Keep an eye out for our in-depth columns on Silo, a limited series based on Hugh Howey’s SF novels (premiering May 5 on Apple TV+), and City on Fire, based on the Kirkus-starred bestseller by Garth Risk Hallberg (premiering May 12 on Apple TV+).For now, here are four other book-to-screen adaptations set to light up screens in May:
May 4: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (limited series premiere, Netflix)
This six-episode limited series effectively acts as a prequel to Netflix’s wildly popular show Bridgerton, which is based on a bestselling series of Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn. The show tells the story of the early years of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom; in real life, Charlotte reigned from 1761 to 1818 as the wife of King George III. Golda Rosheuvel, who had a small role in 2021’s Dune, received excellent notices for her portrayal of the older queen in the Bridgerton series, and she appears in Queen Charlotte, as well. However, the new show will focus mainly on the character as a young woman, played by India Amartefio; she may be best known to American audiences for her stint as a child actor on the Disney Channel show The Evermoor Chronicles. Quinn and co-executive producer Shonda Rhimes also collaborated on a Queen Charlotte novel, which HarperCollins will publish on May 9.
May 5: Love Again (theatrical film premiere)
Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Outlander’s Sam Heughan are both enormously charming actors in their own right, so it only makes sense to cast them together in this romance film based on German author Sofie Cramer’s 2022 novel, Text for You. In the book, Clara grieves for her fiancé, who died in an accident months before, by texting messages to his old phone number—which, as it turns out, has been assigned to a new customer. Sven, the recipient of the messages, doesn’t respond, but he can’t get the woman who’s sending them off his mind; at his friend’s urging, he decides to track her down. As seen in the trailer below, the film adds a few intriguing elements, including appearances by Chopra Jonas’ real-life husband, singer/actor Nick Jonas, and, fascinatingly, Grammy-winning singer Céline Dion (who plays herself). It’s also written and directed by Jim Strouse, whose last film, 2017’s The Incredible Jessica James, was a true rom-com gem.
May 18: XO, Kitty (series premiere, Netflix)
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, a highly appealing 2018 Netflix film based on the YA romance novel by Jenny Han, made our list of “10 of the Best Book-to-Screen Adaptations.” Han’s follow-ups, P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean, were also adapted as movies; they, too, focused on the life and loves of teenager Lara Jean Song Covey, played by Lana Condor. This new show focuses on Lara Jean’s sharp younger sister, Kitty, once again played by the funny and talented Anna Cathcart. In the third film, Kitty met a Korean boy named Dae while visiting South Korea with her family; in this spinoff streaming series, which Han created, Kitty decides to attend Dae’s South Korean boarding school, which also happens to the alma mater of Kitty’s deceased mother. It’s a clever way to extend the series, and fans will enjoy following the extended adventures of Cathcart’s always-entertaining character.
May 24: The Clearing (series premiere, Hulu)
This new Australian streaming series is based on J.P. Pomare’s 2020 crime thriller, In the Clearing. In the book, Freya Heywood lives a relatively ordinary life in a Melbourne suburb with her son, but as our reviewer put it, she was once “involved in an incident that caused her to permanently lose custody of her first child. And this isn’t her only secret, either.” In a parallel narrative, a cult made up of children and teens is led by abusive adult Adrienne, who’s determined to add another child to the group. As the narrative goes on, the stories of Freya and young cult member Amy intertwine. The series stars A Discovery of Witches’ Teresa Palmer, Mare of Easttown’s Guy Pearce, and the great Miranda Otto of the Lord of the Rings films, whose performance as the evil Adrienne is sure to make the series worth a watch.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.