Be on the lookout for Kirkus’ in-depth columns on the films Knock at the Cabin (based on Paul Tremblay’s horror novel The Cabin at the End of the World, premiering Feb. 3) and Marlowe (based on The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black, aka John Banville, premiering Feb. 15). Here are four more book-to-screen adaptations coming in February:
Feb. 3: The Amazing Maurice (theatrical film premiere)
This animated film is an adaptation of the late Terry Pratchett’s 2001 children’s novel, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, which received a Kirkus star. The book is part of Pratchett’s sprawling comic-fantasy Discworld series, but it tells a simple tale that doesn’t require prior knowledge of its complex fictional universe. (It also happens to the be first adaption of a Discworld novel to be released as a theatrical feature film.) In it, feline Maurice, human boy Keith, and a group of intelligent rats plan to run their usual scam on the town of Bad Blintz: After the rats overrun the place, Keith will do a pied-piper routine—for a fee. This time around, though, the group runs into unexpected human and supernatural threats. The trailer for the film promises a faithful take on Pratchett’s work, and the fine voice cast certainly makes it worth a watch; it includes House’s Hugh Laurie as Maurice, Station Eleven’s Himesh Patel as Keith, and Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke as Malicia, the daughter of Bad Blintz’s mayor.
Feb. 3: Dear Edward (series premiere, Apple TV+)
Orange Is the New Black’s Taylor Schilling stars as the aunt of a young plane-crash survivor (newcomer Colin O’Brien) in this 10-episode series based on Ann Napolitano’s 2020 novel, which our reviewer called “so heartbreaking that it raises the question of what a reader is looking for in fiction.” In it, 12-year-old Edward Adler is the only person still alive when an airplane goes down, killing his brother, his parents, and nearly 200 other passengers. He goes to live with his aunt and her husband, who have no kids, but, as Kirkus’ reviewer put, his “misery is constant and almost impermeable.” However, he does find some hope in a new friendship with a tween girl who lives next door. Along the way, the novel also intersperses stories of those who didn’t survive the plane crash. It’s an intense work, and the series features some impressive talent to bring it to life onscreen, including the excellent Schilling and series creator Jason Katims, who was the showrunner for the much-missed TV series Friday Night Lights.
Feb. 8: Not Dead Yet (series premiere, ABC)
Fans of the entertaining CW show Jane the Virgin will be happy to see its star, Gina Rodriguez, return to series TV in this loose sitcom adaptation of Alexandra Potter’s 2021 romantic comedy novel, Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up. Both the book and TV show feature an obituary-writing protagonist who’s unlucky in love, but the series appears to make a few changes from the source material: First, it moves the action from England to California; second, its main character, Nell, appears to see (and talk to) dead people—as if she’s starring in a sitcom Sixth Sense. It’s not a bad setup, and Rodriguez is an always-charming lead; the fact that her boss is played by the wonderful Lauren Ash from NBC’s Superstore is also a plus. In addition, the spirits with whom Nell converses are played by fine guest stars, including Brittany Snow, who was hilarious in the underseen AMC+ holiday comedy Christmas with the Campbells, and the great Martin Mull.
Feb. 9: You (season 4 premiere, Netflix)
In its first three seasons, this thriller series loosely adapted the first two novels in Caroline Kepnes’ trilogy about the exploits of an obsessive serial killer: You (2014) and Hidden Bodies (2015). However, this fourth season seems to ignore the events of last year’s You Love Me, which found Joe Goldberg working as a library volunteer in the Pacific Northwest. Instead, the show places him in the United Kingdom, posing as a college professor named Jonathan Moore; there, he becomes part of wealthy social group that he considers “a circle of privileged douchebags”; his idea is to simply lay low, but he ends up getting entangled in criminal activity, nonetheless. Penn Badgley, as Joe, can bring surprising wit to this deeply creepy character, and fans will no doubt look forward to his performance in the new season. That said, as Kirkus said in its review of You Love Me: “Joe’s head is an uncomfortable place to be.”
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.