I have fond, slightly wet memories of crying in a movie theater over Paper Towns and The Fault In Our Stars, but for the latest screen adaptation of a John Green book, fans only have to turn to their Hulu accounts to watch Looking for Alaska and sob in the comfort in their own homes. Green's 2005 debut novel hits the small screen in a limited series later this year, and before you re-read the book in preparation, catch up on the essential details about Hulu's Looking for Alaska.
This post contains spoilers for Looking for Alaska. Starring The Society's Kristine Froseth in the titular role, Looking for Alaska takes place from the perspective of Miles (Charlie Plummer), a new student at an Alabama boarding school. Historical figures' final words have inspired him to pursue more in life, and with this in mind, he makes new friends who give him the nickname Pudge soon after beginning school. He also befriends the whimsical and reflective Alaska, but when she dies in a sudden tragedy, Pudge and his friends are left with more questions than answers.
Fans still have a few months until the eight-episode series launches, but until then, there are a few details worth noting about Looking for Alaska and its differences from the book.
Unlike other streaming series, all eight episodes of Looking for Alaska will debut at once on Friday, Oct. 18. As of Aug. 9, a full trailer has yet to premiere, but the drama's first teaser briefly introduces Pudge, Alaska, and their friends. In true coming-of-age fashion, the footage also depicts them longing to do more with their lives.
As devout followers of Green and his successful YouTube channel know, the author sold the movie rights to Looking for Alaska in 2005, but the project never picked up steam. Rumors about a movie finally happening sparked in 2016, but at the time, Green responded, "To my knowledge, Paramount (who own the rights) have no plans to make a film ... Paramount refuses to sell them back to me for any price. You’d have to ask them why."
According to Deadline, several different writers and directors considered working on Looking for Alaska before the idea to adapt it into a series arose. To be fair, TV adaptations can sometimes do a book way more justice than a film can, so it's possible Hulu turns out to be just the right fit for Looking for Alaska.
In the book, a drunk Alaska drives away from school, determined to carry out an urgent mission. She later crashes her car and dies, leaving her friends to question whether it was an accident or on purpose. For Hulu's version, newcomers to the story will also be left in the dark about Alaska's circumstances. "We will never know what happened that night," series creator Josh Schwartz revealed during the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. "And if you’ve seen the first episode, that is as much as you will see of the event. And it is a mystery what happened and that is part of what the characters will have to grapple with, and the audience.”
Sure, the writing may be pretty, but nowadays it is a little hard to ignore the fact that Green's depiction of Alaska fits the ever-popular "manic pixie dream girl" trope. The book also captures her entirely through Pudge's perspective, but Schwartz told Deadline while the adaptation has remained faithful to the book, they have shifted the narrative's approach to Alaska. "The book is really about the limited male gaze and we wanted to make sure that Alaska exists in her own right,” Schwartz said. “The audience will have understanding of her character and she won’t exist only as a mystery, hopefully that will go some way to remedy that.”
Froseth also explained how the character is handled, telling Deadline, "We made sure she felt human, a regular teenager, and added in a lot of private moments that help show that."
Looking for Alaska's developers, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, are handling a story precious to those who first read it in their teens. But this isn't the first time the duo has overseen teenage stories; they were major players in the creation of famed teen dramas The O.C. and Gossip Girl. The two appear to be used to working with teenagers and beloved content, so Looking for Alaska is definitely in good hands.
Looking for Alaska premieres on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, on Hulu.
