And you thought YA dystopian thrillers were dead? Not on your life. Netflix is hoping to bring them back with Uglies, an adaptation of the first book in Scott Westerfield’s book series set in a post-apocalyptic future. This time the corrupt government isn’t making its kids kill one another for sport, or making them run through a deadly maze. They’re forcing teens to get cosmetic surgery just to fit into society.
Joey King leads the cast of Uglies, playing 16-year-old Tally. At her age, she’s due to receive cosmetic surgery to become one of the “Pretties” so as to conform with society. But when her new friend Shay runs away to avoid a similar fate, Tally sets out to find her, discovering an ugly truth behind the operation.
Also in the cast are Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmin Lee and Laverne Cox.
The film is directed by McG, continuing his partnership with Netflix that has seen him direct The Babysitter, Rim of the World, and Family Switch for the streamer. King is also a Netflix mainstay at this point, having starred in The Kissing Booth trilogy. Co-writer Vanessa Taylor has experience in this genre as a writer on Divergent. She also co-wrote The Shape of Water.
Uglies hits Netflix on September 13th.
