Page to Screen is a new original feature I’m experimenting with where I talk about film adaptations of YA books

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Will Switching Mediums Help Two Failed Adaptations?

There are two Young Adult books that are currently in production for film or television that, although being massive sellers, failed in their previous media attempt to cash in on the franchise.

I speak, of course, of The Selection and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

It’s promoted as a dystopian The Bachelor, and CW picked it up for two failed pilots.

Now The Selection’s rights have returned to a film studio who is developing a new script after the horrific failure of the two attempted pilots. I read part of one of the pilot scripts, and although I haven’t read The Selection I do know the story, and the script was NOTHING like the story.

(interestingly enough the book series was first supposed to be only a trilogy, but the cash cow gods have demanded it be expanded and it’s currently a planned 5 part series).

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones, Book #1 of The Mortal Instruments trilogy sextology infinite ongoing cash cow series by Cassandra Clare, is Harry Potter meets Twilight strongly influenced by Clare’s own Harry Potter fanfiction, and although it did get its own movie, apparently it flopped because the production team gave Clare too much power? I’m not entirely sure – I boycotted Clare a long time ago and will not read her books or anything that is adapted from her books. All I know is that the film was considered a major in-house flop and led to losses for the company.

Similarly, The Mortal Instruments, a TV adaptation of the series, has started casting. Because the film wasn’t good enough.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again, fail, try again, fail, try again, fail ad infinitum.

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