TTT: Wishful Netflix Adaptations

With the success of The Witcher as an adaptation and an upcoming Netflix adaptation of Bardugo’s Grisha series (which I am still squeeing over, by the way), as well as a number of other adaptations from books–with middling to decent success–I’ve been a bit more hopeful with future attempts at telling the story on a TV or mini-series medium. That being said, I’m still a little wary about how they’ll adapt a series, especially since much of its faithfulness to the actual books themselves are always my issue with watching book adaptations.

That said, if I do hear some news about Netflix adaptations, here are ten books/comics that I would probably want to watch.

Ten Books That Should Be Adapted on Netflix

Teen Dramas

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – Not gonna lie, we’re due for another Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars/Revenge series, and what better way than to do one that pays an homage to The Breakfast Club? (This is totally not my attempt to have casting directors give us a Nate or anything…)

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee – Yeah, same as above. This book and the two books after I can see as perfect TV soap opera for the YA scene. And the added bonus? It’s a futuristic take on issues of class, teenage drama, and revenge.

Dystopian YA

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Two teenagers plucked out of obscurity to compete in becoming a career assassin sounds like the extreme dystopian story we all need. Mostly I just want to see how epic the scythe robes are, and how Rowan and Citra can fight in them.

Warcross by Marie Lu – I’d probably have said the Legend series, but I have actually not read those yet, and I know a lot more readers preferred that series over Warcross. That being said, I’d still love to see a TV take on virtual reality, Tokyo, and the lovely rainbow-haired protagonist.

Epic Fantasies

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – I keep saying this, but if Netflix and HBO are able to successfully adapt fantasy epics like The Witcher and Game of Thrones–respectively–then it’s almost time for a proper Mistborn adaptation. GIVE THIS TO US, PLEASE. I just…it’s MISTBORN, maaaan.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – This series can definitely be dragged out to goodness knows when. And with all the baggage and drama the main characters have? It’s bound to be juicy…and it’s in a fantasy/fairy tale-retold setting. What’s not to love?

Fables by Bill Willingham – Look. We got Once Upon a Time and Grimm. But neither of them really scratched that “modern fairy tale” itch I’ve been wanting to see on TV. Fables is a grand epic tale, with a whole cast of characters to love, and I enjoyed The Wolf Among Us for the abject reason that it gave Fables an animated form.

Diversity At Its Finest

Monstress by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda – Okay, so if this ever gets an adaptation, I hope it’s an animated one. Can you imagine a Netflix-backed, Studio Mir (Legend of Korra) collaboration with Liu’s story and Takeda’s artwork? I can, and it makes my brain explode with absolute fangirling.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – This could have also gone under “epic fantasies,” but how often do you get to see an epic fantasy with a diverse set of main characters? I’d love to see them actually cast and not white-washing Laia and Elias.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh – So this choice was actually influenced by the fact that I started reading the Webtoon adaptation of Shazi and her plight in the murderous caliph’s palace. I already imagined the beauty and dangers of desert living–as both illustrated in Wrath and the above book, Ember. Also, we’re due for another Arabian Nights retelling, because the last one I truly enjoyed was 20 years ago…

What book series do you see as possible Netflix adaptations?