Adapt this is a column that makes the case for a big or small screen adaptation of a book or graphic novel.
The book: All the Rage, written by Courtney Summers, published in 2015
Premise: The story follows the perspective of Romy Grey, a high school girl in the small town of Grebe. A year ago, Romy was raped by Kellan Turner, son of the local sheriff and the woman behind the major employer in town. Having lost her friends and blamed for Kellan leaving town, Romy now works in a diner and lives with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend, who are among the few people who believe her story, trying to make it through each school day while ignoring all the taunts about how she made up the rape claim to get attention. In this setting, Romy’s former best friend and popular girl Penny goes missing after a major party, causing a town-wide manhunt that brings up old wounds while creating new ones for Romy and those around her.
Why it would make a great adaptation: While the search for Penny is ostensibly the focus of most of the novel, the story itself is more interested in exploring the aftermath of Romy’s rape and how she struggles to adjust. In the process, the book delves deeply into how rape culture affects not just victims and perpetrators of rape, but even third parties, and how the effects of rape culture can lead to other damaging situations. It’s a story that’s rarely been told in any medium, and having it on the screen would give the emotions an opportunity to play out, and for audiences to see firsthand the devastating effect that rape and rape culture can have on an individual. The source material is also strong enough that it’d give several performers a chance to shine, including whoever takes on the incredibly complex lead role of Romy herself, as well as that of her mother’s boyfriend Todd, her romantic interest Leon, and her school rival Tina, just to name a few examples.
How it can be a great adaptation: All The Rage is a contained enough story that it would work well as a movie. A miniseries, however, would allow for the creators to really delve into the inhabitants of the town of Grebe, where the story is set. This, in turn, would allow the emotional beats to land more effectively, adding to the impact of the story as a whole.
To bring the novel to the screen, much like Gillian Flynn with Gone Girl, Summers would be an ideal choice to adapt her own novel, having displayed a strong grasp of the characters and how they relate to each other. While Summers has not worked in film or television before, this has hardly proved to be an impediment in other projects. The directorial reins, on the other hand, would be well-suited for Debra Granik. Granik’s earlier works, particularly her 2010 film Winter’s Bone, have proven her knack for capturing the hopelessness of being trapped in a place that the rest of the world seems to have forgotten, and how protagonists deal with extreme circumstances, much like Romy Grey has to in All The Rage. Jane Campion has similarly displayed a skill for bringing small towns to life in Top of the Lake, with the added benefit of working with a protagonist who’s trying to function in a town that’s alienated her. Any of these individuals would be able to do the book justice.
Casting for a story such as All The Rage, which has a number of complex parts, can be tricky. Kaitlyn Dever, however, has displayed an ability to perform well in a tricky role such as that of Romy Grey, with strong supporting turns in the tv series Justified and the film Short Term 12. She would thus be an excellent choice for the lead role, which would in turn allow her to make the transition into leading roles as well.
Chances of seeing an adaptation: The book has yet to be picked up by any studio with the intention of bringing it to the screen, but that does not mean the possibility is remote. While the story falls under the young adult category, it’s neither a dystopian tale along the lines of the Hunger Games franchise, nor is it a romance along the lines of The Fault In Our Stars. What it is, however, is a powerful story that is likely to appeal to several demographics, and is certainly not limited to one audience. At first glance, this may seem like a disadvantage, but it might actually play in the book’s favour, as its distinctive nature can actually be used as a point of promotion. The chances of the book being adapted shall rest solely on whether or not there are a team of creative individuals out there who are interested in bringing a raw, often uncomfortable portrayal of rape culture to the screen.