like, this is a lot of fun and will be a really great adaptation one day. I think it'll make a good movie. climate fiction. if you like that, there's a book called, by think it's, um, what's your name? Anyway, it's called the spell shop and it's similar premise of a girl washing up on an Island, but it's got a very cute, cozy vibe and a little bit of, You know, the romance in there and stuff as well. That one was really good. And the follow up, the enchanted greenhouse. Check out both of those. Is that the one with the little like vine yeah plant? You got the sentient spider plant. I think it is what he is. Yeah, I am Groot. Yeah.
00:03:54
Speaker
I always imagine Tangella, the Pokemon when I'm reading that book and i haven't finished it. It's. Hard for me to read hard copies because I'm so busy with a four and six year old, but um I do want to finish that one. So that's on my TV.
00:04:11
Speaker
They were good enough that I went and read her other books. I read her. I read her. um Her other trilogy. She has a one about like a forest queen series or something, which queen series stuff. So I would liked it enough. I went and read her other stuff. So.
00:04:27
Speaker
Well, shall we get into our headlines and what's releasing this month?
Upcoming Releases and Adaptations
00:04:31
Speaker
Let's do it. XO Kitty returns April 2nd on Netflix for its third season with Anna Cathcart back as Kitty Songcovy for her senior year at Kiss. And a special appearance from Lana Condor as Lara Jean, her character from the original to All the Boys I've Loved Before, which is adapted from the book series of the same name.
00:04:54
Speaker
The adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Testaments arrives April 8th on Hulu, bringing the dystopian sequel to The Handmaid's Tale's two screens with a compelling cast and expanded world.
00:05:06
Speaker
The Apple TV Plus series based on Rufy Thorpe's novel Margot's Got Money Troubles premieres April 15th, starring Elle Fanning as Margot alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Nicole Kimmon, and Craig Kinnear. And we will be covering that one next month when the Apple series concludes.
00:05:25
Speaker
And finally, Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits adaptation debuts also on April 15th on Prime Video, bringing the beloved multi-generational saga to life with an ensemble cast.
00:05:39
Speaker
Definitely quite a few good things coming out there. um I haven't heard a lot about the Testaments coming. I don't know what the cast looks like on that or anything, but The Handmaid's Tale was pretty popular and has definitely got a good following. So hopefully that does well.
00:05:54
Speaker
I'm excited for Margo's Got Money Troubles. I don't really know much about the story either, but ah the cast looks great there. And so I think that'll be a lot of fun. um Those are the main ones I know anything about. Yeah, I never got into the to All the Boys I've Loved Before craze when it came out. i As per usual, I'm not really into contemporary stuff. So I kind of like, it was like me, not my thing, skipped it. But I've never heard anybody say a bad thing about it. It's one of those things that if you are not into that, you still like it. And if you're really into it, you really love it. And it was a well-received adaptation. So a spinoff makes sense. And yeah, for them to continue with this with spinoff and multiple seasons of a spinoff makes sense.
00:06:40
Speaker
I never read the books, but I did see the movie on Netflix, I believe. um And I think there's more than
Anticipation for Margot's Got Money Troubles and The Testaments
00:06:47
Speaker
one. I think I only watched the first one, and it's cute. um I have also seen the first season of XO Kitty, also very fun and cute. I think I was watching it because – I was going to Korea at the time and I'm like, Oh, let me see, you know, what a little boarding school is like in Korea. So that was really fun. And I would like to get back to it one day, but like I said earlier, I just don't have quite enough time for everything. So much content, so little time, so a little time, um especially because we always cover two books a month. Plus I have book club, plus I have my own personal books that I want to read. So it it's um minimal time for TV watching. Um, the Testaments, I don't know if I'll get into, I kind of fell off of The Handmaid's Tale. It just kind of got like too much. Plus, I believe the first season was everything that she had written for The Handmaid's Tale. So it kind of went off on its own. Um,
Project Hail Mary Adaptation Success
00:07:42
Speaker
and I haven't heard anything about The House of Spirits, but I am excited to cover Margot's Got Money Problem. So yeah, a lot coming out this month to keep you
00:07:53
Speaker
occupied if you're like us and like to read and watch yeah and if any listeners have any strong feelings on any of these other adaptations that we're not planning on covering hit us up let us know and we will make the effort to cover them for you absolutely always write in all right we'll move on to our updates now and we will start with Something that's not upcoming, but something that has already. um It's in theaters now, and we are going to be recording an episode. By the time this comes out, you will probably have heard our first episode. But adapted from Andy Weir's bestselling book, Project Hail Mary, has performed exceptionally well in theaters, grossing over $164 million domestically and more than $300 million worldwide as of late March 2026, by the time of this recording.
