5 Years Ago Today, a 10/10 Sci-Fi Book That Deserved a Franchise Was Instantly Ruined by Its Movie

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Movie studios are naturally drawn to adapting popular book series. A successful first movie instantly creates a franchise with existing fans and plenty of material for sequels, potentially guaranteeing years of profitable films. We’ve seen this work well with franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. However, a weak start can doom a series, as demonstrated by films like I Am Number Four and, more recently, Chaos Walking, which failed to gain traction.

I was really excited when Chaos Walking came out on March 5th, 2021 – it was based on the first book in Patrick Ness’ amazing Chaos Walking trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go. Sadly, the movie didn’t live up to the hype. Critics weren’t impressed, and it didn’t do well at the box office, only making around $27 million worldwide despite costing $100-125 million to make. It’s a shame, because I’d hoped they’d be able to adapt the rest of the series for the big screen, but that doesn’t seem likely now.

Chaos Walking Couldn’t Deliver On Its Exciting Potential

There was good reason to believe Chaos Walking could launch a successful young adult film series. The novels it’s based on were popular and well-regarded, praised for their thought-provoking themes and imaginative world. The unique premise – a dystopian future where everyone can hear each other’s thoughts, called “the Noise” – was particularly appealing. The film also had a strong team behind it, with director Doug Liman (known for The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow) and stars Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. However, despite all of this potential, Chaos Walking unfortunately didn’t live up to expectations.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, the film Chaos Walking was facing difficulties. Filming finished in 2017, but the initial test screenings weren’t well-received, leading to significant reshoots. These reshoots were put on hold while the stars, Ridley and Holland, worked on Star Wars and Marvel projects, and were ultimately overseen by Fede Álvarez, though Doug Liman remained the credited director. However, the reshoots didn’t significantly improve the film. Unlike the highly praised books it’s based on, the movie was criticized for its predictable story and bland characters. It failed to capture the unique qualities of Ness’s writing, relying on common genre tropes and only offering a superficial look at the complex story.

It’s not uncommon for movies aimed at young adults to receive negative reviews but still make a lot of money, sometimes even launching entire series. The Maze Runner films are a good example – critics were mixed (with scores around 65%, 47%, and 43% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the movies did well in theaters, largely because they weren’t very expensive to make (the most costly, The Death Cure, cost $62 million). Chaos Walking could have potentially overcome its bad reviews with strong ticket sales, but it was released at the wrong time. Early 2021 was still heavily impacted by the pandemic, making it nearly impossible for the film to become a big hit in theaters.

I’m still a little disappointed with how the Chaos Walking adaptation turned out. The books are so well-loved, and I really believe this series had the potential to become something huge – even break out of the young adult label. It explored some really powerful themes and created such a unique, immersive post-apocalyptic world. Honestly, the groundwork was there for a truly great sci-fi series. I keep hoping someone will try a reboot someday, because the core ideas are fantastic and deserve a better on-screen treatment. With The Hunger Games still going strong, it proves there’s definitely an audience for stories like these.

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2026-03-05 22:40