‘Turtles All the Way Down’: Isabela Merced to Lead Film Adaptation!!

Today, it was announced that fans can start getting excited about the next film adaptation of author John Green‘s work. The Hollywood Reporter writes that New Line is fast-tracking an adaptation of his 2017 book Turtles All the Way Down, which is planned to premiere on HBO Max with Dora and the Lost City of Gold star Isabela Merced in the lead role.

Turtles All the Way Down is a novel that tackles topics like anxiety and mental illness through the eyes of a teenage girl. Merced will be playing Aza Holmes, a teen with OCD who is “navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control”. After reconnecting with her childhood crush, she must reconsider her position on love, friendship, hope, and happiness in the face of her mental illness.

Green, who may be most known to audiences for the various YouTube channels he runs with his brother, has been a very accomplished writer in the Young Adult genre, having several books debut at number one on the New York Times bestselling list. The film will actually be the sixth adaptation of Green’s work. First, and most popularly, in 2014 his novel The Fault in Our Stars was adapted into a movie and then adapted for a second time in 2020 as Dil Bechara for audiences in India. Then, 2015 saw the release of the movie Paper Towns, based on the novel of the same name, and in 2019 his novel Looking for Alaska was adapted into a miniseries for Hulu. Additionally, in 2019, Netflix released Let it Snow, which was based on a collection of short stories from different authors which included Green. Let it Snow also happened to star Merced as well.

Merced previously starred as Dora the Explorer in the live-action film Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and has played major roles in Transformers: The Last Knight, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and the recent Jason Momoa action film Sweet Girl. She can next be seen in the upcoming remake of Father of the Bride.

Turtles All the Way Down is set to be directed by Hannah Marks, based on a script by writing duo Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. The pair is best known for co-show running This is Us and writing Love, Simon together. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and Isaac Klausner will be serving as producers on the adaptation. Green will also be serving as an executive producer along with Aptaker and Berger.