So much for YA being dead. The Darkest Minds revives adapting hit book series into films, but at least it’s using the delay to put a little twist on the familiar setup.
Yes, the film follows a group of kids who have special abilities. And yes, society is oppressing them and there’s one extra-special teen who must accept her place at the head of a rebellion. But this time the young hero is a person of color, making this another in a rising trend of putting minorities front and center as aspirational figures.
You may not recognize the actress immediately, but the lead here is Amandla Stenberg, familiar to YA fans as Rue in The Hunger Games (and now I feel old). The rest of the cast is no less impressive, featuring Harris Dickinson (who you must check out in Beach Rats) as a fellow teen and the requisite big name adults in Mandy Moore and Gwendoline Christie.
In another refreshing turn, Jennifer Yuh Nelson helmed the project, upending the annoying trend of having female-led YA stories be directed by men. She previously working on the Kung Fu Panda series and is making the jump to live-action material with this film.
So while The Darkest Minds probably seems familiar, it might just feature a perspective change that will make it a welcome addition to the genre.
The Darkest Minds is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and stars Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, and Harris Dickinson. It will be released in the US on August 3rd, 2018 and in the UK on August 10th, 2018. For international release dates, click here.
Are you excited for The Darkest Minds? Let us know in the comments!
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