From the page to the screen! Famed young adult book series Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is gearing up for its movie adaptation.
Set in a dystopian fantasy world 300 years in the future, the novels tell the story about a fictional operation that teens undergo upon turning the age of 16 to make them conform to the world’s beauty standards. Before receiving the surgery, citizens are considered an “Ugly,” but once they get the operation, they’re considered a “Pretty.” Following the story of Tally Youngblood, the books tell the story of her decision to either agree to the operation in order to fit in or rebel against her society. It has since spawned three sequels — Pretties, Specials and Extras.
“Another pinch me moment. That’s a wrap on Uglies. This has been the most incredible experience and I’m so f–kin thankful to tell stories that have strong messages,” star Chase Stokes shared via Instagram when production wrapped in December 2021. “This has been such a life altering experience. … I can’t wait to share this one with you guys. I think you’re going to enjoy it.”
In September 2020, it was first announced that Joey King would be working on the book’s film adaptation for Netflix. Not only did she sign on to star in the project, but The Kissing Booth alum will be listed as an executive producer through her production company, All The King’s Horses. Since then, news of the project has been kept under wraps until October 2021 when Deadline reported that more stars have been cast alongside Joey in the film adaptation.
Fans of the book series know that turning Tally’s story into a movie have been a long time coming. Following Uglies‘ release in 2005, the book’s rights were bought with the intention of adapting it into a film. Eventually, Netflix took on the rights along with Joey.
“I’ve already started to produce some projects and I’m excited to continue to produce projects because this job is my favorite thing,” Joey gushed to Shondaland in October 2020. “Being an actress is my favorite thing in the world and being on set is my favorite thing in the world. So just being able to learn more about how a set comes to be and how to make it happen myself is really exciting.”
While there’s no projected release date just yet, fans are hoping that more casting news comes soon as the Uglies franchise starts to take hold on the screen. Scroll through our gallery to meet the movie’s cast so far!
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