4 YA Movie Franchises Being Remade Into TV Shows
YA movie franchises dominated the screen ten years ago, and now many of them are being remade into TV series, with very mixed audience reactions.
A string of announcements has revealed that four YA movies are being remade into TV shows. YA movies dominated the screen a decade ago, adapting popular books into films. The most successful ones include Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games, which have stood the test of time and are still many audiences’ favorites. However, there were other adaptations that did not do as well or begin well until their final films, such as Divergent and The Maze Runner. With such beloved books, audiences were not pleased with YA movie adaptations that changed too much of their source, and many called for TV series to adapt them faithfully.
YA movie franchises have been adapted for TV before, Cassandra Clare’s first installment of The Mortal Instruments franchise, City of Bones, was adapted into a movie. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie was a box office flop so three years later, the franchise was adapted into a TV show for Freeform called Shadowhunters, which ran for three seasons. YA franchises being adapted for TV have its perks, as the shows can include way more detail from the books to create a more in-depth world. However, so many beloved YA movie franchises are now being adapted into TV shows despite their initial success. Here are four recently announced adaptations:
Harry Potter
One controversial announcement was Warner Bros.’s decision to remake the Harry Potter franchise. The series will air on HBO Max, soon to be Max, with each season focusing on one book similar to the movies. The creation of the Harry Potter TV show is to span over a decade, and the series intends to be a faithful adaptation of Rowling’s books. The announcement arrived not too long after the Fantastic Beasts franchise ended early due to poor box office performance, and it seems Warner Bros. wants to reinvent the Harry Potter world after a lack of success.
However, the Harry Potter TV show is causing a backlash for many reasons. Firstly, many do not understand why the Harry Potter movies need remaking when the last film was released just a decade ago. The movies are beloved by many and praised for their excellent casting, settings, and faithfulness to the books so many believe they should not be trying to go against that. Another issue is Rowling’s involvement with the Harry Potter TV series. After many comments against transgender people, audiences do not feel she should be involved nor benefit off more Harry Potter success and there are already threats of boycotting.
Percy Jackson
A YA movie franchise that is receiving much more of a positive reaction for its new TV adaptation is Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan’s first two Percy Jackson books were adapted into movies in 2010 and 2013 and were widely disliked by fans due to how unfaithful they were to the books. Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox meant it also gained the rights to Percy Jackson, and a TV show adaptation was announced shortly after and went into development in 2021. The biggest known difference between the TV show and the movie is Riordan’s involvement in the show, which is a popular trait in the new TV adaptations.
Eragon
Another positive TV show remake is that of Eragon, whose 2006 movie was once again slated for its inability to stick to the source material. The Eragon franchise only garnered one movie adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s hit novels, as all sequels were canceled. Eragon’s rights were also handed to Disney in the Fox acquisition, and the new TV remake went into development in 2022. The lore and history of Alagaësia is complex, so a TV series provides the perfect platform to slowly build the Eragon world, something the movie was scheduled for being unable of.
Twilight
Twilight is the most recent TV remake to be announced, with the confirmation of the project coming only the week after Harry Potter was announced. Twilight has often had mixed reviews, with those making fun of the “sparkly vampires” and teen love stories, whereas others loved the dynamics between Bella and Edward, plus the many vampire battles. Despite this, Twilight was extremely successful, the franchise grossed $3.4 billion worldwide and still has a very strong fanbase. The TV remake announcement arrives only 11 years after Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 was released in theaters, again making audiences question the reasoning behind the remake.
Lionsgate has announced the TV adaptation, and it is still unclear whether it is remaking the movies or following new stories. Lionsgate is also the company behind The Hunger Games, whose prequel is released later this year, so it could be that it wants to tell new stories in the Twilight world which would back up comments made by the CEO in 2017.