00:08:47
Speaker
This signals strong audience interest in the page-to-screen sci-fi event, and we are here to talk about it.
New Adaptations and Series Renewals
00:08:55
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think it was, we'll we'll definitely be covering it in our um episode fully, but I just saw it yesterday and I finished the book a few weeks ago. Super fun and ah and heartwarming and E.T.' 's back. I mean, it's it's it's definitely got ah got that feel to it of the you know the like um like call the friendly alien interactions and the working together to save the world. So tune in for our episode. Check that out.
00:09:24
Speaker
Amaze, amaze, amaze. um I wasn't expecting to love Project Hail Mary. it was not like ever on my radar. Like sci-fi is not my thing. I have never been a math or science person. I am not a woman in STEM by any stretch of the imagination. So I was like, and it took me a second. I was telling these guys, it took me a second to get into the book, like in the audio book, listening to it. was like, it's just not doing it for me. But by the time I finished the book and saw the movie, I was like, oh, this is my whole personality now. Like my whole Instagram algorithm is full of Project Hail Mary stuff. I am obsessed with Rocky. I love the story. So the fact that it's appealing to a wider audience besides just like your typical sci-fi fans um is really a testament to the writing of Andy Weir and to Gosling. I saw it.
00:10:16
Speaker
TikTok or something that Ryan Gosling has been really spearheading this project from day one and like he's really pushed for it to be made and producing it and then obviously starring in it so shout out to Ryan Gosling as well for putting in all the work behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera yeah this is like six-year passion project for him yeah and it's so stunning you can tell yeah you can definitely tell how much love went into this film I did see another headline that Andy Weir is discussing the possibility of ah doing a sequel to it as well. So that's ah not confirmed at all, but he is interested in the idea of it. Jordan, if you did like this one and as much as you did, you may like his Artemis book because it's actually a fantasy book that he wrote. So it might fit your ah your his reading style or his writing style, but your more your ah normal thing. So we might want to check that out. Even though it's not adapted, it might be fun to check out.
00:11:11
Speaker
Put it at the top of that TBR pile. Yes. Two out of three of his books have been adapted so far. So I wouldn't be surprised if Artemis doesn't get an adaptation also. The book is also read by Rosario Dawson on the audiobook. So
Bridgerton: Future Seasons and Spinoffs
00:11:25
Speaker
i'm I'm excited for that part too.
00:11:27
Speaker
Yes. I think I started it and I don't remember why I didn't finish it, but I do have that one. So once it gets adapted, we can cover it. There we go. kick yeah Okay, Netflix has officially renewed The Night Agent for season four with the hit political thriller continuing its run after strong viewership. The series, based on Matthew Cork's best-selling novel, will will move forward as the adaptation expands beyond its original source material. Production is expected to continue in LA as the show builds on its established success.
00:11:59
Speaker
I've seen it on Netflix being advertised. I just have not given this one a go. What's the star of that one? Oh, what's his name?
00:12:11
Speaker
For some reason, I was thinking it was that was the Tom Hiddleston one, but that's night the Night Manager. It stars Gabriel Basso, known for Super 8 and a House of Dynamite. um Like I said, I haven't really been interested in it because I've done the John Krasinski whatever that one was called. And so, you know, also like 007, like all that kind of like secret agent stuff.
00:12:37
Speaker
It has to really be compelling for me to want to watch it because I'd much rather do sci-fi or fantasy or like rom-com. so I'm just waiting for more Reacher. Or yeah, like like there's so much of that going on right now. And that's just not really like you always say, Jordan, about the sci-fi like you don't want or like the real world stuff. yeah um I don't really want to go that route unless it's like a fun, sweet little beach read rom-com type thing. So that's not on my radar. But if you're into that one, read the books, check out the show. I hear really good things about it.
00:13:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, the fact that it's gotten four seasons in this day and age of things getting canceled after one or two seasons is a testament to the quality. I also have not seen it, but, you know, I'm into political things. So maybe, ah you know, now that it's gotten four seasons and I know that I have enough content to like make it worth getting invested in, maybe I'll check it out.
00:13:33
Speaker
Daisy Edgar-Jones is set to star as Sadie Green in the Paramount Pictures adaptation of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow with Oscar-winning director Cyan Hedder, who directed Coda, attached to write and direct. Edgar-Jones is the first confirmed cast member, and the film is still in early stages with additional casting and a release date yet to be announced.
