This Sci-Fi Book Series Still Deserves A Movie Reboot, 12 Years After $150 Million Disappointment

Sci-fi book adaptations are often hit or miss, but one series still deserves a movie reboot 12 years after its $150 million box office disappointment: I Am Number Four. In general, science-fiction stories can be difficult to bring to the big screen. Such adaptations need to squeeze a great deal of advanced world-building into a typically short runtime, all while getting viewers to care about the overarching plot and characters. Additionally, sci-fi movies must avoid coming off as cheesy or cheap with their special effects. Films based on books are also tasked with staying faithful to the original narrative.

It’s a lot to balance, and I Am Number Four‘s box office failure suggests the film wasn’t up to the task. Based on Pittacus Lore’s book of the same name, the 2011 movie made a little over $149 million worldwide on a $60,000 budget (via Box Office Mojo). Those numbers were disappointing for a best-selling book with a killer premise, which saw an alien boy hiding on Earth becoming an organization’s next target for assassination. Unfortunately, even with its intriguing story, I Am Number Four didn’t fare well on the big screen. However, an I Am Number Four reboot could work if it addresses the problems with the original.

What Went Wrong With The I Am Number Four Movie

The book’s success should have ensured the 2011 movie was a hit, but there were several things that went wrong with I Am Number Four. For one, the cast failed to elevate already archetypal book characters. Timothy Olyphant’s performance was the most memorable of the film, but it failed to make up for its other flaws. I Am Number Four was way too concerned with emulating other popular movies at the time, leading to frequent comparisons to Twilight. The movie played up its central romance while downplaying the sci-fi elements. It also spent more time setting up a franchise than ensuring the first film was worth watching.

All of these elements factored into I Am Number Four’s demise, causing the movie to be quickly forgotten, especially when YA stories like The Hunger Games and Divergent made their way to theaters. It may be unfair to compare such huge franchises to I Am Number Four, but they prove that YA sci-fi and dystopian books can succeed on-screen when they’re adapted well. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with I Am Number Four — but a reboot could reignite the franchise and finally do the books justice.

Why I Am Number Four Deserves A Reboot

2011’s I Am Number Four may not have panned out as well as DreamWorks hoped, but a reboot could certainly fare better. This is especially true if it gets the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Eragon treatment, returning as a TV show rather than a feature film. With more and more book adaptations hitting screens in recent years, I Am Number Four could make itself stand out by embracing the book’s premise and addressing what went wrong with the first film. It’s a story that could benefit from writers taking creative liberties with its characters and romance, all while embracing the strengths of the source material.

And given how many Lorien Legacies books there are — counting the original series and its sequels — I Am Number Four could easily kick off a long-running franchise that rivals similar YA adaptations. It would also likely do better after successes like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, which left audiences looking for new YA stories. If a new show or movie cleaned up the flaws of the book and 2011 film, it could appeal to a similar market. Whether it will ever get the chance to is another story.

Is An I Am Number Four Reboot Ever Likely To Happen?

Given the disappointing box office of the 2011 film, an I Am Number Four sequel isn’t likely to happen — and a reboot may not be in the cards either. Of course, it’s not impossible for I Am Number Four to make a comeback. Series like His Dark Materials, Percy Jackson, and Eragon have gotten second chances as TV shows after failed movie adaptations. Still, those are some of the biggest YA series out there, and they’ve maintained huge followings to this day. It’s hard to say if I Am Number Four has stayed relevant enough to be reconsidered.

I Am Number Four certainly still has a dedicated fan base, but it’s not as well-known as other books finding new life on-screen. There are also many other incredible sci-fi books that still need movies. Those may take precedence over I Am Number Four when it comes to adaptations, meaning it could be a while for the series to be revisited, if it’s revisited at all.