Ridley Scott’s ‘Fae’ Pickup Signals YA Trend Isn’t Fading

Part two of the Hunger Games movies, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, has been (as many have punned already) catching fire at the box office to the tune of $336 million so far. From Harry Potter to Twilight to Hunger Games, the movie-based-on-young-adult-science-fiction/fantasy-book pie has never looked bigger, and series like Divergent (starring Shailene Woodley) and Seventh Son (Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, and Julianne Moore) are looking to be the next hit to prompt round-the-block lines for midnight showings. Not to be left out, Ridley Scott and his Scott Free have scooped up the rights to Fae, the first book in a planned trilogy by sisters Colet and Jasmine Abedi (who go by the pen name C.J. Abedi).

Fae, the debut novel of the Abedi sisters, released this past July to excellent sales but fairly middling reviews. The book has been compared to Twilight for its romance plot that includes a nonhuman, too good to be true high school boy and the girl (in this case, also not completely human, although that’s something she’s just discovering) who falls for him. It’s really no surprise that it’s made the quick transition to the big screen, not only due to the subject matter and the void left by the conclusion of the Twilight saga, but also because both Colet and Jasmine are industry insiders, with Colet an experienced TV producer and Jasmine an entertainment lawyer who has worked for several major distributors.

Scott, meanwhile, is not expected to direct the project, but will produce along with Giannina Facio (Matchstick Men, Tristan + Isolde). No director or timetable has been announced for the project, but barring one of Scott’s (many) other producing commitments eclipsing this one, expect Scott Free to strike while the proverbial iron is hot. The Abedis have already finished writing the second book in the trilogy, which means Fae is ripe for franchise status.

Here’s the official synopsis of the book:

The battle between Light and Dark is about to begin.

Caroline Ellis sixteenth birthday sets into motion a series of events that have been fated for centuries. A descendant of Virginia Dare, the first child born in the lost colony of Roanoke, and unaware of her birthright as the heir to the throne of the Light Fae, it isn’t until she begins a tumultuous relationship with Devilyn Reilly that the truth is revealed.

Devilyn is the only one of the Fae who is both of the Light and of the Dark, and struggles to maintain that precarious balance to avoid succumbing to the power of the Dark within him. He is the only one who can save Caroline from those who would destroy her and destroy all hope for unity among the Fae. He promises Caroline that he will protect her at all costs, even when it means protecting her from himself.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Caroline and Devilyn, FAE draws on mysteries, myths and legends to create a world, and a romance, dangerously poised between Light and Dark.

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