The movie adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's 2005 young adult novel, Uglies, has just hit Netflix and many are already wondering if the rest of the novels will also receive the big-screen treatment.
Uglies takes place in a dystopian world where teenagers undergo a surgery at sixteen to become "pretties", in an effort to make society perfect.
When the main character, Tally, approaches the time for her surgery, she uncovers a rebel conspiracy that threatens to expose the truth the scientists have been hiding from the city.
The film, directed by McG (Charlie's Angels), stars Joey King (The Kissing Booth) and Chase Stokes (Outer Banks), but a cliffhanger ending opens the door for more entries in the franchise.
Will There Be an Uglies 2?
Uglies was just the first of Scott Westerfeld's novels in the series, which includes three sequels: Pretties, Specials, and Extras.
When asking whether Uglies 2 could be on the way, Westerfeld told Decider that he and McG "want to do it", but that it all depends on "how many people watch it:"
"Well, I want to do it. I’m pretty sure McG wants to do it. And 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."
The author added in an interview with The Hashtag Show that while he thought Uglies is a "complete film" he did believe it was "calling for the other two:"
"I have always thought in trilogies, that's how I work. Although I think this is a complete movie and a great film, it is calling for the other two."
The cast members seemed equally eager to move forward with an Uglies sequel.
Joey King told Collider, "we'll see what happens", and was waiting to see "how this one resonates with people" before putting any hopes in a sequel:
"I think we're just really excited to see kind of how this one resonates with people, how it does, and how, you know, the world receives it. We'll see what happens."
Chase Stokes, who stars as Peris, added in a chat with Extra TV that "if people show up" they would ideally move on to adapt the rest of the books:
"There's multiple books, so if people show up to watch the movie then hopefully we'll get to make a couple more."
Uglies released on Netflix on September 13. The studio has not confirmed a sequel at the time of writing.
As with many streaming film and television projects nowadays, an Uglies 2 would all depend on the viewership numbers of the first film in order to proceed. Hence, Westerfeld has asked viewers to "watch it early and watch it often," if they want more.
When Could Uglies 2 Movie's Release Date Be?
While another Uglies film hasn't been announced, it very well could be over the next few months as viewership numbers roll in for the Netflix film.
Naturally, this raises the question of how long fans will need to wait for the release date of Uglies 2.
While screen adaptations of Uglies had been in and out of development for the better part of 15 years, this iteration of the project went into development around September 2020, when Joey King was attached as a lead and producer and McG signed on to direct.
Filming reportedly took place later in December 2021 and had wrapped by February 2022. Uglies was then released about 18 months later in September 2024, although its worth noting that the Hollywood Guild Strikes also occurred during this time period and may have delayed things.
The production cycle for the first Uglies film took about four years from start to finish, but if a sequel was to happen, the turnaround would likely be faster seeing as the major cast and production team would already be on board.
This means Uglies 2 could be released anywhere between two to four years from now, with release dates as soon as late 2026 or early 2027 possible.
What Could the Pretties Movie Sequel Be About?
If the Uglies film trilogy moves forward it would likely follow the trajectory of Westerfeld's novels, meaning the second film would most likely be renamed to Pretties.
The ending of the Uglies movie was similar to that of the book, which sees Tally agree to undergo the surgery to become a pretty, with the intentions of taking the cure once inside and infiltrating the Special Circumstances division.
Pretties picks things up with Tally, who is now a Pretty, and has forgotten much of her cause thanks to the brainwashing surgery. After the Smokies track her down and provide her with the cure she is reminded of the promise she made when she was an Ugly.
With a new clique known as the "Crims" on the scene and a new love interest named Zane in her life, Tally has to choose between being a Pretty or fighting to take down the unjust system around her.
Things were set up in the first Uglies film for the story to follow this trajectory in the second, should a Pretties movie be commissioned.
Uglies is streaming now on Netflix.
