Beat the heat this August by staying inside and streaming these new book adaptations. Or if you prefer an air-conditioned cinema, we’ve got some theatrical releases coming out this month as well. New movies, new TV shows, sequels/second seasons to expand on the bookish worlds we already know and love: here are all the must-watch book adaptations coming out this August.
The Shards (FX, August 5)
FX’s teen thriller series is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, The Shardsfollows 17-year-old Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney) in his final year at the Buckley School, an elite prep school. The series also stars Evan Rachel Wood, Kaia Gerber, Wes Bentley, Homer Gere, Graham Campbell, and Hayes Warner. The Shardswas created by Ryan Murphy and Ellis. Murphy also wrote and directed several of the episodes. The first two episodes of the six-episode series will start streaming on August 5.
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Netflix, August 5)
Part two of One Hundred Years of Solitudehits Netflix on August 5. This final season picks up where the first one left off and covers the last fifty years of the Buendía family. Marleyda Soto stars as Úrsula Iguarán alongside Claudio Cataño as Colonel Aureliano Buendía. Additionally, this season adds new faces to the cast: Ángela Cano, Emmanuel Restrepo, Juanita Molina, and Carla Baratta. The first seven episodes will all be out on August 5. And the final episode, which is expected to be about two hours, releases at the end of the month.
Lanterns (HBO MAX, August 16)
As you might have guessed from the poster, this superhero television series is based on the DC Comics Green Lantern series. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two intergalactic peacekeepers with rings that give them special powers. When a murder takes place in Rushville, Nebraska, Hal is convinced extraterrestrial forces are at play. Rounding out the cast are Kelly Macdonald and Nathan Fillion. The eight-episode series will drop weekly, starting on August 16.
The Magic Faraway Tree(Theatrical Release, August 21)
Based on Enid Blyton’s book series of the same name, The Magic Faraway Treefollows three siblings who move out to the country and discover a secret magical world. Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star as parents Tim and Polly Thompson. The film was directed by Ben Gregor from a script by Simon Farnaby. It also stars Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, and Rebecca Ferguson. This is the first film in a planned trilogy. Two sequels are already in the works.
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The Whisper Man (Netflix, August 28)
Alex North’s 2019 crime thriller novel The Whisper Manis getting a film adaptation on Netflix this month! Directed by James Ashcroft and this film follows a widowed crime writer named Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) who seeks out his retired police detective father (Robert De Niro) after his 8-year-old son is kidnapped. The Whisper Manalso stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton
The Dog Stars (Theatrical Release, August 28)
This upcoming film, directed by Ridley Scott from a script by Mark L. Smith, is based on the 2012 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel of the same name by Peter Heller. Jacob Elordi stars as Hig, a former civilian pilot who is living with his dog in an abandoned Colorado airport after the human population has almost been completely destroyed by a catastrophic flu pandemic. When Hig intercepts a radio transmission, he wonders if there is a better life out there. So he and his neighbor Bangley (Josh Brolin) go out in search of it. The star-studded film also features Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong.
Dark Matter (Apple TV+, August 28)
The sci-fi series Dark Matterreturns for season 2 on Apple TV+ at the end of this month. While the first season followed the story of Blake Crouch’s novel of the same name, season 2 will move past the original story to show what happens after the Dessen family settles into their new reality. Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Amanda Brugel are all returning for this season, which will consist of 10 episodes, releasing weekly on Friday, starting on August 28 and running through October 30.
Once again, we are unfortunately short on adaptations of books by authors of color this month. Here are some of our favorites from the year.
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