In 2022, Columbia Pictures and partners adapted Where The Crawdads Sing into a feature-length film. Produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter and directed by Olivia Newman, the film met with mixed reviews. Filming took place in Louisiana.
The screenplay, written by Lucy Alibar, changes the sequence and pacing of the text for film. For example, the film adaptation centers on the trial, presenting the investigation, arrest, and imprisonment in a montage at the film's beginning. Kya's backstory is then told through the frame story of her explaining her background to lawyer Tom Milton and thinking back to her childhood during the trial. The novel, by contrast, focuses more on Kya's experiences growing up in the marsh and her intense sense of isolation. Additionally, the film cuts out anecdotes and subplots, including the Amanda Hamilton plotline.
The film addresses criticisms of the text by recharacterizing Jumpin' and Mabel. For example, Mabel speaks the dialogue given to Mrs. Culpepper and Mrs. Singletary in the text, giving her a more complex characterization and a more prominent role in the film. Likely in response to criticisms of stereotypical characters, Jumpin' and Mabel are highly sophisticated, costumed in elegant clothing, and speaking without the vernacular used in the text.
