Scott Westerfield’s young adult novel Uglies has had its movie adaptation in development since 2006, so why hasn’t the movie come out yet?
Summary
- "The Uglies" movie adaptation, based on the popular book, has been in development since 2006 but still hasn't been released.
- Filming for "The Uglies" reportedly took place in 2021, but there is still no release date.
- The movie has been stuck in development hell for 17 years, facing challenges that have delayed its release.
In 2005, the young adult book "Uglies" rose to fame, and was popular enough to merit a movie adaptation that began development in 2006, yet 17 years later, The Uglies still has not been released and audiences are starting to wonder why. The Uglies is a sci-fi film based on Scott Westerfield's novel of the same name. It tells the story of Tally Youngblood, a teenager who lives in a society where, at the age of 16, all individuals are turned "Pretty" via intense cosmetic surgery. Tally is on the verge of her 16th birthday when she sets out to find her friend who has run away.
When "Uglies" was first published in the early 2000s, it came along with an onslaught of young adult dystopian books. It was right on the heels of "Harry Potter," and came right before Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" trilogy. In this way, it was no surprise that "Uglies" earned a movie deal right off the bat. Countless young adult dystopian movies were made in the 2000s and 2010s. However, none of them have taken as long as The Uglies has. In fact, the young adult dystopian craze is essentially over, and yet The Uglies still has to take the stage. What made it miss its prime time in popular culture?
Netflix's Uglies Was Filmed Back In 2021
Though there haven't been many updates on The Uglies since it started development in 2006, there has been one piece of recent news that shows that the movie still has some signs of life. Allegedly, The Uglies has already been filmed, and moreover, this filming occurred back in 2021. This update was confirmed by Joey King, the star of the film, in February 2022. Other members of The Uglies cast include Keith Powers, Brianna Tju, Chase Stokes, and Laverne Cox.
Although this is obviously a massive step forward for The Uglies, what makes this update strange is that there is still no release date. While it would make sense that if The Uglies needs a lot of CGI or special effects, it would take an extra year or two to edit the movie, but there should probably still be at least a year of release attached to the film by now. However, the only information anyone has about The Uglies' premiere is that it will be a special release on Netflix. So, as of now, The Uglies has been made, yet is still being held back from audiences.
The Project Has Been In Development Hell Since 2006
As it turns out, the crux of The Uglies problem is that it is a movie stuck development hell since it first began in 2006. Development hell, also referred to as development purgatory or development limbo, is when a project remains in the early stages of development for countless years due to legal, artistic, or technical problems. While it isn't clear what exactly has put The Uglies on hold, it seems that the 17 years it has spent being put together are due to challenges within the development process. Ultimately, it is disappointing that The Uglies struggled through its development phase, but hopefully, it will see the light of day soon.
