This week, Sophie and Rudi discuss “The Dog Stars,” director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name. Set in a post-apocalyptic future ravaged by a flu pandemic that wiped out most of humanity, the film stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce as survivors navigating this bleak reality.

Before getting into the film, Sophie and Rudi discuss two modern slasher films they each recently watched: 2022’s “Influencer,” directed by Kurtis David Harder, and Jane Schoenbrun’s new movie “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” which stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson (00:01:43).

Then they talk about “The Dog Stars” (00:05:03), starting with background on the book and its author Heller (00:06:31) before discussing the film’s development (00:09:30) and taking a look back at the 88-year-old Scott’s prolific output since his 2015 adaptation of Andy Weir’s “The Martian.”

From there, Sophie and Rudi get into the film’s plot (00:14:56), which centers on Elordi’s grief-stricken former mechanic Hig, and why they found the movie to be an unsuccessful and at times baffling adaptation. As they discuss the plot, Sophie details some of the major differences and inventions of screenwriter Mark L. Smith, including what’s different with the dog Jasper (00:19:38), the action set-pieces (00:26:04) and the wild third-act detour to Grand Junction (00:39:58). They also discuss why Elordi and Qualley — two of Hollywood’s biggest young stars — were miscast as Hig and Cima (00:45:56).

Finally, Sophie reveals her Sophie’s Choice pick for which she liked better: reading “The Dog Stars" or watching the movie (01:02:08).

Next week: it was an article first. We’re discussing “Coyote vs. Acme,” a hybrid live action and cartoon Looney Tunes revival that’s based on Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker humor piece of the same name and stars Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman joins Sophie and Rudi to discuss “Tony,” A24’s loose adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’s breakout 2000 memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.”

The film, directed and co-written by Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson (“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie”), stars Dominic Sessa (“The Holdovers”) as a young Bourdain — before he became the beloved writer, chef and TV host. Antonio Banderas, comedian Stavros Halikias, Emilia Jones (“Coda”) and Leo Woodall (“The White Lotus”) co-star in the coming-of-age story. “Tony” is based on about 50 pages of “Kitchen Confidential” (along with an episode of Bourdain’s CNN series “Parts Unknown”) and depicts a 1975 summer Bourdain spent working in a kitchen as a dishwasher while living in Provincetown, Mass.

Before getting into the film, Sophie and Rudi discuss meeting up in New York City (00:01:25) and Rudi shares some cinematic experiences from his trip, including a screening of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s new adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa’s 2021 novel “The Samurai and the Prisoner” (00:05:21).

Then Sophie and Rudi detail their history with Bourdain (00:07:41) and Provincetown before Sophie shares some context on “Kitchen Confidential” (00:14:37) and Rudi gets into the development of the film, including how Johnson’s 2023 film “Blackberry” led to “Tony” (00:17:57).

They then discuss the film at length, starting with how the film serves as origin story for how Tony became Anthony Bourdain (00:22:48) before detailing the major plot points (00:30:11), the voyeuristic cinematography (00:43:48) and Jay McCarrol’s score (00:45:19).

Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman, who appeared in an episode of “No Reservations” in 2009 and knew Bourdain professionally, then joins the show to discuss a recent article he wrote about the film (00:50:34). Tim shares what the film misses about Bourdain’s life and legacy (00:53:34) and what he thinks of people mythologizing Bourdain in the years since his death in 2018 (01:07:37). Finally, Tim shares a recommendation for another chef’s tale he’d like to see get adapted for the screen (01:09:55).

Next week, we’re discussing Ridley Scott’s new adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel “The Dog Stars,” which stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guest: Tim Carman

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, costume designer Whitney Anne Adams joins Sophie and Rudi to discuss how she approaches book-to-screen adaptations. Whitney, who hosts the “Tales From a Costume Designer” podcast, worked on Baz Luhrman’s 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” as well as “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,” a 2024 film based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 novel.

Before their chat, Sophie shares some recent beach read recommendations (00:01:18) and Rudi discusses two new movies that treat sex and romance very differently: Greg Arakki’s “I Want Your Sex” and Will Gluck’s “One Night Only” (00:07:01). Those films inspire a brief discussion about the current state of rom-coms in theaters and on streaming (00:15:13).

Then Whitney joins the show to discuss how costume designers bring books to life on screen (00:22:00). Whitney details what it was like to work on a big-budget production like “The Great Gatsby” (00:25:24), including making a spreadsheet of every visual reference in the book and screenplay, designing a period piece for a modern audience, getting to attend the table read with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, and playing a small part in helping create an enduring Leo meme (00:41:45).

Then they discuss the smaller scale production of “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” (00:46:23), which required creating looks across different decades. Whitney also shares what it was like to work on “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” a video game adaptation sequel with a rabid fan base. (00:58:05). Finally, she shares a recommendation for a book she’d like to see get adapted for the screen — so she can design the costumes (01:05:50).

