Book-to-movie adaptations are nothing new. If you’re a teen or young adult, you probably remember Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Hunger Games from the 2010s era. Netflix has also adapted books into film such as Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or even Netflix’s adaptation of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. The list goes on. Book lovers –cross your fingers yet again for the latest Netflix adaptation of the 2005 novel Uglies by Scott Westerfield!

Set in a dystopian society, Uglies follows the journey of Tally Youngblood, a girl who is madly excited for her sixteenth birthday. However, she won’t be having a sweet sixteen birthday party. Tally can’t wait to turn sixteen because she will undergo an operation that will transform her from an “ugly” to a “pretty.” In Tally’s world, becoming a pretty will reap you the benefits of a fuller, more rewarding life. Tally has a friend named Shay. Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty, and she runs away. This leads Tally to rethink life as a pretty, and she soon gains an entirely new perspective when she finds out the darker sides of it. The authorities tell Tally to find Shay and turn her in or say goodbye to her dream of becoming a pretty. What will she do?

Here’s what we know so far about Netflix’s movie adaptation of Uglies:

• McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) is directing. He is most accredited for movies such as Charlie’s Angels and Terminator Salvation.
• The script was adapted by Krista Vernoff, who is known for Grey’s Anatomy, and Vanessa Taylor, who is known for Game of Thrones and Divergent.
• Joey King is an executive producer and will likely star as the main character Tally.
• Chase Stokes, Keith Powers, and Brianne Tju will also star in the show.

You may recognize Joey King from The Kissing Booth, Chase Stokes from his role as John B. in the Netflix series Outer Banks, and Brianne Tju from Hulu’s Light as a Feather or the Amazon Original I Know What You Did Last Summer. Lastly, rising star Keith Powers will star in the upcoming Netflix film The Perfect Find.

With a breakout cast and distinguished crew, the book-to-movie adaptation of Uglies looks promising. That’s all the information that we know so far, but YEM couldn’t be more excited! If you’re really curious, sure to keep a lookout on the cast’s social media pages, and maybe they’ll give their fans the 411. Until the trailer drops and the movie comes out, we’ll all just have to wait together in anticipation.