Watch for Kirkus’ upcoming columns on Forever, a Netflix series based on Judy Blume’s classic 1975 YA novel (premiering on May 8), and Fear Street: Prom Queen, a Netflix movie version of the 1992 YA horror novel by R.L. Stine (premiering on May 23). Meanwhile, here are four other book-to-screen adaptations coming in May:
May 2: Bonjour Tristesse (theatrical film premiere)
Françoise Sagan’s dark 1954 novel, about a teenage girl scheming against her father’s fiancée during a vacation in the French Riviera, was adapted once before as a well-regarded 1958 film, directed by Otto Preminger and starring David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and Jean Seberg. This new take on Sagan’s intriguing story, helmed by first-time director Durga Chew-Bose, features Claes Bang (Dracula) as Raymond, the devil-may-care father; the always reliable Chloë Sevigny as Anne, the new fiancée; and the talented Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines) as Cécile, the conniving daughter.
May 4: Miss Austen (limited series premiere, PBS)
The title of Gill Hornby’s 2020 historical novel refers not only to famed novelist Jane, who died in 1817, but also to Jane’s elder sister, Cassandra, who’s known for having destroyed a large portion of her late sister’s letters in the 1840s. This four-episode limited series, airing in the United States as part of PBS’ Masterpiece, stars the excellent Keeley Hawes (Tipping the Velvet) as Cassandra and explores the sisters’ relationship along with the reasons behind Cassandra’s later actions. It also stars Jamestown’s Patsy Ferran as Jane, and the great Jessica Hynes (Spaced) as the siblings’ sister-in-law, Mary Austen.
May 9: Clown in a Cornfield (theatrical film premiere)
A great many people find something inherently unsettling about clowns, inspiring countless horror novels and films—from Stephen King’s 1986 bestseller, It (and its multiple adaptations), to the grotesquely violent Terrifier movies. This new film, based on the 2020 YA horror series-starter by Adam Cesare, offers a new take on the coulrophobic subgenre; here a group of teens in tiny Kettle Springs, Missouri, find themselves pursued by multiple murderers who look like Frendo, the town’s creepy clown mascot. The movie was co-written and directed by the talented Eli Craig, who helmed the entertaining 2010 horror-comedy film Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
May 29: The Better Sister (limited series premiere, Prime Video)
In Alafair’s Burke’s bestselling 2019 thriller, magazine editor Chloe Taylor has an unusually complicated domestic situation: She married her estranged, troubled sister Nicky’s ex-husband, Adam Macintosh, and has been raising her nephew, Ethan, as her son. When Adam is found murdered, Ethan is arrested for the crime; as a result, Nicky returns to town, and the siblings reluctantly form a partnership to save Ethan. Our reviewer called the novel “a gimmick-free murder mystery with a two-stage surprise ending and uncommonly few credibility-straining plot elements,” and this eight-episode limited series, which stars Jessica Biel as Chloe and Elizabeth Banks as Nicky, promises just as many twists and turns. The fine cast also includes Corey Stoll (Billions) as Adam and Kim Dickens (Gone Girl) as a police detective determined to uncover the truth.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
