The Selection book cover – Image: Kiera Cass
After three years of development, Netflix has chosen not to continue its planned adaptation of Kiera Cass’s New York Times bestselling novel, The selection.
First boarded on Netflix in 2020, the film adaptation was slated to be directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour. Katie Lovejoy was on board to write the film with Denise Di Novi and Pouya Shahbazian serving as producers.
There were multiple positive updates on the film’s progress with preliminary production dates set for 2021, but nothing ultimately came to fruition.
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We now know that no movie or series will make it on Netflix.
Posted on the official website of Keira Cass, a blog post details that no project advances on Netflix. This is the full statement:
Well folks, time to make it official: Netflix is not making The Selection Movie. While they will still hold the film rights for a few more years, there are no plans to produce a movie or series anymore.
You all have waited so long, and I wish I could give you better news. Although I want to thank you. Their support and enthusiasm have been amazing, even with a wait that has spanned over a decade, throughout various attempts to bring The Selection to the screens. And I want you to know that there is nothing else you could have done to make this happen. you were perfect
Of course, if something changes, I’ll let you know. For now, there is no Selection film.
Making it official: @Netflix will not be doing #TheMovieSelection. Very sorry. You all were incredibly supportive!
—Kiera Cass👑 (@kieracass) May 30, 2023
Of course, this isn’t the first time an adaptation hasn’t come to fruition for the book. We’ve seen several adaptations announced over the past decade, and nothing has ever come to light. The CW was first attached to the project in 2013 and finally happened after producing a pilot. Images from Warner Bros. addressed the IP in 2015 for a film adaptation, and nothing came of it either.
Scrapping projects under development or in early stages is not uncommon, but is generally not publicized. In recent years, we have seen quite a few animated titles scrapped, such as Ember, Boneand Fire wings. Earlier this year, Netflix also scrapped its planned adaptation of The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. In recent years, we’ve also seen projects scrapped after they’ve been in production.
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