00:13:56
Speaker
So Coda was the one that was the deaf family and he had a really interesting story based on the um accessibility side there and ah was, I haven't watched it, but it was really, I suppose it really good. So, and won some rewards. So that, think that's what he got his Oscar for. So um I don't know the book tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow yet. I'm it's on my TBR for at some point, but yeah,
00:14:19
Speaker
ah It's been being talked about for a long time. So I'm definitely interested just interested to see how um how that comes along and how it looks when ah we get a trailer eventually. yeah I did read this for book club and i for me, it was a slow start, but it was really interesting. um it is a little contemporary, Jordan, if you haven't read it yet, but it's a really interesting premise.
00:14:43
Speaker
Yeah, I haven't read it I'm not familiar. But Daisy Edgar Jones, I know, is on the rise as an actress. So I think having a Oscar award winning director and a rising actress together in the same picture, and then especially you doing an adaptation, there's always some element of the built in fan base from the people who have read the book. So I think that's a recipe for success. So hopefully it does well.
00:15:07
Speaker
Yeah, I think she's a great um star to be Sadie. And I'm excited to see who else we cast because there's you know another key player in this story. So I'm staying tuned to see who that's going to be.
00:15:20
Speaker
Lionsgate has cast Kirsten Dunst alongside Sidney Sweeney in the follow-up to the 2025 thriller The Housemaid, continuing the adaptation of Frieda McVeighden's best-selling psychological thriller series. The film reunites director Paul Feig and screenwriter Rebecca Shannenshine as production moves forward on the second book's big-screen adaptation. Can't believe we're still talking about the bloody housemaid. um There was talks very early on when the movie came out about there being a sequel movie made. Now we've got confirmation that the movie is coming and with Kirsten Dunst coming in to star with Sydney Sweeney. Like that's a big.
00:15:57
Speaker
Hollywood name to come into this like not that um Amanda Seyford wasn't but just and to get another huge name into this franchise unfortunately i think we're gonna end up covering the next one but i've I've gone on the record I've said like the concept of this black widow housemaid coming in and freeing women from their abusive husbands kind of into that conceptually i don't know how much I'll be able to stomach freedom McFadden's subpar writing but plot wise it is interesting and with a strong cast with of Kirsten Dunst and whoever the evil dude is gonna be you know
00:16:38
Speaker
e oh yeah I'll probably end up seeing we like the movie better than the book um so I'll probably at least see the movie even if we don't end up covering it and I don't have to read the book I might still see the movie just for funsies maybe we could spark notes the book yeah I'd be willing to spark notes the book and watch the movie Maybe she'll play her Mary Jane character and we'll get Tobey Maguire as the evil husband as Peter Parker.
00:17:01
Speaker
How dare you? It gets the third, the fourth movie in that series too. um I've actually seen a couple of things recently where Kristen Dunst has been cast in new things. i don't know if we got any of the other ones here, but I saw another headline recently that I forgot to pass over. may, maybe it wasn't a adaptation, but she's must be looked on the market again for more, more and more stuff. So that's interesting to see.
00:17:26
Speaker
The upcoming season of Netflix's Bridgerton will center on Francesca Bridgerton, played by Hannah Dodd, and Michaela Sterling, played by Masali Badoza, as the romantic leads, with production underway in the yeah UK as the series continues adapting Julia Quinn's novels. Shonda Rhimes has also teased a potential spinoff focused on Lady Violet Bridgerton, played by Ruth Gemmel, signaling further expansion of the Bridgerton universe beyond the main series.
00:17:53
Speaker
I think all this makes a ton of sense to do a spinoff. Bridgerton is incredibly popular. People who have read the books you know generally have mixed feelings but are positive towards the show. People who have never read the books generally really love the show. um So a spinoff makes sense. i Again, i love Violet Bridgerton. She's probably my favorite character in the series. I love... the relationship between her and Lady Danbury and even her interactions with Queen Charlotte. like I love seeing these you know friendships between older women and the power of a mother and a matriarch of of a big family. So to give her more screen time and explore her story, even going back in time when she was young and the original love story that created all of these Bridgerton stories that we're getting to see now, i I'm very much in favor of. So I'd love to see those. As for season five of the show starring Francesca, i have seen a lot of discourse online about this. yeah um A lot of people are upset because they feel like Francesca took over season three and she took over season four a little bit. So it's like, do we really need another full season of Francesca? Which I think is valid because, you know, I wanted more Penelope and Colin in season three and I wanted more Benedict and Sophie in season four. And then there's obviously the
00:19:15
Speaker
Discourse around the gender bending of the character Michael from the book becoming Michaela and what that means for queer representation, um that being a positive. But then the negative being that there's no longer the focus on, you know, the one in five pregnancies that, you know, end in miscarriage, which Francesca struggles with and the struggle of infertility, which is so prevalent amongst so many women like that, no longer being able to be a story that gets told. um So there's a lot of controversy around this season. We, of course, will watch it. I love the show enough to watch it. I don't I haven't read the book, so I don't I'm not coming into it, you know, having super strong feelings one way or another. but I think, you know, the showrunners, they have to be aware of this discourse. And so I think they need to tread really, really carefully to not um ostracize one side or another of their audience.
