Sharp Objects (miniseries)

• Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, an alcoholic reporter recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital
  • Sophia Lillis as young Camille Preaker
• Patricia Clarkson as Adora Crellin, Camille and Amma's overbearing socialite mother
• Chris Messina as Detective Richard Willis, a detective from Kansas City who arrives in Wind Gap to assist with the ongoing murder investigations
• Eliza Scanlen as Amma Crellin, Camille's half-sister and Adora and Alan's daughter
• Matt Craven as Bill Vickery, the police chief of Wind Gap
• Henry Czerny as Alan Crellin, Camille's stepfather, Adora's husband, and Amma's father
• Taylor John Smith as John Keene, the brother of Wind Gap's second murder victim, Natalie Keene
• Madison Davenport as Ashley Wheeler, John's girlfriend
• Miguel Sandoval as Frank Curry, the editor of the St. Louis Chronicle who sends Camille back to Wind Gap on the assignment that leads her to confront her "issues"
• Will Chase as Bob Nash, the father of Wind Gap's first murder victim, Ann Nash
• Jackson Hurst as Kirk Lacey, a teacher at Wind Gap Middle School
• Lulu Wilson as Marian Crellin, Camille's half-sister who died in front of her when they were children, Adora and Alan's first child together, and Amma's sister
• Elizabeth Perkins as Jackie O'Neill, the town gossip and longtime family friend of the Crellins

In 2008, it was reported that Gillian Flynn's novel Sharp Objects was in development by French production company Pathé with Andrea Arnold set to direct.[11] By 2012, it was reported that the novel had been optioned by Alliance Films with Jason Blum expected to serve as a producer. Subsequently, Marti Noxon approached Blum with her vision for an eight episode television series.[12]

On July 8, 2014, it was announced that Blumhouse Productions and Entertainment One would be developing and producing a drama based on the debut novel from Gillian Flynn. Marti Noxon would serve as the showrunner, writer and executive producer, while Jean-Marc Vallée would serve as the director and executive producer.[13]

On April 1, 2016, it was announced that HBO had given the production an eight episode straight-to-series order.[14][15] On May 15, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on July 8, 2018.[16] On July 25, 2018, HBO president of programming, Casey Bloys, confirmed that, unlike another HBO series, Big Little Lies, which was originally ordered as a limited series before being renewed for a second season, Sharp Objects will not return for more episodes following its limited run.[17]

On February 19, 2016, Variety reported that Amy Adams had joined the project as its lead.[18] In March 2017, it was announced that Patricia Clarkson, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins, Madison Davenport, Chris Messina, Matt Craven, and Taylor John Smith had been cast in series regular roles. It was also announced that Will Chase, Jackson Hurst, and Jennifer Aspen had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] On May 22, 2017, it was announced that David Sullivan, Reagan Pasternak, Sydney Sweeney, Hilary Ward, and Sophia Lillis had been cast in recurring roles.[26][27]

Principal photography for the series commenced on March 6, 2017.[28] Filming locations included Barnesville, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; Redwood Valley, California; Santa Clarita, California; and Mendocino, California.[29]

It was reported that there was a fair amount of turmoil on the set of the series. Showrunner Noxon described the alleged "toe-to-toe screaming matches" she and the other producers would get into with director Vallée over his refusal to adhere closely to the series' scripts. Noxon has described Vallée as "much more interested in imagery and telling stories through pictures, and he's brilliant at that...but I love language...I studied theatre at Wesleyan before I became a writer, and the beauty of language, particularly in the Southern Gothic tradition, is so important to me."[30] Noxon together with Gillian Flynn, Jessica Rhoades, Amy Adams, and another (male) producer would reportedly have to pressure Vallée to include the dialogue of the script in his scenes, to his displeasure.[30]

Each episode features a title sequence with a different interpretation of the song "Dance and Angela" by Franz Waxman from the score of the 1951 film A Place in the Sun.[31] An electronic treatment of the song, by Jeffrey Brodsky, was used for the second episode. All music featured in the series is diegetic, coming from a source (a stereo, headphones, etc.) within the scene. The series secured the rights to four songs by Led Zeppelin, a band which is notoriously hard to get the rights for. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs stated, "We were trying to explain the importance of what music really does and how it plays a really pivotal role in this girl's life" and "also the escapism idea of music." The band liked the idea and approved the usage of their music.[32]

Promotional poster featuring Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), Amma Crellin (Eliza Scanlen), and Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson).

On April 22, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released.[33][34] On June 5, 2018, the official trailer was released.[35]

On June 7, 2018, the series held its world premiere during the opening night screening at the annual ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas. Following the premiere, a question-and-answer panel took place featuring Amy Adams, Marti Noxon, Gillian Flynn, Jean-Marc Vallée, and Jason Blum.[36][37]

Sharp Objects was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 27, 2018.[38]

Sharp Objects received critical acclaim. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 92% based on 289 reviews, with an average rating of 8.15/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A nearly unbearable slow burn, Sharp Objects maintains its grip with an unshakably grim atmosphere and an outstanding cast led by a superb Amy Adams."[39] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[40]

Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson's performances garnered widespread critical acclaim and earned them Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, respectively.

In a positive review, the Chicago Sun Times's Richard Roeper awarded the series four stars and praised it saying, "Graced with some of the best performances Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson have ever given, directed with sure-handed and sometimes flamboyant style by Jean-Marc Vallee and dripping with honey-coated but often barbed dialogue, Sharp Objects is flat-out great television.[41] In another encouraging criticism, The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg was similarly complimentary saying, "On TV, Sharp Objects can't precisely capture Flynn's prose and the internalized descent into disorientation taken page-by-page, but series director Jean-Marc Vallee finds his own visual language that, driven by a ferociously wounded performance by Amy Adams, makes this eight-hour limited series haunting and riveting — both prestige and pulp."[42] In a further approving editorial, The New York Times's James Poniewozik described the series as "mesmerizing" and commended it saying, "There's no cat-and-mouse game going on, no taunts from a genius criminal. Sharp Objects instead relies on internal drama and a transfixing Ms. Adams, who lays Camille’s ragged soul bare with sardonicism and self-loathing."[43]

In a more mixed assessment, USA Today's Kelly Lawler gave the series a rating of two stars out of four and said, "Although the eight-episode series eventually perks up, in the seven parts made available for review it's often a lazy, dreary summer mystery that feels exploitative of the violence it depicts. It's a disappointing adaptation of its source material, with all the gravitas of a trashy beach read."[44] In a further ambivalent editorial, TVLine's Dave Nemetz gave the series a "B−" grade and said, "There's enough intriguing material in Sharp Objects to keep me watching until the end; at the very least, it’s still an artfully shot showcase for some fine acting, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. But considering the big names involved and the promising source material, it can’t help but feel like a letdown."[45]