Next week we’re discussing “Tony,” director Matt Johnson’s Anthony Bourdain biopic for A24 that stars Dominic Sessa and adapts a portion of the beloved chef and TV host’s 2000 memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.”

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guest: Whitney Anne Adams

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, screenwriter Samy Burch joins Sophie and Rudi to discuss her new film “Late Fame,” based on Austrian novelist Arthur Schnitzler’s 1895 novella of the same name. Directed by Kent Jones, the movie stars Willem Dafoe as a postal worker whose book of poetry from the 1970s gets rediscovered and hailed as a masterpiece by a group of young admirers called the Enthusiasm Society. The New York-set film, out in limited release now from Magnolia Pictures, features a strong supporting cast that includes Greta Lee and Edmund Donovan.

Before talking about the film in a (mostly) spoiler-free chat, Sophie details the long, winding history that kept “Late Fame” unpublished until it was rediscovered and published in Germany in 2014 (00:53). Then Rudi walks through the plot, which updates the novella’s 1895 Vienna, Austria, setting for modern day New York (03:05). They praise Dafoe’s delicate leading performance (06:12), as well as the perfect casting of Donovan (8:20) before detailing why it’s a vibes-based New York indie with sharp writing (9:02).

Then Sammy Burch, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her screenplay for the Todd Haynes film “May December” in 2024, joins the show to discuss what it was like to adapt a book for the first time and why she was drawn to “Late Fame” (16:13). She shares an anecdote about the kismet-like casting of Dafoe (20:49), why “Eyes Wide Shut” informed her adaptation process (26:58), and how her time at New York University informed the Enthusiasm Society (29:48). Then they discuss the other adaptation Burch has coming to theaters this month: the long-delayed hybrid live action and animation Looney Tunes movie “Coyote vs. Acme” (35:51). Finally, she shares a recommendation for a book she’d like to see get adapted for the screen (42:05).

Next week, we’re discussing how a costume designer approaches book-to-screen adaptations with Whitney Anne Adams, who worked on Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” and hosts the “Tales From A Costume Designer” podcast.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guest: Samy Burch

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, Vulture TV Critic Roxana Hadadi joins Rudi and Sophie to discuss Apple TV’s “Cape Fear,” a streaming adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners” that’s also based on a pair of “Cape Fear” films from 1962 and 1991.

After introducing Roxana (00:01:11), Sophie shares some background on the novel (00:06:42); Rudi gives an overview of the 1962 film, which was directed by J. Lee Thompson and starred Gregory Peck as the lawyer Sam Bowden and Robert Mitchum as the vengeful ex-con Max Cady (00:11:37); and Roxana details Martin Scorsese’s 1991 adaptation that starred Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte in the lead roles (00:14:33).

Then they unpack Apple TV’s “Cape Fear,” a series created by Nick Antosca that stars Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, and Patrick Wilson (00:23:17). They detail why they all agree that this was an unsuccessful adaptation; the way the series could have used the modern setting to its advantage (00:27:31); why it often misses the point of the source materials (00:32:09); and how every generation gets its own version of “Cape Fear” (00:47:58).

Rudi debuts a new segment called Rudi’s Rankings, where he ranks his favorite Max Cady performances (00:57:00) and briefly discusses “The Simpsons” parody “Cape Feare” (01:02:40) before Sophie reveals her Sophie’s Choice pick for which she liked better: the book or the TV show (01:06:18).

For more on Apple TV’s “Cape Fear,” read Roxana’s excellent mid-season Vulture piece on the show and her review of the entire season.

Next week, we’re interviewing Oscar-nominated screenwriter Samy Burch (“May December”) about her new film “Late Fame,” starring Willem DaFoe and Greta Lee, in a (mostly) spoiler-free discussion.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guest: Roxana Hadadi

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, Sophie and Rudi take a deep dive into Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” with Classics professors Kyle Gervais and Il-Kweon Sir from Western University in London, Ontario, Canada.

After Kyle and Il-Kweon share their backgrounds and areas of expertise (00:01:15), they dive right into Nolan’s film, sharing their general thoughts on his adaptation (00:03:35).

Then, they discuss what message readers are meant to take away from Homer’s poem (00:05:54), how Matt Damon’s characterization of Odysseus in the film subverts the poem (00:10:51) and the influence of Virgil’s “Aeneid” on Nolan’s film (00:27:23).

Kyle and Il-Kweon also share their favorite translations of “The Odyssey” (00:38:00), decide whether Anne Hathaway's Penelope is faithful to the text (00:47:00), and share their thoughts on how Nolan’s interpretation of the ending is in conversation with the tradition of scholarly debate over the end of the poem (00:56:49).

