Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for existing IP doesn’t appear like it will be quenched any time soon, especially with the effect of the COVID shutdowns continuing to reverberate throughout the industry. Anything that audiences are already familiar with is going to be a plus as studios plan their new slates. The great news? There’s so much wonderful content out there to mine, including some of these novels and book series that IndieWire staffers think would make excellent series....

You’ve heard of dinner and a movie, but what about a cocktail? Amateur mixology is just one of the many hobbies that you may have picked up during quarantine, but even if you’re not skilled in mixing drinks, you’ll find easy-to-follow recipes in our roundup of cocktail books inspired by some of your favorite films. From Old Hollywood to ‘90s cult classics and much more, we’ve compiled a list of books that will help you whip up a delicious drink — and movie-inspired meal, depending on which cocktail book you choose....

Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most iconic figures in Hollywood history, and pop culture at large. The blonde bombshell, born Norma Jean Baker, became one of Tinsel Town’s biggest stars appearing in over 35 movies during her career and wracking up a collection of classic films such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “The Seven Year Itch,” “Niagara,” and “How to Marry a Millionaire.” Monroe died by drug overdose in 1962, but the tragic passing further cemented her place as a cultural icon....

Paramount was already marching into awards mode with “Top Gun: Maverick,” the box-office juggernaut that reminded everyone that big theatrical events movies aren’t dead (and neither are the theaters). With 10 Best Picture candidates, the movie stands a good shot at getting Tom Cruise his first nomination as a producer, but its distributor has an alternate plan on the horizon. Paramount capitalized on TIFF’s quieter weekday buzz to unveil the bonkers trailer for Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” a sprawling (and long) epic about the period when silent movies transitioned into sound, with Margot Robbie as a coke-fueled aspiring actress and Brad Pitt as an over-the-hill star....

After most recently landing a Best Actor nomination for his Oscar-winning directorial debut “A Star Is Born,” Cooper is helming Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” plus co-writing, producing, and starring in the upcoming feature opposite Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Silverman, Scott Ellis, and Matt Bomer. Nine-time Academy Award nominee Cooper revealed that he still isn’t taken seriously in Hollywood while candidly speaking with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes on their “SmartLess” podcast....

Nothing less than, well, just about everything cinematic is on the table in Nina Menkes’ eye-opening, if occasionally half-baked documentary “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power”; look no further than its wordy full title for proof of its big-time ambition. The film might only be indie filmmaking pioneer Menkes’ second documentary, but it’s inspired by her “cinematic experience” lecture “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” which Menkes has taken around the world for years....

According to a c0nsumer survey published by accounting firm KPMG, 20 percent of respondents say inflation has already inspired them to cancel at least one streaming service. And if inflation continues at its current rate, 37 percent of respondents said they plan to drop one or all of their streaming subscriptions. (What will they do with themselves?) Another 24 percent said that while they feel the impact of inflation, they don’t plan to change their streaming services....

Dunham’s fourth film adapts Karen Cushman’s lauded 1994 YA novel “Catherine, Called Birdy” (Dunham’s title does away with the comma, one of many smart changes she uses to freshen up the story) into a wildly entertaining coming-of-age comedy that captures both Dunham’s spirit and the thrust of Cushman’s novel. Starring “Games of Thrones” breakout Bella Ramsey in the title role, the film — set in medieval England — follows young Catherine (called “Birdy,” of course) as she navigates her way through a world uninterested (and unaccustomed) to caring about the whims and wishes of its women....

Enter her latest film, “Fire.” “I thought maybe ‘The Stars at Noon’ would never exist, so maybe this is my last film,” Denis told her friend, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, during a talk at New York’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, presented by Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center. “I don’t know, it was a weird thing.” “Fire,” also known as “Both Sides of the Blade” in its original title, was filmed during the lockdown with DIY tactics like shooting on an iPhone and utilizing a minimalist set....

Criterion Collection President Peter Becker told IndieWire that the layoffs affected several departments — and about 20 percent of the company, with 16 employees laid off from a staff of over 80. “Yesterday was a sad day at Criterion,” Becker said via email. “We had to part ways with a number of staffers across several departments as part of a reorganization intended to prepare the company for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, which are markedly different from the ones we had built ourselves up to address in the past....