00:20:09
Speaker
I actually asked our resident Bridgerton guest host, Megan, if she had any thoughts on this. And I am going to read that to you guys now because I feel like it not balances out, but it piggybacks off of what you just talked about, Jordan. She said that she really liked how they showed us the whole backstory of Francesca because it was only a little bit in the book. So I think that's why we got more of her story in seasons three and four.
00:20:33
Speaker
And then Megan continues, I like that they are clearly alluding to autism and normalizing it. I am hesitant about her and Michaela's relationship, though, because I don't think the show did a good job of making the audience like her character.
00:20:46
Speaker
I agree about how she came in so abrasively, Michaela. I mean, she was just barely hinted at in season three. And then she was very abrasive character in season four. i don't think they spent enough time with the switch from being antagonistic to being friends. yeah And then she disappears again. So it will be interesting to see what fans think of like show only fans that don't know that Michaela was actually Michael in the books. Yeah. And again, how are they going to change that story of her struggling with wanting a family when, you know, that was her thing falling in love with Michael and, you know, instead of her previous husband. And so there's just a lot that they're going to have to work on. I think that they're going to do it well. I do really like the show Bridgerton. I think that season four knocked it out of the park.
00:21:38
Speaker
Queen Charlotte knocked it out of the park. And I like my faith is restored in this show. So we will see. I don't know. Either way, Hannah Dodds has got my heart, so I'll watch her do whatever on that show. So um I'm excited for that.
00:21:52
Speaker
vi Violet, too. she's've ah She's one of my favorite characters as well. So I'll watch her spin off. Yeah. So I think that it's going to be i think they're going to pull it off, whatever they do here. I'd love to see a moment between the young actress playing Queen Charlotte and the young actress playing Violet Bridgerton if we go back that far because Queen Charlotte does have an affinity towards the Bridgertons and I would like to know why. Like what was the history there and why does she like the Bridgertons so much?
00:22:19
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
A Night of the Seven Kingdoms: Season 2 Excitement
00:22:22
Speaker
All right. Netflix's A Night of the Seven Kingdoms has added Lucy Boynton, Babau Kise, and Peter Mullen to its season two cast as the HBO fantasy prequel continues production. The upcoming season will adapt George R.R. Martin's The Sworn Sword from his Tales of Duncan Egg novellas, expanding the adventures of Sir Duncan Dunk and his squire Egg following the success of season one. Season two is currently filming and expected to debut 2027.
00:22:53
Speaker
I am not surprised that this is getting a second season. the first season was very fun. It's very short episodes. It was a short season. I think it was maybe six episodes, maybe eight, but they are novellas. So it made sense for it to be such short little episodes, which is interesting for, you know, something big like Game Thrones. We already have the other prequel.
00:23:17
Speaker
House of the Dragon, which is bigger, longer episodes. But I'm excited. These characters really won my heart over both Dunk and Egg. And it does make me want to read the novels. I have tried to read A Song of Ice and Fire, but it's tough to get into. I've tried to listen to it.
00:23:35
Speaker
i just, you know, it's a lot. And then we have the whole season eight of it all. So this might get me back into reading this world, going to these novellas because they are novellas and it's such a cute little story. We'll see if I can get to it.
00:23:51
Speaker
We got to work our way through Mistborn first. We're ready for that. Right. Yeah, I have not seen this show yet. I want to. I've seen all the rest of the Game of Thrones productions. So um I definitely this is on my list for sure. I've heard nothing but the best feedback about it. I'm mostly excited to hear how quick of a turnaround we're getting between season one and season two. because HBO with House of the Dragon especially is notorious for taking a really, really freaking long time in between seasons. So the fact that we're getting season one here in early 2026, even if it's late 2027 for season two release, the fact that it's back to back years, I'm stoked about it because I'm sick of waiting two years between seasons of 10 episode shows when back in the day they were cranking out 20 episode seasons every calendar year. um So you can always make the argument that, you know, this is a fantasy show with the CGI that you need and it's a higher quality of production, all of these things, true and real and valid, but also it's ridiculous at this point, like let's let's go. So I'm excited for a quick turnaround.
