John Green: From Page To Silver Screen
John Green’s first novel Looking for Alaska was published in 2005. Since then, the author has found huge success in the young adult genre; between his Youtube channels vlogbrothers and CrashCourse, his self-proclaimed nerdfighter fans, and the popularity of his latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars [TFIOS], Green has become a celebrity.
“Some credit him with ushering in a new golden era for contemporary, realistic, literary teen fiction,” states The Wall Street Journal. “A blurb or Twitter endorsement from Mr. Green can ricochet around the Internet and boost sale.” Green’s influence on the YA genre has even been coined “the John Green effect” or "the John Green bump."
Green’s achievements include the silver screen adaptation of his latest bestseller The Fault in Our Stars: a cancer story that is not a cancer story, which currently has over seven million hardcover copies in circulation. Green’s novel was published in January 2012, and within the same month, Fox 2000 had optioned the film rights. Actress Shailene Woodley was cast as protagonist, Hazel Grace, and Ansel Elgort as Hazel’s love interest, Augustus Waters. The Fault in Our Stars made over $303 million at the box office worldwide, compared to its $12 million dollar budget.
Considering the profitable outcome of TFIOS, it is no surprise that Green’s other works have been picked up for their own silver screen adaptations including Green’s Paper Towns and his first novel Looking for Alaska. Fox 2000 picked up Green’s third novel Paper Towns to be written and produced by the same team as TFIOS. The story focuses on Quentin, “Q,” who has always loved his adventurous and mysterious neighbor Margo from afar. One night, she climbs through his window, summoning him for a night filled with revenge: an offer he can’t refuse. Though as soon as he starts to figure her out, Margo once again becomes a mystery and Q has to uncover the clues.
Nat Wolff, who played Isaac in Green’s TFIOS, will play Quentin Jacobsen opposite Cara Delevingne as Margo Roth Spiegelman. The film is set to be released June 5th of this year, on the one year anniversary of TFIOS movie release.
Some of the most exciting and nerve-wracking news for Green’s fans is the pending adaptation of his first novel Looking for Alaska, which has become a beloved YA novel since being published in 2005. The book focuses on Miles, an awkward, friendless teenager who is obsessed with famous last words and finds himself being sent to boarding school. It is there that he meets Alaska Young, a mysterious, beautiful, and disastrous girl. Looking for Alaska received both praise and controversy upon its release: earning Green the Michael L. Printz Award while also being challenged in multiple school districts throughout the US.
The film rights to Looking For Alaska were picked up by Paramount Pictures in 2005. While Alaska was optioned by Paramount soon after its publication, it has been shelved for the last ten years. Only now, following the success of the TFIOS movie, has Paramount approved the project that will be both written and directed by Sarah Polley.
Right now, everything is gold for YA author John Green, and frankly it’s not too bad being one of his fans either.