On December 5, 2017, John Green posted a video to the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel, where he and his brother Hank Green have shared digital correspondence since 2007, titled “On the Movies.” In this video, Green discussed his feelings regarding film adaptations of his novels in general as well as shared the news that he has sold the film rights of his novel “Turtles All the Way Down” to Fox 2000 Pictures. Green has previously collaborated with Fox for the film adaptations of his novels “Paper Towns” and “The Fault in Our Stars.”
“Turtles All the Way Down” follows a 16-year-old girl named Aza Holmes who is a high schooler living with OCD. The novel’s premise revolves around the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but overall mainly focuses on Aza’s growth and development as a person as well as themes of friendship, first loves and the meaning of life.
“That doesn’t mean there will definitely be a movie, but it means that there might be one.” – John Green, on the film adaptation of “Turtles All the Way Down”
In the video, John Green reminded his audience that even though he did sell the film rights to his book, there still remains a chance that it will not be made into a movie, or may take a long time to be adapted. In 2005, Green sold the film rights for his book “Looking for Alaska” to Paramount Studios, but it doesn’t seem like a movie adaptation will happen. However, there remains great hope that the film adaptation will be made (and be good!), as Green is teaming up with the same studio that adapted his last two books. Green and Fox 2000 have been working to find ways to accurately portray OCD through visual representation without using the typical and at times incorrect tropes of the mental illness.
To conclude the video, Green asked his readers for casting suggestions for the “Turtles All the Way Down” movie.