00:25:03
Speaker
Would we be happy with a lower quality of CGI and stuff like that if the show came out more often for a lot of things? Would that be something you'd give that trade off for? Yeah.
00:25:14
Speaker
I think so too. i agree. i mean, we grew up with shitty CGI, so it's not like it's going to take us out of it. Well, like but like Chronicles of Narnia, for example, the CGI of Aslan is incredible. Pirates of the Caribbean, the way they did Davy Jones, is incredible. it's It was groundbreaking stuff. We we did. But that is a movie. We were able do it. Yes. there That's true. There's always that you know movie versus show. But like we we have the technology for good CGI.
00:25:42
Speaker
And, you know, we just we need to get more artists doing it and so sharing the workload so they're not overworked. We need to pay them more and respect that craft. Like there's a lot of issues that we can get into, you know, another time and place about all that. But, you know, yeah, because half the time the CGI sucks anyways. So might as well make that sacrifice so we can at least get the content faster. Because if the biggest complaint is that the CGI is not good, I'll take it.
00:26:09
Speaker
Yeah, that's right.
Harry Potter Series: Excitement and Concerns
00:26:11
Speaker
Alice Osmonds has shared an update on Heartstopper Forever, the feature-length finale to Netflix's Heartstopper, confirming the film won't be released before the final graphic novel is published. The movie, based on Volume 6 and starring Kit Conner and Joe Locke, has wrapped production and is now in post-production ahead of its expected 2026 debut.
00:26:31
Speaker
I have not read or seen any of the Heartstopper stuff, but of course that is where Joe Locke you know rose to fame before his introduction into the MCU. Yeah. And i would like to check it out one day just because I do like Joe Locke and would like to support his career. And I do think that Heartstopper kind of walked so that Heated Rivalry could run. and I haven't seen or read that either. But it is nice to see that kind of representation starting to become more mainstream.
00:27:02
Speaker
I definitely agree. I haven't seen it or known about it other than, yeah, that that one ah connection with ah Joe Locke's character in Agatha Long and the MCU. So i'm I'm definitely open to it. At some point I may read and or watch it.
00:27:18
Speaker
HBO has released the first trailer for its Harry Potter TV series, giving fans a first look at the new cast and a reimagined journey into Hogwarts. The teaser highlights key moments from the story as anticipation builds ahead of the series Christmas 2026 premiere. First of all, I am so surprised this is going to be a 2026 release. I thought for sure it was going to be 2027 when they started production mid 2025.
00:27:47
Speaker
So yay, Merry Christmas Harry Potter fans. um There is going to be a lot of controversy around J.K. Rowling and around Papa Esaidu. We got his first look. There's been a lot of discourse about it. We didn't really get to see any lines. It was a quick little shot of him. And then we also received a still. I think he looks fine.
00:28:10
Speaker
But the acting is really going to be what wins us over. And then how they handle certain aspects of James Potter's story in later books is obviously going to have to be thought thoroughly through. But if you haven't seen our reel on Instagram of our reactions, you will know that both Jordan and cried throughout the entire trailer. And Chris was just very stoic. But we're all very excited. I didn't know that i was supposed to cry. Next time you listeners, i i will make sure I cry my eyes out for of these trailers.
00:28:50
Speaker
But I think I speak for Jordan and I both where like we grew up with Harry Potter. It does mean a lot to us. And to see this – and a lot of people are calling it the Timu version, which I disagree with. Like I actually think it looks so good. We're going so much more of the story than we did from the films. And as like as much as the films were amazing and we grew up on those, there's just more TV show can do with the material. And already we're including a lot more than the films.
00:29:19
Speaker
did. And I think the trailer did a really good job showing us that we are including a lot of the stuff that the films left out. I'm a little concerned that they're going to show us all the stuff they change in the trailers and we're going to not have any like, you know, actual much joy in the show because it's just all going to be shown ahead of time like they tend to do with that sort of thing. They're listen to listed all the things that, oh, they wanted this and this. Let's show them that. And then the surprise will be gone. The wonder will be gone a little bit. But who knows? I'm excited to see it. I'm a little bit reserved. I'm just kind of waiting to see what happens here. There's all the HBO of it all. There's the, you know, there's there's definitely some challenges ahead for it. And, you know December is the release date right now. But we've seen from other things that can easily get pushed back. So um i'm I'm hopeful. I think it'll be really good if it when it comes out. It looks really good. But I've definitely been. I'm trying to gauge my, you know, to temper my reaction a little bit before I you know jump all in here.
00:30:15
Speaker
I think the trailer, um like like we said, I cried a lot. um yeah I think it did what it was supposed to do as far as like giving that feeling of. nostalgia and like putting you back in that magical world and like bringing back all the feelings that you have. like I was reading Harry Potter when I was literally seven years old. I was in first grade reading The Sorcerer's Stone. like My first book report was Harry Potter. um So half of my tattoos are Harry Potter. like I love Harry Potter. It's very important to me and my family.
00:30:46
Speaker
Jumping into like the controversies, i tend to be a person who i separate art from the artist because if I stopped watching or reading things because I disagreed with the creator about whatever topic, there's not a lot left that I can read and watch. um And I think that goes for a lot of people wherever you are in the political spectrum. And I think it was Andrew Garfield who did an interview talking about Harry Potter recently, and he made the great point where Yes, obviously, you know, J.K. Rowling, if you disagree with her, you hate her, you think she's the worst. Yeah, she's going to benefit from the show being made.
00:31:23
Speaker
But so are all of the actors and the crew members and everybody else who helps create this show who maybe disagrees with her. Those people are benefiting from it, too. and So I think it's important. Harry Potter is fundamentally, I think, about hope. and about love and about friendship and going to cry again. And so I think like focusing on the fact that Harry Potter brings people together, it should be the focus and it should be about bringing people together and everybody joining hands and saying this is a really powerful, magical story that is good for kids, for parents, for anybody to watch and have that feeling of togetherness as you experience it. And I think we should focus on that more than the controversy of the author who is like not super involved in, in this production. And then as for Papa Sidhu being Snape, like you said, Saraday, it, it changes the dynamic between him and James, you know, especially with what we see in later books with James, like hanging him up from a tree and like pulling his pants down. And then I saw a black creator. I think ah she was, it was a Tik TOK or maybe on Instagram. talking about how when Snape is described as like having dirty, greasy hair, and then you give a black actor dreadlocks, like that has a lot of, you know, there's a lot of issues
Casting Choices and Audience Reactions
00:32:48
Speaker
there. Far be it for me to talk about black hair. I am not black, nor do I have black hair, but like black creators are bringing up these thoughts of like, you know,
00:32:56
Speaker
if you talk about a character having dirty, greasy hair, and then there's that so there has been historically that association of dreadlocks being dirty and like not clean, and then you put those that hairstyle on a black actor in this role, there's that's you know there's a lot going on there. um I think you're right, Saradae, ultimately it's going to come down to the acting.
00:33:17
Speaker
i think most of the cast, especially the adults, have big shoes to fill. There's a lot of deaths that have happened from the original Harry Potter cast where those these new people have to step in and fill those roles, which is never going to be easy. But i'm the trailer did enough to make me want to give it a chance. um So hopefully it is everything we want it to be giving us all that behind the scenes, giving us those different points of view of different characters and gives us everything that we have been wanting for from this franchise.
00:33:52
Speaker
Now, did we see? I don't think we saw Peeves yet. Where's Peeves? Come on. no was peeves Bring back my boy. He's been cast. Yeah. I do know that he's been cast and I'm really excited about that. And I think there's, you know, as we get into the later books, going be more and more characters. um Back to the Papa Seidu, I think that like they knew what they were doing. Like they knew this was going to be controversial, both the producers and the actor himself. So I, my hope is that they knew this and have worked with the story to assure all of our fears you know and that it's going to be great like if he was the best at being Snape then he was the best but like like we've said there's going to be some things that we're going to have to like be careful with yeah and I want to just one more final note from me on this
00:34:40
Speaker
regardless of what anybody's thoughts or opinions are on his casting as Snape and all of the, you know, issues that may come up down the line, giving death threats to this man is unacceptable, period.
00:34:52
Speaker
Like, he has
Handling Criticism and Support for Actors
00:34:53
Speaker
been very upfront that he has been receiving death threats and people wanting to harm him. Ultimately, ah the like somebody covered in Harry Potter tattoos, at the end of the day, it's simply not that serious.
00:35:04
Speaker
Where we need to be threatening somebody, like it's a TV show at the end of the day where it's not that serious, where we need to be threatening somebody's life for taking on an acting role and anybody who, you know, would threaten his life because he's a black man playing this character.
