A Guide to Book Award Opponents – The Hollywood Reporter

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Green Knight

Author: Anonymous

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Perhaps the best known Arthurian tale, a 14th-century ode to chivalry and death drawn from Welsh, Irish and English folklore. Writer-director David Lowery, who adapted Dev Patel’s stylish A24 film, said: “What excites me about this story, aside from its heavy metal weirdness, is that it’s about an episode ready to embark on a journey towards his own death. as Gawain. “The ways in which both the hero and the unknown author grapple with death and the possibility of death and death are as fresh and relevant today as they were when it was written more than 700 years ago.”

Macbeth

Author: William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s classic tale of ambition, power, corruption, and murder has been called a “Scottish play” by superstitious actors for centuries, but it’s likely the award-winning giants Oscars like Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand have little fear in taking on the roles of Lord and Lady Macbeth in this latest movie version. McDormand’s husband, Joel Coen, who wrote and directed this film adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy (or “tragedy”, as it was known, performing for the first time on stage in 1606), works hard on the supernatural opinions of the source material and presents a dark, sadistic, obvious guy. and a white explanation of Bard’s play.

Pass

Author: Nella Larsen

Larsen, a literary icon of the Harlem Renaissance through the power of publishing two standout novels during his career, has written this story about two childhood friends – Irene, who identifies identified as Black, and Clare, white – who reconnect as adults and find them becoming intimately involved in each other’s lives. “In adapting Pass, I discovered that the questions Nella Larsen struggled with in 1929 – questions about identity, race, sexuality, gender, and class – are equally compelling and personal today. poignant,” said Rebecca Hall, who made her directorial debut with the Netflix adaptation of Larsen’s Book. “I hope my film has some lasting power in her indelible novel.”

Cyrano de Bergerac

Author: Edmond Rostand

Erica Schmidt said: “This is so trendy for me. Cyrano de Bergerac, which she reprized first as a stage musical before director Joe Wright brought her new vision of the story to the big screen. In Wright’s adaptation, Peter Dinklage plays the eponymous and romantic playwright (ignoring the character’s iconic elongated nose) who assists his friend Christian in his pursuit of the beautiful Roxanne – wear although Cyrano also loves Roxanne. “Cyrano I feel the need because of that deep, timeless, urgent desire to have everything we want – and the hideous fear deep inside that we really don’t deserve to be loved at all. any. “

Sand dunes

Author: Frank Herbert

Herbert’s landmark 1965 science fiction epic is largely considered uneditable (case in point: David Lynch’s 1984 version). Sand dunes However, mega-fan Denis Villeneuve has achieved the near-impossible with his latest film, tackling the first half of the film. “Frank Herbert wrote Sand dunes as a warning about charismatic heroes and the dangers of messianic images,” the director said of the book’s timelessness. “We can still observe political powers weaponizing religion and vice versa, religions infiltrating politics. But what makes this book all the more relevant are the ecological concerns that, over time, have become tragically prophetic. “

The power of the dog

Author: Thomas Savage

Savage’s 1967 novel was the basis for Jane Campion’s first Oscar-winning feature film in 12 years. The power of the dog follows a mean-spirited rancher named Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) who has made life hell for his new brother and sister-in-law. Campion of the novel says: “I can’t predict what will happen. “It’s not just a cowboy story from 1925 about life on the ranch; this is a lived experience and I think because of that, I feel really confident in the story. I want to honor Thomas Savage with this film. When I read a book like this, I don’t take the adaptation lightly. I want it to be the best it can be. I wouldn’t say I’m a perfectionist, but I like to do things very carefully. “

Daughter is gone

Author: Elena Ferrante

The book by this pseudonymous writer – whose best-selling Neapolitan novels sparked the “Ferrante Fever” on both sides of the Atlantic – was the basis for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut. Telling the story of a woman (Olivia Colman) obsessed with a young mother (Dakota Johnson), Ferrante’s book offers an insight into motherhood. Gyllenhaal, who also wrote the screenplay, said: “Some of my secret experiences as a mother, as a lover, as a woman in this world were spoken out loud. “I thought, ‘How exciting and dangerous it is to create an experience like that – not being quiet and alone with a book – but in a room full of life, feeling people.’ “

Nightmare Alley

Author: William Lindsay Gresham

Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro credits actor Ron Perlman for introducing him to Gresham’s dark novel, which was the basis for the 1947 noir film of the same name. Del Toro’s version, co-written with Kim Morgan, is the second adaptation – not a remake of the previous film – of Gresham’s story about a carnival barking soldier, Stan Carlisle (portrayed in the film by Bradley Cooper), with a talent for manipulating those around him for his own gain. Toni Collette, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett play three women in Stan’s life as he plots his path to success.

Bidding bar

Author: JR Moehringer

George Clooney directs the adaptation of Moehringer’s memoir, from a script penned by Oscar-winning William Monahan. Pulitzer Prize-winning Moehringer looks back on his childhood, when he was raised by a single mother (played by Lily Rabe in the film) and her extended family – and writes about finding a father figure. in his literary-loving bartender uncle. , Charlie (Ben Affleck). The coming-of-age film sees Moehringer jump back and forth through time, with Tye Sheridan and newcomer Daniel Ranieri playing the author (and actor Ron Livingston providing his omnipresent narration. that).

This story first appeared in the November 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.