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It might be cold out, but the December adaptation news is piping hot. We have some exciting new movies getting theatrical releases this month. After all, we’re right in the middle of awards eligibility season, so Hollywood is releasing some of its best. On top of that, we’ve got another highly anticipated series streaming this month. With the weather outside being so frightful, and all the “quality time” you’ll be spending with your extended family this season, it’s time to tune in to these must-see adaptations.
Nightbitch (Theatrical Release, December 6)
Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch was such a surreal reading experience. It’s going to be quite the ride seeing this one adapted into a film, especially one starring the talented Amy Adams. Nightbitch follows a stay-at-home mom who’s convinced she’s turning into a dog. The film is written and directed by Marielle Heller and also stars Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden, Emmett Snowden, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, and Jessica Harper.
The Order (The Silent Brotherhood) (Theatrical Release, December 6)
This historical crime thriller is based on the 1989 nonfiction book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. Jude Law stars as Terry Husk, an FBI agent who discovers a strange pattern in recent bank robberies and car heists across the Pacific Northwest. Husk is convinced this is the work of a radical group lead by neo-Nazi Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult). The film also stars Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Alison Oliver, and Marc Maron.
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Netflix, December 11)
The first season of this Columbian series adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s acclaimed classic One Hundred Years of Solitude is finally hitting Netflix this December. The first season will adapt the first part of the novel. A second season is planned to adapt the rest of the book. The cast includes Claudio Cataño (Colonel Aureliano Buendía), Jerónimo Barón (young Aureliano Buendía), Marco González (Jose Arcadio Buendía), Leonardo Soto (José Arcadio), Susana Morales (Úrsula Iguarán), Ella Becerra (Petronila Iguarán), Carlos Suaréz (Aureliano Iguarán), Moreno Borja (Melquiades), and Santiago Vásquez (teenage Aureliano Buendía).
Nickel Boys (Theatrical Release, December 13)
This one was originally supposed to come out a few months back, but now we’re officially getting a theatrical release for this adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel this month. In Tallahassee, Florida in 1962, a young Black boy named Elwood Curtis is falsely accused of helping someone steal a car. Elwood is sent to Nickel Academy (a fictional school Whitehead based on the very real Dozier School for Boys). The school is corrupt and abusive, but Elwood is able to survive through his friendship with his schoolmate Turner. Nickel Boys is directed by RaMell Ross and stars Daveed Diggs, Ethan Herisse, and Brandon Wilson.
Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim (Theatrical Release, December 13)
Set 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The War of the Rohirrim is an anime fantasy film that follows Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan, as he and his family defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings. The voice cast includes Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, Gaia Wise as Hèra, Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, and Miranda Otto as Éowyn. The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama from a screenplay by Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
The Count of Monte Cristo (Theatrical Release, December 20)
This French film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo is getting an American theatrical release in December. The film is written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière. It stars Pierre Niney in the role of Edmond Dantès, a man who is wrongfully imprisoned and sets out for revenge against the three men responsible for his incarceration.
A Complete Unknown (Dylan Goes Electric!) (Theatrical Release, December 25)
James Mangold’s biopic A Complete Unknown is based on the 2015 biography Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald. The story centers around musician Bob Dylan’s controversial switch from acoustic to electric guitar. Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan. The movie also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, and Monica Barbaro.