00:35:20
Speaker
You're not, i I don't think you're a real Harry Potter fan. And I certainly don't want to include you in my community of Harry Potter fans. It's disgusting. It's gross. It's unacceptable. And I just want to fully like come out here and condemn that. And to further that, we need to leave the kids alone too. Like at the yeah end of the day, these are 11 year olds playing the trio. Like we cannot talk about their looks because also um Hermione is a person of color and that's very different from the Hermione in the movies.
00:35:49
Speaker
And A lot of people are still like, we don't even need this. Like, we have the movies. Why do we need that? And there's still there's a lot of, like, tension there also. And so I think Daniel Radcliffe has also come out and said recently, like, don't cap compare us. Like, don't ask them about us. Like, this is a separate thing. It's its own entity. And like you said, like – We just need to accept that. Like, it's not that serious. It's a new HBO. At the end of the day, entertainment is always going to make entertainment. And if they can capitalize on something that's already been done, they're going to do it. Look at the Disney live actions. Look at all the sequels we're getting when we don't really need sequels. Like, that's what makes money. yeah So yeah Harry Potter is such a big name. Of course they're going to do it as a TV show. Like, it just makes sense financially, yeah you know? yeah So leave the actors alone.
00:36:35
Speaker
Yeah, please. Hulu is developing a series adaptation of The Witches of Cambridge based on the upcoming novel by Practical Magic author Alice Hoffman. With Noah Hawley's production company 26 Keys attached, the project has been picked up ahead of the book's release, signaling strong confidence in the story's potential as a new supernatural franchise. franchise The adaptation continues Hollywood's trend of fast-tracking, buzzy books for the
The Witches of Cambridge: Fast-Tracked Adaptation
00:37:02
Speaker
screen. Now, the first time I saw an adaptation and book being announced at the same time was Sunrise on the Reaping, which I was really excited about. Like, I'm like, of course, they're going to have a movie adaptation because the every single book has had one thus far. So it's not surprising that that's becoming more and more common, especially with somebody like Alice Hoffman, which Practical Magic is getting a sequel right now. Supernatural is always like a big...
00:37:28
Speaker
genre that hits kind of like those four quadrants. So this is not surprising that this is getting an adaptation. I look forward to reading this. um The book Practical Magic, ah Chris, I believe it was you and I that covered it.
00:37:42
Speaker
Very different. Very, very different adaptation. But I enjoy, I love the movie. I'm so excited for the sequel. The book was fine. So I'm excited to see what this is all about and get into it.
00:37:57
Speaker
A Game of Thrones movie is officially moving forward at Warner Brothers with Ander writer Bo Willimon set to pen the script. The project is still in early development with no director or cast attached and is expected to expand the world beyond the original HBO series.
00:38:11
Speaker
While the franchise is based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the film is not confirmed to adapt a specific book and will likely tell an original story set within the universe. Star Wars fan here. Andor is stupendous, amazing, incredible. And so to have a writer from Andor penning the script for a Game of Thrones movie,
00:38:31
Speaker
I've heard enough. I'm in, I'm sat. The theater employees are scared because the movie doesn't even have a director yet, but I'm sat. I'm ready for it.
Game of Thrones Movie Announcement
00:38:38
Speaker
Yeah, I'm excited. I have i love Game of Thrones. i really do. Up until that last season, it was so good. And it was one of those like cultural touchstones that everybody is, or at least it felt like everybody was watching it every week. You knew what was going on.
00:38:51
Speaker
Even if you didn't watch it while it was coming out, you knew what it was. um And so obviously, like you said, you know, with Harry Potter, it makes sense to keep milking that cow as long as you can and getting as much money out of the franchise as you possibly can. i don't know. We don't have any idea when it's going to take place in universe. um I think ah either a prequel makes more sense somewhere between House of the Dragon, knight ah Night of the Seven Kingdoms, and the first season of Game of Thrones, or i would love to see 100 years after the end of season eight, where are we at now? Once all of the characters we knew during the main show are gone, what is the aftermath of those interesting writing decisions from season eight? That's what I would like to see personally, but i trust an Andor writer to do whatever he wants and it'll be good. So there's that.
00:39:46
Speaker
It does kind of feel like they're using the name as a way to promote this coming up because he could have just said, I'm going to write a high fantasy um original story, but he's writing it in this universe because it's got a name that you can you know get the movie made
Netflix's This Summer Will Be Different Adaptation
00:40:03
Speaker
from possibly. But whereas something totally new wouldn't get made probably right away. um But I think you know i'm I'm interested in what this might mean. I mean, two hour movie or two and a half hour movie is a lot easier to watch than ah you know a 10 to 15 hour TV show. So for me who struggled through game of Thrones and didn't really care for it, I might be more interested in a Game of Thrones movie.
