Every month, all the major streaming services add a host of newly acquired (or just plain new) shows, movies, and documentaries into their ever-rotating libraries. So what's a dedicated reader to watch? Well, whatever you want, of course, but the name of this website is Literary Hub, so we sort of have an angle. To that end, here's a selection of the best (and most enjoyably bad) literary film and TV coming to streaming services this month. Have fun.
NEW:
Lupin Part 3
Netflix, October 3
Literary bona fides: based on the stories of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc (first introduced in 1905)
Don't let the subtitles (or the awkwardness of dubbing, though the former is a better experience) scare you away from Lupin, the wonderful and stylish French thriller series that is coming back for a third season this fall. It's worth it—especially for Sherlock Holmes fans.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Paramount+, October 6
Literary bona fides: based on Stephen King's Pet Sematary (1983)
Though it's technically a prequel to the 2019 adaptation of King's classic, the film is better described as Jud Crandall's origin story. "It's an untold story from Pet Sematary itself," said director Lindsey Anderson Beer. "In the novel, Timmy Baterman went off to World War II. We moved up the timeline to Vietnam." Stephen King himself weighed in on Twitter, saying "In the book, this is the story Jud Crandall tells Louis Creed to try and dissuade him from using the Pet Sematary. The screenplay takes a few liberties, but it's a fine story. David Duchovny is excellent. The secret, as always, is caring about the characters." Oh yeah, did I mention David Duchovny is in it? (Also Pam Grier, Henry Thomas, and Jackson White.)
Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul
Netflix, October 11
Literary bona fides: based on Jamie DuCharme's Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul (2021)
Remember Juul? This docuseries, based on DuCharme's nonfiction work, will tell you the story you didn't know—or already forgot.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Netflix, October 12
Literary bona fides: based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839)
Salem-born filmmaker Mike Flanagan is kind of into horror—he's adapted Shirley Jackson, he's adapted Henry James, he's adapted Stephen King, and next up is his take on Edgar Allan Poe, in an eight episode limited series inspired by the title story, as well as other works by the spooky literary legend. Don't mind me, I'll be under the bed.
Lessons in Chemistry
Apple TV+, October 13
Literary bona fides: based on Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022)
Call your book club! In what feels like no time at all, this bestseller—in which a female scientist in the 1950s becomes a TV chef in order to smuggle scientific concepts to other women stymied by the times—has become a highly anticipated miniseries starring Brie Larson.
Goosebumps
Disney+ and Hulu, October 13
Literary bona fides: based on the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine
October 13th is a Friday this year, so of course that is when Disney's new Goosebumps series, in which a bunch of teens must chase down the supernatural baddies they accidentally set free, will be coming out. Also of course: Justin Long is in it (presumably as an adult, but I wouldn't stake the farm).
The Pigeon Tunnel
Apple TV+, October 20
Literary bona fides: a documentary based on John le Carré's final interview
"Why is betrayal an important concept to you?" Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris asks former spy David Cornwell, better known as spy novelist John le Carré, in this documentary, which is built around what is being described as the author's last interview before his death in 2020. Le Carré was famously loath to give interviews, especially in-depth ones about his family; this promises to buck that trend, and should be a real treat for fans.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Apple TV+, October 20
Literary bona fides: based on Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (2017)
This is arguably the marquee literary adaptation of the season, based on Grann's bestselling and widely praised nonfiction book, focusing on the 1920s murders of members of Oklahoma's Osage Nation after their land was discovered to be rich in oil, directed by Marin Scorsese, and featuring, at least by some early accounts, the best performance of Leonardo DiCaprio's life. The film, which is a whopping 3 hours and 26 minutes, also stars Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, as well as Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Tantoo Cardinal, and Brendan Fraser. Early reviews are sterling, but if nothing else, it will be the movie everyone is talking about this year.
Pain Hustlers
Netflix, October 27
Literary bona fides: based on The Hard Sell by Evan Hughes (2022)
David Yates (the final four Harry Potter movies) directs this crime drama from a screenplay adapted by Wells Tower (where's your next book, Wells?), which takes us inside a pharmaceutical company's (illegal) boom and (inevitable) bust. Starring the always excellent Emily Blunt, along with Chris Evans, Catherin O'Hara, and Andy Garcia.
Fellow Travelers
Showtime, October 27
Literary bona fides: based on Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon (2007)
This steamy-looking (it's Showtime!) miniseries is a love story between Bryce Larkin and the Bridgerton brother (ahem, Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey), that begins in McCarthy-era Washington and takes us with it through the decades.
*
THROWBACK:
The Warriors (1979)
Paramount+, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on The Warriors by Sol Yurick (1965)
Before you watch Lin-Manuel Miranda's next project, get yourself acquainted with the real deal. Camp (and classic) for miles and miles of city streets.
It (1990)
Hulu, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on It by Stephen King (1986)
After all these years, Tim Curry is still king.
Malcolm X (1992)
Paramount+, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley (1965)
Spike Lee's epic adaptation is almost as iconic as the original text, due at least in part to Denzel Washington's impossibly convincing performance.
The Remains of the Day (1993)
Paramount+, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
The adaptation of Ishiguro's best novel—yeah, yeah, don't @ me—is a modern classic in its own right.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Peacock, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1990)
Honestly, it holds up. Hold on to your butts!
Practical Magic (1998)
Hulu, October 31
Literary bona fides: based on Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic (1995)
'Tis the season to rewatch this Literary Hub favorite (with midnight margarita in hand or without).
Queen of the Damned (2002)
Hulu, October 31
Literary bona fides: based on The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice (1988)
Happy Halloween! (Pair with Interview With the Vampire (1994), also on Hulu this month.)
Easy A (2010)
Hulu, October 1
Literary bona fides: based (sorta) on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850)
Easy A came at the end of the teen-comedies-based-on-classic-lit heyday (enter webcams), but it's still one of my favorites, not only because of the casting (Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson—chef's kiss) but also its attitude.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)
Hulu, October 31
Literary bona fides: Christopher Marlowe!
Okay, Jim Jarmusch's vampire movie isn't a literary adaptation, but it does uncover the truth behind Christopher Marlowe's death. John Hurt is perfect as Marlowe; plus of course Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, and Jeffrey Wright, among others—it just feels literary, you know? Either way, this is Halloween viewing for the classy.
Dune (2021)
Netflix, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)
No Dune 2 this year, alas—but hey, at least there's Dune.
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