Ripley
Come April 4, Andrew Scott will appear on screens near you as the villainous Tom Ripley in Netflix’s black-and-white adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
The initial teaser for “Ripley” provides a first look at Scott’s cool and calculating antihero, who, it seems, is attracting all kinds of attention both on-screen and out in the real world. Though “Ripley” is far from the first adaptation of Highsmith’s novel, there’s already plenty of online buzz surrounding the new miniseries and Scott’s starring role.
Academy Award-winner Steven Zaillian writes and directs the show’s eight episodes, and Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn star. Plus, John Malkovich, who played Ripley in the 2002 film “Ripley’s Game,” will make at least one appearance in the miniseries.
Fallout
Hot on the heels of 2023’s runaway success “The Last of Us,” “Fallout” is poised to be the next video game adaptation to shake up the TV landscape. Based on the massively popular Bethesda title of the same name, “Fallout” is set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles ravaged by nuclear war.
The cast list features Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Moises Arias, and a feisty canine companion CX404. Series creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet, known for penning the “Captain Marvel” script, serves as co-showrunner alongside Graham Wagner.
The first episodes drop on Prime Video on April 12. If the first trailer’s viewing numbers (more than 17 million at the time of writing) are any indicator, “Fallout” will be just about everyone’s next binge-watch.
The Sympathizer
With scripts based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, studio A24 producing, and Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. starring, it’s no surprise that “The Sympathizer” is already one of the most eagerly awaited shows of 2024.
Trailers for the limited series show Vietnamese Australian actor Hoa Xuande as the unnamed protagonist, a Vietnamese communist spy at the center of a tangled web of secrets, lies, and code that only intensifies after the Vietnam War ends.
Screen legends Kieu Chinh and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen will also play major roles in “The Sympathizer,” while episode directors include South Korean hitmaker Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”). If the source material is anything to go by, the series has some seriously dark and violent subjects to cover. Viewer discretion will likely be advised when “The Sympathizer” reaches HBO on April 14.
Dune: The Prophecy
“Dune: Part Two,” the second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, hits theaters this March, but that’s not the only “Dune” release to expect in 2024. Formerly titled “Dune: The Sisterhood,” “Dune: The Prophecy” focuses on the mysterious order of the Bene Gesserit thousands of years before the events of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novel, the basis for Villeneuve’s films.
Though there are few concrete details about the series thus far, Emily Watson and Olivia Williams star as Valya and Tula Harkonnen, founders of the Bene Gesserit and ancestors to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of “Dune.” Reportedly, filming started in 2022. Though Warner Bros. hasn’t set an official premiere date, we should see the series on HBO sometime this fall.
Black Doves
Get ready for a tense, London-set spy thriller starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. The forthcoming Netflix series “Black Doves” follows Helen (Knightley), a politician’s wife and undercover spy who joins forces with fellow spy and friend Sam (Whishaw) to solve the assassination of her lover.
The rest of the stacked cast includes Sarah Lancashire and “Warrior” star Andrew Koji. Though Netflix has yet to announce a release date, the series does take place during the holiday season, leading some sources to speculate that a Christmas-adjacent premiere could be in the books.
Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
