Animorphsbooks fans rejoiced when it was announced that the series was going to get a live-action film under Scholastic andStep upproducer Erik Feig’s production company Picturestart. Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant, who co-wrote the original book series under the pseudonym K.A. Applegate, were also attached to the project as creative voices. Unfortunately, the writing duo recently took to Twitter to announce their exit from the project.
#ANIMORPHSmovie update: With great sadness we have decided not to participate further in the @picturestart effort. We may post a full explanation on Reddit later, but for now let’s go with ‘creative differences.’ If you want the general idea see:"
The Tweet linked to a page on the official website ofRick Riordan, author of thePercy Jacksonseries, where Riordan explained how he wasforced to step awayfrom the movie adaptations of his novels after it became clear that the studio was not interested in listening to his opinion on how to adapt his story for the films.
The implication is clear, that Applegate and Grant were left unsatisfied with the direction in which the movie adaptation ofAnimorphsis going, and thus decided to exit the project. This makes it the second time in recent memory where a live-action adaptation of a beloved children’s series parted ways with the creators of the series, with Netflix’s upcomingAvatar: The Last Airbenderlive-action series also undergoing a similar controversy.
TheAnimorphsnovels told the story of a group of teenagers, Jake, Marco, Rachel, Tobias, and Cassie, who come to learn of asecret invasion of Earth by alien parasitestaking place under everyone’s noses. The five teens are granted the power to transform into any animal they touch, and use this ability to wage a bloody war against the parasites, with the help of another alien named Ax.
The series was praised for its surprisingly gritty approach to theconcept of teens with special powerssaving the day. Over the course of 54 novels and several add-ons, the central characters come to realize the toll that the physical and psychological horrors of war had taken on them.
Animorphsenjoyed enormous popularity in the ’90s, regularly competing with theGoosebumpsseries on bestseller lists. A live-action series was produced for two seasons at Nickelodeon, which met with mixed reviews.
It seems the upcomingAnimorphsmovie is going to suffer from major deviation from the source material, which is why the original authors decided to depart the project. That does not mean the movie itself will not get made.
Hollywood has a long history of ignoring the wishes of authors when it comes to adapting their works. Writer Alan Moore famously disavowed every film and tv adaptation of hisWatchmencomics, while P. L. Travers, the author of theMary Poppinsbooks, was opposed to Disney’s adaptation of her characters. Hopefully, theAnimorphsmovie that does get made will do a better job of satisfying fans than it did the series authors.
