Todd Field Finally Returns
Friday, June 3, 2016 at 10:30AM 
It's been a decade since director Todd Field's masterful Little Children followed up his equally potent In the Bedroom, and we have been clammoring for his next effort since. After many close calls and proposed projects, his next literary adaptation is finally coming to fruition. Showtime has announced a two season, 20 episode order for Purity, based on last year's Jonathan Franzen globehopping novel. With the cable network throwing its weight behind the series, this is exciting news for those over us who have watched his many projects never get beyond the announcement stage.
This one comes with a high pedigree: Daniel Craig has signed on to play the central pseudo-WikiLeaks activist Andreas Wolf (sealing the final nail in the coffin to any Bond speculation), with Franzen and Oscar nominee David Hare sharing the writing duties with Field. The female lead has yet to be cast, but it's a strong role ripe for any number of younger actresses. Provided those Captain Marvel rumors don't materialize, might we make a suggestion:
It's quite an ambitious project for both Field and Showtime, hopefully stepping up their game in the coming years with this and the Twin Peaks revival. The novel is as expansive as Franzen's other praised works (curiously the more celebrated The Corrections and Freedom almost happened at HBO), with enough complex material for the planned two seasons and the thinkpieces that inevitably will follow. If nothing else, it should be a perfect fit to Field's intelligent sensibilities. The series will shoot next year, with both seasons airing shortly after.
Adaptations, Daniel Craig, TV, Todd Field
Reader Comments (9)
I know this thread is about Todd Fields returning to the forefront with a Showtime series but I continue to be ignored by the queen bee in these parts and no one yet has brought up the return of PTA and Daniel Day-Lewis for a 1950's vehicle on the fashion world in New York. Which means many roles for a mostly female ensemble.
After being disappointed by Freedom, I really enjoyed Purity. Highly filmable thanks to its many times and locales, and dialogue-heavy and drama-heavy scenes.
The Corrections was probably better (haven't read it in over 10 years), but maybe some odd unfilmalbe stuff (iirc, there was talking poop.)
Marsha Mason: I'd love to see this format applied to Pynchon adaptations if it works. Two seasons of Gravity's Rainbow and Mason and Dixon? A season for V and Vineland? (Yes, that 80s miniseries V shares a title with a Pynchon novel.) Three seasons for Against the Day? I'd be so down for those.
Showtime gives me Penny Dreadful, therefore it's sort of the best.
Marsha - Freedom was my favorite (I've read it four times), but I agree that this is probably the most filmable of his hits
Yes, Volvagia, I concur -- there are a ton of baggy novels that would probably only work as miniseries, and I'd love to see TV tackle them. Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full, Delillo's Underword, and a lot of Iris Murdoch would be great material for miniseries. Not sure they have the cachet to get made now, but it would be interesting!
I liked Purity a fair bit - you're certainly right that it will inspire a lot of thinkpieces given what a divisive figure in the literary community Franzen is - but 20 episodes seems like a huge stretch. Having said that, Daniel Craig is an ideal choice for the lead.
I love the Freedom; wasn't crazy about Purity. That being said, I'm hoping 20 episodes will give the story the breathing space to develop the female characters, since that was one of my big issues with the book. Leila and Anabel can be great roles for older actresses if Field and Hare give them some depth, and I'm really looking forward to the casting choices for those two.
Brie would be awesome! I totally could see her in the Pip part.
I'm still sad The Corrections series didn't move past the pilot stage at HBO. It may be my favorite (modern) novel, but boy is it ambitious material to tackle on film.