It Was A Book First

This week, Sophie and Rudi discuss “Verity,” a new film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s twisty psychological thriller that stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.The Amazon MGM movie, which opened at No. 1 at the box office this past weekend, stars Hathaway (“The Odyssey”) as Verity Crawford, the writer of a famous thriller book series, whose husband (Josh Hartnett, “Oppenheimer”) enlists a younger writer, Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson, “Fifty Shades of Grey”), to help Verity finish the popular series after a car accident leaves her unable to write.Before they get to the book and film, Sophie recommends reading journalist Patrick Radden Keefe’s new book "London Falling” (00:01:38) and Rudi shares what it was like to spend a week seeing three pop star arena shows — Charli XCX, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo — all of whom have music in page-to-screen adaptations this year (00:03:41).They begin their “Verity” chat by sharing their overall feelings on the film (00:09:50) and dig into the Colleen Hoover phenomenon and her growing cinematic universe (00:13:25). Then they discuss director Michael Showalter, who previously collaborated with Hathaway on the adaptation of “The Idea of You,” writer Nick Antosca (“Cape Fear”) and the film’s development (00:17:18) before diving in-depth into “Verity’s” twisty plot (00:19:43).Throughout their conversation, Sophie explains why this is a mostly faithful adaptation of the 2018 novel that still managed to leave out a few key details (and invent some unnecessary ones). They both share what they found frustrating about the film, what made them laugh, and whether or not “Verity” is as campy as it thinks it is.They debate the merits of Johnson as an actor (00:24:33) and fawn over the real-life house where much of the movie is set (00:29:19) before getting into the manuscript that sets the twists in motion (00:33:02) and the letter (00:52:16) that has ignited debate among fans (are you Team Manuscript or Team Letter?) and Hoover herself (00:54:16). Rudi shares his theory on a more interesting idea for an alternate ending (00:58:08), they briefly compare “Verity” to “The Housemaid” adaptation from 2025 (01:04:41) and discuss how Hathaway’s performance compares to the other four movies she starred in this year.Finally, Sophie shares her pick for what she enjoyed more: Reading Hoover’s writing or watching the film (01:09:50).Next week, we’re discussing the horror movie “Other Mommy,” which adapts Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel “Incidents Around the House.” The film, which stars Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, and Arabella Olivia Clark, opens in theaters this weekend.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: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail: [email protected] and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi GreenbergEditing: Rudi GreenbergSocial media: Sophie VershbowMusic: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin PonsLogo: Trisha Louise PrietoWebsite: Kevin Pfab

This week, Sophie and Rudi look ahead to the book-to-screen adaptations they’re most anticipating watching this fall. From horror stories to new takes on Jane Austen, they picked 11 adaptations they can't wait to cover on the podcast before rapid-firing through some other adaptations they’re intrigued to see make the leap to the screen later this year.(00:02:38) “East of Eden,” Oct. 1, Netflix, based on the John Steinbeck novel(00:07:18) “Verity,” Oct. 2, theaters, based on the Colleen Hoover book(00:12:21) “Carrie,” Oct. 7, Prime Video, based on the Stephen King book(00:17:36) “Other Mommy,” Oct. 8, theaters, based on Josh Malerman’s “Incidents Around the House”(00:20:12) “Sense & Sensibility,” Oct. 16, theaters; “Pride & Prejudice,” Dec. 2, Netflix; both based, respectively, on Jane Austen novels(00:27:08) “Klara and the Sun,” Oct. 23, theaters, based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel(00:31:15) “Victorian Psycho,” Nov. 13, theaters, based on the Virginia Feito novel(00:34:23) “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” Nov. 20, theaters, based on the Suzanne Collins book(00:39:45) “Dig,” Nov 23, Peacock, based on “Excavations” by Kate Myers(00:42:22) “Dune: Part Three,” Dec. 18, theaters, based on “Dune Messiah” by Frank HerbertOther fall adaptations:(00:47:02) “Primetime,” Sept. 25, theaters; “You Can See Everything,” Oct. 16, theaters(00:50:51) “The Social Reckoning,” Oct. 9, theaters(00:52:56) “The Cat In the Hat,” Nov. 6, theaters; “Wildwood,” Oct. 23, theaters(00:55:08) “Whalefall,” Oct. 16, theaters(00:57:26) “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” Nov. 23, IMAX theaters, Dec. 23, Netflix(00:59:36) “Guarding Stars,” Nov. 18, Netflix; “In a Holidaze,” Dec. 2, Netflix(01:00:58) “Wicker,” Oct. 23, theaters(01:02:10) “The Good Daughter,” Nov. 12, Peacock(01:03:27) “Harry Potter,” Dec. 25, HBONext week, we’re discussing “The Love Hypothesis,” a new streaming rom-com for Prime Video starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman that’s based on Ali Hazelwood’s book of the same name, which was originally published as "Star Wars" fan fiction.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: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail: [email protected] and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi GreenbergEditing: Rudi GreenbergSocial media: Sophie VershbowMusic: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin PonsLogo: Trisha Louise PrietoWebsite: 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: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail us: [email protected] and Producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi GreenbergMusic by Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production by Kevin PonsLogo by Trisha Louise PrietoWebsite by Kevin Pfab

On the second episode of It Was A Book First, the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations, hosts Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg discuss "Margo's Got Money Troubles," Apple TV's series adaptation of the 2024 Rufi Thorpe novel. Created by David E. Kelley, the show stars Elle Fanning as Margo, a recent college dropout and aspiring writer who turns to OnlyFans to provide for her newborn son.Before talking about the show, Sophie and Rudi share what they've been watching and reading lately: Lena Dunham's new memoir and a documentary on Martin Short.Then they break down the show's eight episodes in a spoiler-filled chat that explores why this series feels like a perfect union of the A24 and Apple TV aesthetics, how the ensemble cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, and Greg Kinnear elevate the material, and what the show gets right (and wrong) about social media.New episodes of It Was A Book First drop on Wednesdays. Subscribe now to get them delivered weekly.Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail us: [email protected] and Producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi GreenbergMusic by Cliff Blum and John Connelly; mix and production by Kevin PonsLogo by Trisha Louise PrietoWebsite by Kevin Pfab

Welcome to It Was A Book First, a new podcast about the book-to-screen adaptations everyone is talking about. Each week, culture reporters Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg will discuss a new book-to-screen adaptation, covering everything from how it got made to how readers are reacting to it. We’ll also talk to authors and industry insiders about how books actually go from page to screen.Our first two episodes drop on Wednesday, June 17th! Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly. Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail us at [email protected]