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:
Bonjour Tristesse
Apple TV+/Prime Video, June 13
Literary bona fides: based on Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse (1954)
A contemporary adaptation written and directed by essayist Durga Chew-Bose, and starring Chloë Sevigny, Claes Bang, Lily McInerny, and Naïlia Harzoune, Bonjour Tristesse has gotten mixed reviews since it premiered at TIFF last fall, but the summer vibes look glorious. The film is premiering online in various outlets on June 13 after a limited run in theaters in May.
We Were Liars
Prime Video, June 18
Literary bona fides: based on E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars (2014)
It’s a little surprising that it’s taken this long for Lockhart’s bestselling YA amnesia thriller to become a tv show, but here it is at last. “I’ve chased We Were Liars for years,” showrunner Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) told Deadline. “It’s one of the best YA novels I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot. It’s mysterious, romantic and devastating—and [the prequel] Family of Liars showed me just how sprawling and multi-generational the series can be. Being able to adapt it for television is a career highlight for me.”
The Buccaneers (Season 2)
Apple TV+, June 18
Literary bona fides: based on The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton and Marion Mainwaring (1938)
It seems like no one is watching (or at least talking about watching) The Buccaneers, but here it is with a second season anyway. Two seasons of television for a novel that Wharton didn’t even finish! The power of the nouveau riche, I suppose.
Smoke
Apple TV+, June 27
Literary bona fides: created by Dennis Lehane
It’s not an adaptation—it’s inspired by a podcast—but it is adapted by mystery maestro Dennis Lehane, which is good enough for me. Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett star as detectives dealing with a spate of arson, along with Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Greg Kinnear, and John Leguizamo.
THROWBACK:
Dune (1984)
Netflix, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965)
Watch the bad Dune. The bad Dune is bad, but it is also fun.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Hulu, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1989)
Tan co-wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of her beloved novel, along with Ronald Bass (Rain Man), and it shows. A classic!
Fight Club (1999)
HBO Max, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club (1996)
David Fincher’s adaptation of Palahniuk’s most famous work is still controversial—though it might be a lot less controversial if everyone would stop misunderstanding it.
The Namesake (2006)
Hulu, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake (2003)
This is a solid adaptation of Lahiri’s bestselling novel, directed by Mira Nair, written by Sooni Taraporevala, and starring Kal Penn.
The Hunger Games (2012)
HBO Max, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (2008)
Despite all the Hunger Games IP-wringing that’s gone on since, both the core text and the adaptation are extremely entertaining; we called this one of the best literary adaptations of its decade, and the ranking stands.
Hitchcock (2012)
Netflix, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Stephen Rebello’s Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho (1990)
It’s not good, exactly, but the fun of seeing Anthony Hopkins slay Hitchcock doesn’t wear off, and neither does Helen Mirren.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Paramount+, June 1
Literary bona fides: based on Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name (2007)
Neither Armie Hammer’s alleged cannibalism nor his alleged comeback podcast can deter me from my love for this movie or the book it’s based on.
