Tag: Jordan peele

7 Compelling Book-To-Screen Adaptations That Are Now Available as Audiobooks

September 29, 2023

A person looking at a flying saucer in the night sky

“Which was better, the book or the movie?”

It’s a common argument that has withstood the test of time and has only gotten stronger as more and more hit television shows and movies inspired by novels have been released. And now with audiobooks, you can listen to the original book before watching its screen version to compare, contrast, and settle the argument of which was better once and for all. 

So, whether it’s a coming-of-age tale set over several beautiful summers or a hilarious full-cast romp to stop the apocalypse, here are some of our favorite book-to-screen adaptations available now on Spotify. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Written by Jenny Han

Narrated by Lola Tung

Some summers are just destined to be pretty. 

In Jenny Han’s coming-of-age romance novel, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Isabel “Belly” Conklin measures her life in summers. To her, everything good and magical happens between the months of June and August, when her family reunites with friend Susannah and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. The boys have been Belly’s brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Good Omens

Written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Narrated by Rebecca Front, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Adjoa Andoh, Allan Corduner, Arthur Darvill, Chris Nelson, Ferdinand Frisby Williams, Gabrielle Glaister, John Hopkins, Katherine Kingsley, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Lemn Sissay, Lorelei King, Louis Davison, Matt Reeves, Peter Forbes, and Pixie Davies

Dive into this brand-new, full-cast audiobook production of Good Omens from internationally bestselling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, and tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to the Divine Plan. Except the somewhat fussy angel Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen) and the fast-living demon Crowley (played by David Tennant)—both of whom have lived among Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. 

All that and someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

Lovecraft Country

Written by Matt Ruff

Narrated by Kevin Kenerly

Also adapted into an HBO® series by J.J. Abrams, Misha Green, and Jordan Peele, Matt Ruff’s novel Lovecraft Country makes visceral the terrors of Jim Crow America, melding historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror. 

When his father goes missing in 1950s Chicago, 22-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his uncle George—publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide—and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite (heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’s ancestors) they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours. 

A chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two Black families, Lovecraft Country is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism—the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.

The Good Nurse

Written by Charles Graeber

Narrated by Will Collyer

After his December 2003 arrest, registered nurse Charlie Cullen was quickly dubbed “The Angel of Death” by the media. But Cullen was no mercy killer, nor was he a simple monster. He was a favorite son, husband, beloved father, best friend, and celebrated caregiver. Implicated in the deaths of as many as 300 patients, he was also perhaps the most prolific serial killer in American history. 

Cullen’s murderous career in the world’s most trusted profession spanned 16 years and nine hospitals from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. In The Good Nurse, journalist Charles Graeber presents the whole story, nearly 10 years in the making. 

Based on hundreds of pages of previously unseen police records, interviews, wire-tap recordings, and videotapes, as well as exclusive jailhouse conversations with Cullen himself and the confidential informant who helped bring him down, this true crime audiobook weaves an urgent, terrifying tale of murder, friendship, and betrayal.

Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda

Written by Jesse J. Holland, Linda D. Addison, Maurice Broaddus, Christopher Chambers, Milton J. Davis, Tananarive Due, Nikki Giovanni, Harlan James, Danian Jerry, Kyoko M., L.L. McKinney, Temi Oh, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Glenn Parris, Alex Simmons, Sheree Renée Thomas, Cadwell Turnbull, and Troy L. Wiggins

Narrated by J. D. Jackson and Joy Sunday

T’Challa faces the gods of his parents. Vampires stalk Shuri and a Dora Milaje in voodoo-laced New Orleans. Erik Killmonger grapples with racism, Russian spies, and his own origins. All these stories and more are here in the anthology Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda.

The first mainstream superhero of African descent, the Black Panther has attracted fans of all races and colors who see in the King of Wakanda reflections of themselves. Storytellers from across the African diaspora—some already literary legends, others rising stars—have created for this collection of original works inspired by the world of the Panther. With guest characters including Storm, Monica Rambeau, Namor, and Jericho Drumm, these are stories of yesterday and today, of science and magic, of faith and love.

The School for Good and Evil

Written by Soman Chainani

Narrated by Polly Lee

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil. 

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed: Sophie’s dumped into the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are? Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Written by Jenny Han

Narrated by Ali Ahn

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them . . . all at once? 

In Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. That is, until one day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Eligible Spotify Premium users in the U.K. and Australia can now look forward to 15 hours of audiobook listening per month on any audiobook marked “Included in Premium.” Learn all about it. 

The Creative Process Behind Jordan Peele’s Hit Spotify Audio Series ‘Quiet Part Loud’

January 12, 2023

Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions may be best known for its blockbuster horror films Get Out, Us, and Nope, which all deliver incisive takes on the societal and cultural issues that exist in the world. But late last year, the studio forged a new path when it partnered with Spotify for the release of its first scripted audio series, Quiet Part Loud. 

With an all-star cast featuring Tracy Letts, Christina Hendricks, Taran Killam, and Arian Moayed, Quiet Part Loud follows the likes of Case 63 and Batman Unburied as the latest Spotify Original scripted audio series. And thanks to its captivating story and immersive sound design, it has also found instant success.

The 12-part audio horror fable centers around main character Rick Eagan (Letts), a demagogue who uses his platform to spread political misinformation, and follows the terrifying effect falsehoods can have on the public. Serving as an examination of the fear, animosity, and divisiveness in American society, Quiet Part Loud was a hit upon its premiere, debuting as the top podcast in the U.S., as well as the top fiction podcast in the U.K. and Sweden. 

Providing a deeper look into the creation of the series, Executive Producer Geoff Foster sat down with For the Record to discuss Quiet Part Loud’s creative approach and inspirations.

What attracted Jordan Peele, you, and the Monkeypaw team to the idea of creating a fictional audio series in the horror genre?

Jordan and Monkeypaw are always excited by new ways to innovate and evolve as storytellers—we are always pushing ourselves to try new things and break old habits. The horror potential in scripted audio was undeniable. It’s a very personal medium because you are almost always alone when you are listening to a podcast. 

So despite the limitations of not having visuals, it felt like this intimate setting that was ripe for a new brand of horror. I think we were also intrigued by the historical precedent set by Orson Welles and the War of the Worlds radio broadcast in the 1930s, and eager to see what kind of potential was maybe yet to be unlocked for a 21st-century audience. There were obviously many brilliant creative minds already working in audio, but we wanted to see what we could bring to the table to push the medium even further. 

What’s the biggest or most unexpected difference between creating an audio series and making a movie?

The biggest difference is that without visuals, “action” becomes very difficult. This was definitely something that became more and more evident as we tinkered with the story in the writing phase and again in post-production. There are two big action set pieces in our series, in Episodes 8 and 12, and those two episodes definitely consumed the most time and attention. 

Even if you want to do something relatively simple like have someone pick a lock or get punched in the face, it’s pretty tricky. You can always use a narrator, but that feels like a crutch. Or you can have the character himself saying, “Time to pick this lock now,” or “Why did you punch me in the face?” But that feels inorganic and contrived. 

So this distinction really impacts so many choices in the story phase, and often many you might not have thought of. From a horror perspective, it also takes away a lot of your tools in the toolbox. Rather, the scares need to come from the anticipation and dread that precedes a threat. You need to live in the first 70-80 minutes of Jaws before you really see the shark.

How do you think the audio-focused format of podcasts provides a new way of storytelling?

I think once you get over the limitations of this format—the lack of visuals, the lack of gorgeous movie stars, etc.—you begin to see that this type of storytelling has unique advantages. It’s this strange hybrid that is probably most similar to a stage play. You have a captive, focused audience that hangs onto every word and places a real premium on great dialogue. But unlike a play, it’s also similar to TV and film in its pacing, editing, and story structure. 

There’s also something very freeing in not having to worry about budget or locations or camera setups or special effects or set design. You can be on the surface of the moon one second and on a submarine at the bottom of the ocean the next. You can travel around the world or back in time. There are no limits on any of that. As long as you can create a recognizable soundscape and are diligent about that, you can tell stories that would be otherwise unproducible in film and TV.

Amazing sound design is a hallmark of any great horror film. Do those same techniques work for an audio series like Quiet Part Loud, or did it require a different approach?

Well, there are definitely many similarities. Music plays a similar role in setting mood and tone while also priming the audience for scares. And the sound design process for determining what The Blank in Quiet Part Loud sounds like was similar to figuring out what Jean Jacket sounds like in Nope. 

But in this medium, the sound design is also doing the work of the camera. It is establishing POV and situating the audience in every scene. It is also doing all the transitions from scene to scene that establishing shots normally do. For a horror show like ours, the sound design is also responsible for the jump scares—and experimenting with how those could work was one of the most fun processes while we were making Quiet Part Loud. 

Will there be more podcasts in the future for Monkeypaw Productions?

Yes! We definitely want to do more. This is just the beginning.

Ready to experience the suspense of Quiet Part Loud? Stream all 12 episodes now.