Craig stars as Detective Benoit Blanc, a world-renowned mystery-solver who is tasked with finding a killer in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Blanc (Craig) is invited to the private Greek island getaway of friend and tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), but it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise as one guest turns up dead. Craig, whose Kentucky accent made headlines after the first film, revealed that his take on Blanc is entirely fresh for the sequel…in part because he forgot how he sounded in the original franchise installment, which premiered in 2019....

Desplechin, known for films like “Kings & Queen” and “My Golden Days,” had a tricky adaptation on his hands in bringing a novel built entirely on dialogue between two adulterous lovers to the screen. The original book centers on a married American man named Philip, now an expat in London, carrying on an affair with a married Englishwoman stifled by an unhappy bourgeois marriage and a small child. The majority of the novel unfolds around conversations the pair have before and after sex, with stinging barbs about life, love, and infidelity....

Disney’s “Hercules” tells the story of the eponymous character (voiced in the original by Tate Donovan) and Greek god. Living among mortals, Hercules becomes determined to reclaim his god-like status, becoming a quasi-celebrity in the process. Along the way he falls in love with the acerbic Meg (voiced by Susan Egan) and must defeat Hades (voiced by James Woods), the God of the Underworld. Ritchie has brought success to Disney with a live-action remake before....

Another day, another theatrical release bites the dust. The latest casualty is Disney/Pixar’s “Soul,” the animation house’s first Black-led feature, which was slated to launch in theaters on November 20 and will now instead debut exclusively on Disney+ on December 25, Christmas Day 2020. In international markets where Disney+ isn’t currently or soon to be available, “Soul” will be released theatrically, with dates to be announced. However, unlike “Mulan,” which came with a $30 one-time fee for “premier” access to view the film, “Soul” will come with no such upcharge....

Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptation “Death on the Nile” was originally set to open October 23, but moved to December 18 earlier this fall. Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ star-packed mystery is now determined as “unset,” according to an email from Disney representatives sent Thursday, as is the Ryan Reynolds action comedy “Free Guy,” which was set for release December 11. In recent weeks, Disney shuffled its Pixar entry “Soul” to open straight on Disney+ on Christmas Day, canceling an intended Thanksgiving corridor release....

The incident in question is obviously the physical altercation between Best Actor winner Will Smith and presenter Chris Rock. Smith rushed the stage and attacked Rock after the comic made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia. Smith then proceeded to yell, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” repeatedly after returning to his seat. The 16.6 million Oscar viewers (the second lowest in the show’s broadcast history) had to piece together what transpired after certain telecasts cut out with the swearing and the violence....

“I do not think Trump is trying to ‘make his base happy’ or ‘laying the groundwork for his own network’ or that ‘chaos is what he loves,’” Norton said. “The core of it is that he knows he’s in deep, multi-dimensional legal jeopardy and this defines his every action.” Norton noted Trump is “tactically” delaying the transition of power in the U.S. in order “to buy time for cover-up and evidence suppression” and to create “a desperate endgame....

“That is not allowed in 2021,” Stone said when The New York Times brought up Cruella being a non-smoker in the live-action movie. “We are not allowed to smoke onscreen in a Disney film. It was difficult to not have that cigarette holder…I was so excited to have that green plume of smoke in there, but it was not possible. I don’t want to promote smoking, but I’m also not trying to promote skinning puppies....

With the announcement of the 2021 Emmy Awards nominations this morning, it became increasingly clear that when it comes to voting for television’s best of the best, the TV Academy watches what it watches, loves what it loves, and nominates those things as widely as it possibly can. For some shows, that comes as a colossal boon. With regard to drama series, Netflix’s “The Crown,” Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” and Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” had 87 nominations between them....

We meet the residents of a run-down town as they’re preparing to call it a day. Not because their work has been done, but as town cryer/sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau) warns them: They have to be inside before the sun sets. It’s discovered that the town is preyed on nightly by mysterious creatures who look like real people, yet aren’t. A family on vacation soon enters the town, only to discover they can’t leave....