Is Chloé Zhao's adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's historical novel on the life of Agnes Hathoway, William Shakespeare, and their child Hamnet an example of one of the best kinds of adaptations possible in film? In episode 370, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they marvel at the performance Jessie Buckley delivers, debate the ethics of mining personal tragedy for artistic expression, weigh the inclusion of a beloved if often-used piece of music, embrace emotional storytelling at it's finest, and join in a moment of shared catharsis. They finish by casting their votes on which is ultimately better, the book or the movie!

• Join our Discord channel! https://discord.gg/yQpgu9jYB2
• Pickup Hamnet or any of the novels they've covered at the Ink to Film Bookshop! https://bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm
• Support Ink to Film on Patreon for bonus content, merch, and the ability to vote on upcoming projects! https://www.patreon.com/inktofilm
• Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (@inktofilm)
• Home Base: inktofilm.com
• Intro/Outro Music "No Winners" by Ross Bugden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qk-vZ1qicI

References

• Maggie O'Farrell didn't want to write 'Hamnet's' script.
• Vanity Fair Notes on a Scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfTiQzQ-DoM

Luke Elliott

• Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com
• Social Media: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/social
• Writing: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/publications

James Bailey

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamebail.bsky.social
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamebail/

Before the award's darling film hit theaters in 2025, Maggie O'Farrell's novel made waves of its own with its brilliant prose, rich imagination, and earnest attention to the human heart. Her choice to focus on William Shakespeare's son, wife Agnes, and the possible implications his personal life could have had on his legendary work brought a fresh perspective to one of the most talked about figures in English Literature. In episode 369, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they kick off season 10 of the podcast, talk about "The Death of the Author" as a critical approach and what could be gained by bringing them back to life, the real story behind Anne Hathaway, and discuss what they are hoping for next week when they watch the film directed by Chloé Zhao!

• Join our Discord channel! https://discord.gg/yQpgu9jYB2
• Pickup Hamnet or any of the novels they've covered at the Ink to Film Bookshop! https://bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm
• Support Ink to Film on Patreon for bonus content, merch, and the ability to vote on upcoming projects! https://www.patreon.com/inktofilm
• Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (@inktofilm)
• Home Base: inktofilm.com
• Intro/Outro Music "No Winners" by Ross Bugden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qk-vZ1qicI

Luke Elliott

• Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com
• Social Media: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/social
• Writing: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/publications

James Bailey

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamebail.bsky.social
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamebail/

To cap off their 9th season, in episode 368 James and Luke list their best (and worst) reads, then name the best (and worst) adaptations of the year. It was an exciting year highlighted by their first ever live recording featuring the incredible Martha Wells who joined the show to talk Murderbot at WorldCon in Seattle. The podcast didn't stop at just sci-fi, though, making a deep dive into Dracula, exploring a legendary anime, dissecting a trio of Stephen King movies, laughing with a Shakespeare retelling for the ages, and lamenting a fantasy series cancelled before its time. Topics also include: The Wheel of Time, Nosferatu, Mickey 17, Conclave, The Ring, The Iron Giant, and so much more. Thank you to everyone who made this year a great one for Ink to Film!

Categories

Intro - 00:00:27

Podcast Stats - 00:02:21

Biggest Surprise - 00:13:42

Worst Read - 00:25:30

Best Read - 00:35:38

Worst Watch - 00:50:53

Best Watch (A.K.A. Best Adaptation) - 01:02:47

Looking Ahead - 01:20:53

• Pickup any of the novels they've covered at the Ink to Film Bookshop! https://bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm
• Support Ink to Film on Patreon for bonus content, merch, and the ability to vote on upcoming projects! www.patreon.com/inktofilm
• Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (@inktofilm)
• Home Base: inktofilm.com

Luke Elliott

• Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com
• Social Media: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/social
• Writing: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/pub...

James Bailey

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamebail.bsky.social
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamebail/