Reductive, refreshing, loyal, a travesty. . . Our classics team respond to seven upcoming literary adaptations
A cutesy-looking Napoleon, a feast for Austen fans and that Brontë trailer. What are we to make of what we've seen so far of the current flurry of classic-book-to-screen adaptations?
You wait ages for an adaptation of a favourite classic novel and then seven come along at once. With news of the first ever ginger Mr Darcy, Christopher Nolan taking on Homer and the realisation that you're only ever one nineteenth-century novel away from Jacob Elordi, we turned to the team at Macmillan Collector's Library for their thoughts. What do they make of the trailers and casting? How far does it look like the adaptations will deviate from the original books? And how much does this matter? Yes, we'll need to wait to see the final versions before making an informed decision. No, this will not prevent us from talking about it now anyway. Over to the experts, Editorial Assistant, Laurie and Project Editor, Elena.
Frankenstein (dir. Guillermo del Toro)
At the time of writing, we’ve seen two clips from Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein: a teaser trailer from scientist Victor Frankenstein’s point of view, and an official trailer centering the story of his 'monster'. Both are visual and atmospheric treats; both make clear the looming danger of the scientist’s vision, the mistake of 'creating death' instead of life. There’s a stellar cast: Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac, and Christoph Waltz. Both trailers have plenty of nods to key aspects of Mary Shelley’s novel, originally subtitled the Modern Prometheus. The tagline 'only monsters play God' hints heavily at Victor Frankenstein’s arrogant, immoral and doomed labours. Lightning, which first powers up the creature. A lonely Arctic landscape, as Frankenstein chases his creation to the end of the world. A Gothic mood: flickering candles, grand staircases, soaring music. The full film is out now and we’re excited to see del Toro’s take on Shelley’s work.
The Bride! (dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal)
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! is a riff on the original Frankenstein story. In 1930s Chicago, a frustrated monster asks for a female companion to be fashioned for him. Gyllenhaal’s film is based on the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, itself a sequel to Universal Pictures’ Frankenstein adaptation four years earlier. More than anything, this trailer is punchy, self-reflexive, referencing different stereotypes: Christian Bale is instantly recognisable as Frankenstein’s monster, decked out with visible stitching on his forehead. Jessie Buckley plays a murdered woman given new life, only to be defined by a function: a bride who can’t remember her name. As the trailer ends, the bride’s head, now placed in a jar, smirks and proclaims 'monstrous'. Together with some action scenes, plenty of bloody visuals and blocky title lettering, Gyllenhaal’s new addition to the Frankenstein canon looks intriguing.
Wuthering Heights (dir. Emerald Fennell)
The reactions to the trailer for Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights have been strong, to say the least. The Saltburn director is being deliberately provocative here, turning Emily Brontë’s novel into a full-on bodice-ripper by leaning into the lust Cathy and Heathcliff have for each other. The novel certainly isn’t devoid of such heat, but here it is dialed up to the max. But this iconoclastic approach has been less controversial than the choice to cast Jacob Elordi (yes, Elordi again) as Heathcliff. Heathcliff is described in racially ambiguous terms in the book, and this might be a missed opportunity to engage with this interesting aspect of the novel. That’s not all that has raised eyebrows here: people are questioning if Margot Robbie is a suitable age to be playing Cathy, and others are decrying the anachronistic costuming and the use of Charli XCX’s hyperpop as a soundtrack. We’re also wondering if Fennell will make adequate use of Brontë’s exquisite writing – the trailer features dialogue that isn’t from the book, which seems like a waste of the text. We will have to wait until Valentine’s Day 2026 to fully see how Fennell will handle all of this.
Pride and Prejudice (dir. Euros Lyn)
The horizon is bright for Janeites; two major Austen adaptations lie ahead of us. Next year, a new Pride and Prejudice mini-series will hit Netflix, with Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden as our next Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Some are asking whether we need another adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but Joe Wright’s beloved adaptation starring Keira Knightley has just turned twenty years old; we think enough time has elapsed. But how will this new version attempt to set itself apart from its predecessors? And can we trust Netflix after their much-maligned 2022 adaptation of Persuasion? Netflix has released one still from the film, which shows us the Bennet sisters and Mrs Bennet (played by Olivia Colman – an inspired casting choice), in a muted colour palette. While swathes of Austen film adaptations may already exist, a TV series is a rarer thing, and is possibly better suited to mimicking the novel form – this new version is likely taking notes from the classic 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice mini-series.
Sense and Sensibility (dir. Georgia Oakley)
If this isn’t enough to whet Austen fans’ appetites, we will also soon be treated to a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. The details that have been announced so far are minimal, but we know that Daisy Edgar-Jones will be playing Elinor Dashwood, who possesses the titular sense, with lesser-known actress Esmé Creed-Miles playing her more emotionally unstable younger sister Marianne. It has been three decades since Ang Lee’s adaptation with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, so this update is very much welcome.
Austen: battle of the books
Take a turn around the office with us as we make the case for our favourite Austen novels
Read moreThe Odyssey (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Director Christopher Nolan has decided to follow up the hugely successful Oppenheimer by taking on the ultimate epic: Homer’s Odyssey. The ancient Greek poem hasn’t been the subject of many screen adaptations, despite it being true blockbuster material, packed to the brim as it is with adventure. Nolan seems unintimidated by the challenge of bringing this monumental story to life, and this is destined to be one of the biggest films of next summer, if not the biggest. A trailer is yet to emerge, and although a dazzling cast has been announced, replete with names like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson, we still don’t know which character each cast member will be playing. Nolan famously avoids using CGI as much as possible, so we’re interested to see what his monsters and mythological creatures will look like. And as many of his films are also celebrated for how they toy with time and timelines in creative, non-linear ways, we’re curious about how he might play with the structure of Odysseus’s ten-year journey home.
Animal Farm (dir. Andy Serkis)
Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson and Gaten Matarazzo voice main roles in this new animated adaptation of Orwell's compelling dystopia. While the teaser trailer and the limited images we’ve seen so far look cutesy, we hope the storyline will be as resonant as ever. Seth Rogen voices the dangerous dictator Napoleon, a pig obsessed with power. In the teaser trailer, Napoleon comes across as a well-meaning father figure, gently advising a younger pig that they have a 'special bond' and, though all animals are equal, their kind still needs to stay together. Despite his benevolent tone, it’s clear that Napoleon has devious and despotic intentions. One new addition to Orwell’s material from director Serkis is Lucky, the piglet in the trailer, apparently meant to represent the audience’s point of view: a blank slate for Napoleon’s convincing, poisonous rhetoric. Judging by this clip alone, the darkness of Orwell’s political allegory is very much present, lurking beneath the surface.