00:40:26
Speaker
Netflix has greenlit a 10-episode adaptation of Carly Fortune's hit romance novel, This Summer Will Be Different, following Lucy's sun-soaked journey through love and self-discovery across multiple summers. Fortune is executive producing the Canadian production, which will film on Prince Edward Island and in Toronto.
00:40:46
Speaker
I haven't heard anything about this, but it seems like a really sweet story. um I want to look up this book. um i I don't know if multiple summers means dual timeline or just like time skips, but I like both of those tropes. So this is definitely something that I think I will look into.
00:41:05
Speaker
It's giving very much people we meet on vacation. um Yeah. self-discovery and multiple summers and love. like o z by you know It feels a little plagiaristic just based on this headline alone.
00:41:21
Speaker
I don't know. I haven't read it I have no idea. i could that could be That could be fake news. I'm so sorry. That's true. Summer is not a trademarkable thing. ah Everybody has summers.
00:41:33
Speaker
Yeah. So I don't know anything about it. If it's cute, I'll watch it. vacation. If it's not, whatever. Beaches. After ending his run on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert is co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie titled The Lord of the Rings Shadow of the Past alongside his son, Peter McGee.
Stephen Colbert and Lord of the Rings Movie
00:41:51
Speaker
and longtime franchise writer, Philippa Boyens, expanding Middle Earth with a story inspired by chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring.
00:41:59
Speaker
The project was announced with involvement from original trilogy director, Peter Jackson, and as part of Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema's ongoing expansion of the Tolkien film universe. They're finally going to do Tom Bombadil.
00:42:11
Speaker
No, I think this could actually be really good. seems like he has a real respect for the ah the film franchise, and I think that's really important for those films especially. They're such a big universe that has had a lot of micromanaging from the, um, the estate and from some of the involved, those involved, uh, Peter Jackson, all that making it what it is now. And I don't want them, I don't want to see too much changes to what has come before and too much. I want them to expand upon it with actual like good storylines that will give us more to go off of. Cause, um, it is a universe that a lot of people care about. I'm really late to the Lord of the Rings fandom. I just watched them for the first time, like last year.
00:42:55
Speaker
um but they are already very important to me and so I I am not a Colbert fan I'm not very familiar with him and his material and his show and or anything um but what I have seen I'm like um and so ah anybody touching Lord of the Rings I'm hesitant about not just him um So I think if he does something and it doesn't interfere with that original movie trilogy that Peter Jackson did...
00:43:27
Speaker
like Basically, if I can ignore it, then I don't really care. like if you want to write Lord the Rings, go for it. As long as I can ignore it and it doesn't affect anything that happened during those three films that, like you said, Chris, are very, very important to a lot of people, um then like by all means, I love fan fiction, so like go for it. Do whatever you want. But don't I would really just...
00:43:51
Speaker
I know you're listening, Stephen Colbert, to our podcast. So like I would really just caution you to not mess with those movies too much because that's where a lot of the controversy will come from um in the long run.
00:44:02
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. As long as it can kind of just like be an extension, then and it will be fine. um I'm not too familiar with him either. Like I don't watch a lot of kind comedy stand up or otherwise like all the news stuff. But um I mean, it could be interesting. I'll follow the news and see what this is shaping out to be like. um I do love the Lord of the Rings universe, so I will probably watch it no matter what. But yeah. It will also be interesting to see things from the book that were included because they were films and like see some of those stories get to be on the big screen. um But what that's going to look like, I have no idea and time will tell. And this is like a brand new story, so we'll see how it goes.
Closing Remarks and Announcements
00:44:50
Speaker
All right. Well, that's all we have for you listeners for this month's news. and coming up, we have Project Hail Mary. We have The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, i think is also next. So read those books, see those films, and then tune into the podcast. And until next time, bye.
00:45:12
Speaker
Goodbye. That's a wrap for this week's episode of book watch. We hope you enjoy diving into the world of page to screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
00:45:30
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at book, watch podcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
00:45:47
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at jjcorrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at cyborgnight404. That's night with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Bookwatch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups. slash book watch lounge.
00:46:09
Speaker
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash book watch podcast. Tears start at only $4 a month and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation or just want to let us know of any feedback. Send us an email at book watch podcast at gmail.com.
00:46:31
Speaker
Until next time. Keep reading. Keep watching. And we'll see you next week.