Next week, we’re discussing Apple TV’s “Cape Fear,” a series adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners” that also draws from a pair of “Cape Fear” films from 1962 and 1991.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guests: Kyle Gervais and Il-Kweon Sir

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, It Was an Epic Poem First! Sophie and Rudi discuss one of the most anticipated adaptations of the year: “The Odyssey,” director Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem. The blockbuster adaptation of the ancient Greek work follows Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, on his long journey to return home after the Trojan War. Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Zendaya, and Lupita Nyong'o are just some of the stars who help bring this 3,000-year-old epic to the screen.

Before talking about the film in detail, Rudi and Sophie share their general thoughts on Nolan’s take (00:04:03) and briefly detail the histories (00:08:15) behind the poem, Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation, Nolan’s adaptation, and prior attempts to bring “The Odyssey” to screens.

Then they have a spoiler-filled chat (00:29:28) about “The Odyssey,” tracking the long journey Odyessus takes throughout the nearly three-hour epic while detailing some of the major (and subtle) changes Nolan made to Homer’s poem: the opening scene; the Cyclops battle (00:47:00); the breathtaking Trojan horse and Troy scene (00:52:46); Circi’s island (01:01:41); and the final conclusion (1:21:15).

Along the way, they explore why Nolan’s choices served the movie and the story, the impressive filmmaking craft on display, why Damon’s Odysseus is very different from the trickster in the poem (01:17:48), and how the film is in conversation with our modern times.

Finally, Rudi makes his choice (01:30:03) for which he liked better: listening to Claire Danes narrate the Wilson translation of “The Odyssey” or watching Nolan’s film.

We’ll continue discussing “The Odyssey” in our next episode, which will feature a conversation with professors who have studied Homer’s work and teach it to college students.

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, Sophie and Rudi look at the streaming adaptation landscape through the lens of this year’s Emmy nominations, BookTok's role in the rise of streaming adaptations, and the process behind adapting a book with author, screenwriter, and LA Times contributor Gary Goldstein.

Before that conversation, Sophie and Rudi chat about what adaptations made the cut for the Emmy Award nominations (02:23), (including two series they’ve covered on the podcast: “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” and “The Testaments”), Rudi shares a brief recommendation for why you should go see Olivia Wilde’s new movie “The Invite” (10:22), and they reveal why “Heated Rivalry" was absent from the Emmy nods (12:00).

Then, Gary Goldstein joins the show (16:03) to discuss his recent LA Times article, “Thanks to BookTok, authors are the new ‘rock stars.’ And Hollywood is taking notice,” why streamers are latching onto book adaptations, and his experience adapting the “Flower Shop Mysteries” book series into a TV movie series for Hallmark.

Next week, we’re discussing Christopher Nolan’s star-studded adaptation of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.”

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Guest: Gary Goldstein

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

This week, Sophie and Rudi discuss one of 2026’s most surprising hits: “The Sheep Detectives,” Amazon MGM’s adaptation of Leonie Swann’s German murder mystery novel “Three Bags Full.” The family-friendly comedy, about a flock of sheep investigating the muder of their sheppard, stars Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, and a voice cast that includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, Brett Goldstein, and Bryan Cranston.

Before talking about the movie, Rudi and Sophie share what else they watched and read recently: John Early’s new movie “Maddie’s Secret” (01:17) and the novels of author Emily St. John Mandel (04:17).

Then they get into the background of “Three Bags Full” and the film (07:55) before breaking down the cozy mystery’s plot in a spoiler-filled chat (13:45) that explores the big differences between the book and the movie (25:26), why murder mysteries are having a moment (31:45), and the film’s surprisingly affecting exploration of grief (45:00).

Finally, Sophie makes her choice (51:25) for which she liked better: reading "Three Bags Full" or watching “The Sheep Detectives.”

It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays.

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Editing: Rudi Greenberg

Social media: Sophie Vershbow

Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons

Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto

Website: Kevin Pfab

On the fourth episode of It Was A Book First, the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations, hosts Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg discuss “Off Campus,” Amazon Prime Video’s series adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s “The Deal,” the first book in her bestselling “Off Campus” series. The college-set streaming show follows the opposites attract romance between music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and star hockey player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli).

Before talking about the show, Sophie and Rudi share what else they watched recently: Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” (00:01:01) and two classic movies (00:03:15), “Chungking Express” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Then they get into the background of “The Deal” and the TV show (00:07:21) before breaking down the first season of “Off Campus” (00:17:54) in a spoiler-filled chat that explores the differences between the book and the series. They discuss how the show is refreshingly anti-toxic masculinity (00:27:24), why it feeds into millennial nostalgia (00:36:49), how it compares to “Heated Rivalry” (00:38:28), and why TV is in its hockey romance era (00:42:49).

Finally, Sophie makes her choice (01:06:42) for which she liked better: reading "The Deal" or watching “Off Campus.”

Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod

TikTok: @itwasabookfirst

YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast

Email us: [email protected]

Hosts and Producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg

Music by Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production by Kevin Pons

Logo by Trisha Louise Prieto

Website by Kevin Pfab