A Brief Timeline of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' Adaptations
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Has any social climber found more enduring success than the Talented Mr. Ripley? It's been almost 70 years since novelist Patricia Highsmith created the character of Tom Ripley—the small-time New York City scammer who quickly graduates to the big leagues when a wealthy industrialist sends him to Italy to track down his errant son—and yet he remains the ne plus ultra of high society grifters. No one has quite managed to surpass his cult icon status, though certainly not for lack of trying (see: Oliver Quick, who made an earnest bid in Saltburn).
Anthony Minghella's 1999 film—starring Matt Damon as Tom, and Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow as the wealthy jetsetters whose lives he covets—may be the most famous cinematic adaptation of Highsmith's tale, but it's hardly the only one. Before Damon, Alain Delon, Dennis Hopper, and John Malkovich have stepped into the shoes of Ripley (Highsmith wrote five novels in the Ripley series). Now, the thriller has been adapted for the small screen, in a new Netflix series written by the Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List, The Irishman) and starring Andrew Scott, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in All of Us Strangers. So, which of these Mr. Ripleys is, in fact, the most talented? Catch up on all the adaptations and decide for yourself.
1955
Novelist Patricia Highsmith introduced the world to Tom Ripley, the con artist driven to murder by his insatiable thirst for the good life. The author, who considered her protagonist her alter ego, would chart his exploits in four more novels.
1960
Alain Delon went from rising talent to international star when he was cast as Tom Ripley in René Clément's French adaptation, Plein Soleil (Purple Noon to American audiences). Highsmith was impressed—she called his portrayal "excellent."
1977
Dennis Hopper took up the role of Ripley in The American Friend, German auteur Wim Wenders's neo-noir take on the third novel in the series (Ripley's Game). The same book was adapted for film a second time, in 2002, with John Malkovich as its star.
1999
Highsmith, who died in 1995, wasn't around to offer her opinion on the second cinematic iteration of The Talented Mr. Ripley—with its A-list lineup of Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett—but the film's cult status speaks for itself.
2024
Could Tom Ripley become prestige TV's new favorite anti-hero? We'll find out this week when Andrew Scott makes his debut in Ripley, alongside Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning in a new Netflix series created by the Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian.
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