Sharp Objects: TV thriller from the writer of Gone Girl hits screens next month

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Two murdered girls. Personal demons. And many more murky goings-on besides. A compelling new small-town mystery from the writer of Gone Girl is hitting TV screens next month.

Sharp Objects revolves around journalist Camille Preaker, played by Amy Adams, who returns to her hometown to investigate a terrible crime.

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The eight-part HBO series will hit Sky on this side of the pond at the same time it airs in America. Here's everything you need to know.

Big Little Lies meets Gone Girl

Five-time Oscar nominee Adams, of Arrival and Nocturnal Animals fame, is joined in the drama by House Of Cards' Patricia Clarkson, Weeds' Elizabeth Perkins, and The Newsrooms' Chris Messina.

Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn has co-written the project with Marti Noxon (Mad Men). Flynn also worked closely with David Fincher on his 2014 film version of Gone Girl, receiving multiple award nominations for her screenplay.

Interestingly, Sharp Objects is directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who also helmed 2017's justly acclaimed Big Little Lies. Given that both are mini-series revolving around dark secrets in small towns, you'd expect his skills to bring similarly engaging results here.

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Indeed, actress Sydney Sweeney - who has a role in the show - recently described Sharp Objects as being like Big Little Lies, but "darker" and "way more twisted".

A complex plot - and protagonist

Based on Flynn's 2006 novel of the same name, which actually pre-dates Gone Girl, the story sees Adams' Camille go back to her hometown to look into the killings of two young girls, not long after being released from a psychiatric facility.

Haunted by the past and present: Amy Adams stars as a very troubled journalist (Photo: HBO/Sky)

Camille, who has a history of self-harming (hence, presumably, the title), is haunted by events that occurred in her past. Being back where she grew up could allow her to confront and overcome her issues. By the same token, it could also be disastrous.

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Sharp Objects' Missouri setting mirrors that of Gone Girl. As does its sense of strained relationships, small-town suspicions, and the sense of a mystery that will unearth uncomfortable home truths.

Given Flynn's knack for multi-faceted characters and surprising revelations, we could be in for another gripping affair.

Raging against the machine

Creator Marti Noxon, whose previous credits include UnREAL, also has a new show hitting Amazon Prime in the UK today: Dietland being a sharp, darkly comic satire of New York's fashion industry.

Both of these new projects explore contemporary issues facing women.

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In a recent interview, Noxon explained that Flynn's source novel really resonated with her.

Sharp Objects is a mix of murder mystery, dark suburban drama and social commentary (Photo: HBO/Sky)

"I had read Sharp Objects while I was going through my divorce. I was going through a lot of dark stuff. I’ve wrestled with addiction and eating disorders on and off throughout my life... and I really related to Camille. After picking up the book, I just couldn’t shake her."

Noxon sees Sharp Objects as an all-too relevant story about the anger of women in modern society.

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"It’s women raging against the machine - and not knowing what to do about it."

You don't have long to wait

The first episode of Sharp Objects hits HBO in the US and Sky in the UK simultaneously.

Night-owl viewers on these shores will be able to catch the premiere on Sky Atlantic at 2am in the morning on Monday 9 July. Or watch it anytime afterwards, if they have catch-up.

There will also be a broadcast of episode one on Sky Atlantic at 9pm on 9 July.

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[Main image: HBO/Sky]

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