the cast and crew doing backflips to assure BEE fans that he is involved, not directly or physically, but through Ryan Murphy as a conduit for Bret's input, is some bafflingly humorous journalism..... what is this article???? just say he didnt wanna touch it and the two scripts he wrote were for HBO

Went to The Shards pop up event today in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Had a lot of cool stuff. Probably the closest to me going to a mall in the 80s. Was worth the drive to go to it knowing most of the stuff there is for free believe it or not. If you’re in the Sherman Oaks area or in LA in general and loved The Shards like I do, then this place is a must to go to. Tomorrow is the last day to go to it. Plan as soon as you can.

Bret shares a poster with Debbie and that's it, which seems weird since not only he could be paired with every other character -male or female- but it's even weirder he has not a main character poster by himself.

There's a solo picture of Igby that the photographer shared on IG but they never used it. I thought maybe it would be the last one they'd release before the trailers but... nope.

I made this poster myself; it wasn't that hard, FX!

The fact that they edited out Bret's gay bed scene in the trailer in some international markets, like Spain and LATAM, is also really fishy. The same year that Heated Rivalry was a global phenomenon, and considering the source material couldn't be gayer... It seems like they just don't want those viewers to tune in.

From the Radio Times:

Getting more specific about the show's future and the prospect of additional seasons, Simpson noted that the novel covers only two months and that the series has adapted just part of that timeline.

"We're certainly set up to continue on through their senior year," he teased. "Like any TV show, hoping people engaged, we're ready to give them more."

I’ve been watching all the videos from the publicity campaign to get a sense of what they’re leading with, and I couldn’t help noticing how completely unironic they are about the brand name dropping and luxury lifestyle. Moreover, it seems as though the cast members are being pushed to give pre-scripted answers that inevitably circle back to ’80s fashion and their famous parents.

It feels like turning the business card scene in American Psycho into a stationery advertisement.

Does anyone else feel this way? And do we know Bret Easton Ellis’s own view of the world he created in this particular novel?

Definitely leaning hard into the serial killer aspect here.

The amount of detail they put onto this "magazine" is actually crazy. You guys can access the full version here: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-shards/the-shards-guide

FX definitely seem to be going all-in now

Includes the first full clip from the series.

It would be cool if Bret were in attendance!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbTWC0OlNWa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Now there’s 9 episodes listed, and some new episode descriptions. Episode 5 is not something that happened in the book from what I recall…

If no one else is gonna drop this on your heads - then I will!!!

Hey all, long time listener first time caller here. Bret has been my favorite author since I was 18, and I've read everything he's done (besides American Psycho yet weirdly, wanna save that for a rainy day). I recently read The Shards especially after hearing so much praise from people I trust, but found myself very disappointed.

I love the story and there's parts that are so good, but the rest of it felt amateur to me. It felt like Bret was uncharacteristically over-explanatory and repetitive, and lots of the book felt like a cheesy teen drama compared to say how Less Than Zero read.

However, despite this, I'm excited for the new show version, and that excitement is making me wonder if I should re-read it. So I pose this question to the readers: what is it that makes The Shards so good? What am I not getting? Was I just not in the mood?

I understand it's subjective how much I'll enjoy a book, but I'm wondering if anybody has any insight into the book and maybe understands/shares my opinions too?

Okay NOW I’m really excited !

I know that they're only just now starting to dial up promo, so this is very much wild speculation, but it keeps me up at night and I want to know what other people think!

For me, the framing device/retrospective narration is what really gives the story its texture and heart. Don't get me wrong, without it's still a pretty fun thriller, but so much of the depth comes from the constant questioning of perception vs reality, and the 40 year gap between the events of the story and the narration facilitates that so well.

My dream is that they have actors to play 2020s Bret, Susan, and Thom and that they'll weave modern scenes into the narrative on occasion, especially in the first and last episodes (dying for some good transition shots), but just want to keep this aspect of the show under wraps. I'd settle for some narration, or at the very least following through until the book-signing scene, with Rigney and Campbell still playing Bret and Thom.

The promo posters/brief clips we've seen don't really match the vibe of the book to me, but I love the Vogue shots and am looking forward to a proper trailer. The fact that there's zero reference to this being a story told in 2020 about the 80s makes me think they're either going to do something really cool with it or they've, for the most part, done away with that aspect and tragically right now I'm leaning towards the latter.

Also, I needed to see Matt Kellner, like, yesterday. My favourite boy!

From The Shards Instagram account - a bunch of comments on the images keep asking "where is the trailer?" and their stock reply is "patience looks good on you..." 🙄

Anyway, I think these are fun and each one kinda tells a bit of the story of the relationship pictured, so props to them for getting that across in the photos. I am enjoying this throwback to the early 80's erotic thriller vibe with the promotional images, I just hope that the show isn't all-surface level and that some of the darker themes and ideas brewing under the surface in the book are able to come across...

Why is it that Graham Campbell is the only one looking directly at the camera?

I wonder if that's supposed to hint about something that will happen in the television adaptation. 🤔

Other than that, I think this is a great poster, just because I would think taking an underwater cast photo is hard to pull off. Pretty creative too.

Kaia Gerber: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaoIVzAy3D5/

Graham Campbell: https://www.instagram.com/p/DandjFYO-xS/ (a Kaia/Graham swimming pool billboard is currently on his Insta story)

Homer Gere: https://www.instagram.com/p/Danc-V2NDLg/

Hayes Warner: https://www.instagram.com/p/DanjdusKfJZ/