Novel adaptations continue to prove popular on screen. One of the biggest movies of the year, Ryan Gosling‘s new sci-fi masterpiece Project Hail Mary, is based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller adapting it for the big screen. Earning $683 million worldwide, becoming an enormous hit with critics, and now smashing expectations on streaming as one of the most-watched movies globally, Project Hail Mary is yet another example that audiences across the world are hungry for more book-to-screen projects.
On July 7, exciting author Jessica Knoll‘s latest novel, Helpless, finally debuted. A hugely talented editor, novelist, and screenwriter, Knoll‘s previous work includes 2015’s Luckiest Girl Alive, 2018’s The Favorite Sister, and 2023’s Bright Young Woman, with the latter — a fictionalized retelling of the crimes of Ted Bundy focused on his victims — set for a TV adaptation courtesy of Erik Feig’s Picturestart and Fifth Season, with Knoll writing and executive producing. Previously, Luckiest Girl Alive was adapted into a 2022 movie starring Mila Kunis. Now, as her new and spiciest novel yet hits shelves, it has been confirmed that Universal Global Television has acquired the rights to adapt Helpless for the screen.
The novel, which, according to Knoll herself, was inspired by the question, “Why do so many women kind of harbor these taboo sexual fantasies?“, is reportedly inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses, the smash hit from Sarah J. Maas. Knoll will adapt her book for the screen and will also executive produce, alongside two-time Academy Award nominee Stacy Sher. In a statement about this exciting new venture, Knoll said:
“With ‘Helpless,’ I wrote the book I’ve been dying to read, and I’m so excited to make the show I’ve been dying to watch. Stacey Sher has produced so many of my favorite (and most anticipated!) adaptations and working alongside her and the talented team at Universal Global Television feels like I’ve scratched off a winning lotto ticket.”
A Novel Adaptation Is a Massive Hit on Netflix Right Now
Yet more proof of the hunger for novel adaptations from mass audiences is the current success of I Will Find You, the latest Netflix adaptation from acclaimed crime author Harlan Coben. It was recently reported that I Will Find You has picked up over 85 million views as of last week, which makes it one of the most-watched Netflix shows of the last few years. With that in mind, Helpless will be hoping for a slice of the streaming success pie.
Helpless is getting a TV adaptation.
via Collider