In 2005, just before The Hunger Games took over as the leading dystopian thriller to scare the preteens, Uglies was the hit novel that enthralled middle schoolers across the country. Written by Scott Westerfeld, the story follows a young girl named Tally living in an alternate world where teenagers are surgically made “pretty” when they turn 16.
The film adaptation just hit Netflix and stars Joey King, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, and Laverne Cox. No spoilers here, but the film ends on a slight cliffhanger that Westerfeld hopes to explore in another installment. The original novel inspired several sequels, including Pretties, Specials, and Extras, so there is a lot more material to cover.
Westerfeld told Decider that a sequel isn’t off the table. “Well, I want to do it. I’m pretty sure [director] McG wants to do it,” he said. Even though he would be on board with the sequel, ultimately it’s up to the streamer. “Obviously when it comes down to it, with Netflix and the other powers that be, is how many people watch it, how many times. So, I will leave that up to the viewers to decide,” he said. So if you really liked Uglies, try streaming it multiple times to ensure that the sequel gets greenlit.
Director McG also has hope for a sequel, but that decision isn’t his to make. He told Deadline, “The audience needs to speak up and say we should finish the book series. Obviously, it’s a series of books. The story goes on, but we need to have everybody clamor for it, because it’s tough to get movies made, and it needs to be worth it, and they’re expensive,” McG continued. “We’re all very optimistic that the stories will continue, and of course, that’s why we signed up for this in the first place. It’s a series of books, and we want to tell the full story.” Hopefully, the fans will get what they want: more “ugly” people.
Uglies is now streaming on Netflix.