As Thanksgiving approaches, readers can look forward to a banquet of new book-to-screen adaptations in November. Be on the lookout for Kirkus’ in-depth columns on Small Things Like These, a theatrical film based on the Kirkus-starred novel by Claire Keegan, premiering Nov. 8, and Interior Chinatown, a Hulu streaming series based on the National Book Award–winning novel by Charles Yu, premiering Nov. 19. In the meantime, here are four more book-to-screen adaptations to chew on:

Nov. 14: Cross (series premiere, Prime Video)

James Patterson has written or co-written no less than 32 novels and two novellas starring Alex Cross, a detective and forensic psychologist with Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. The first installment, Along Came a Spider (1993), was the basis of a 2001 film starring Morgan Freeman, who also played Cross in an adaptation of Kiss the Girls (1995). Tyler Perry took over the role in the 2012 film Alex Cross, based on Cross (2006). Now Aldis Hodge, best known for his role as hacker Alec Hardison on the popular TNT heist series Leverage, stars in this new Prime Video series, which focuses on Cross’ search for a serial killer. Hodge is a consistently appealing actor, even in small roles (he was a standout in 2020’s The Invisible Man), and he and the entertaining Isaiah Mustafa (It Chapter Two), as Cross’ partner, Det. John Sampson, are sure to make this show worth a watch.

Nov. 14: Say Nothing (limited series premiere, Hulu)

This new limited series dramatizes Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2019 nonfiction book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which was a Kirkus Prize finalist. The book is a history of the Troubles that centers on the kidnapping of Belfast widow Jean McConville by masked guerrillas in 1972 and her subsequent murder. At the center of the story is Gerry Adams, a Sinn Fein politician who was long suspected of being part of the Irish Republican Army leadership, but always denied it. The Hulu series’ new trailer centers mainly on IRA volunteer Dolours Price, who later confessed involvement in the McConville murder. She’s played by Lola Petticrew, who had a small role in the 2022 film She Said; Adams is portrayed by Josh Finan, who appeared in the Emmy-winning Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer. The show, which consists of nine episodes spanning four decades, promises to be every bit as ambitious as the book, which Kirkus called “a harrowing story of politically motivated crime that could not have been better told.”

Nov. 17: Dune: Prophecy (series premiere, HBO)

The blockbuster films Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 SF/fantasy epic about dueling dynasties on a desert planet, laid the groundwork for this prequel streaming series, which also draws on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson. The show is set thousands of years before the events of the films and centers on the origin of the Bene Gesserit, an influential order of women with superhuman powers developed through intensive training and the use of the drug melange—the valuable “spice” around which Dune’s plot revolves. The trailer features plenty of court intrigue, as Dune fans might expect, and some intriguing casting, as well, including Oscar nominee Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Sisterhood that will become the Bene Gesserit; Counterpart’s Olivia Williams as Valya’s sister, Tula; and the always reliable Mark Strong (Shazam!) as Emperor Javicco Corrino.

Nov. 22: Wicked (theatrical film premiere)

The wildly popular Broadway musical Wicked, featuring music by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell) and a book by My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman, has attracted sellout crowds worldwide for more than two decades. It’s based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 fantasy novel of the same name, which drew on elements of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its much-loved 1939 film version. Maguire’s work acts as a sort of prequel, filling in the backstories of the Wicked Witch of the West (named Elphaba in the novel) and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (dubbed Galinda). This new film adapts roughly the first half of the stage production, and stars Tony and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo (The Outsider) as Elphaba and Grammy winner Ariana Grande as Galinda. It hardly needs to be said that both are phenomenal singers, and Erivo’s acting work in the 2019 film Harriet garnered an Oscar nomination. Director Jon M. Chu, meanwhile, has proven that he knows how to stage a cinematic musical with verve; he previously helmed the lively 2021 film version of In the Heights.

David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.