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.
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
