With a new Harry Potter television series officially underway, Hollywood appears eager to jump back on the Harry Potter bandwagon with the seven-figure optioning of the rights to a story reimagining the lives of the characters in those books. The original Harry Potter novels and their adaptations focused primarily on the trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley and their adventures while attending Hogwarts. While the books and movies include romantic subplots, they don’t spend a lot of time exploring the romantic lives of those main characters. Since then, fans have used fan fiction to explore other romantic character combinations, including one involving a member of the core trio and a series antagonist. Now, a book that started as fan fiction centered on that relationship is getting a film adaptation that will bring the pairing to the big screen, albeit after undergoing a transformation.
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The book is Alchemised by SenLinYu. The novel, which is set to be published by Del Rey later this month, was originally conceived as a “Dramione” fan fiction, imagining a romantic relationship between the Harry Potter characters Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. First published on the popular fan fiction website Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the title Manacled, the story is said to be a cross between elements of Harry Potter and the “Dramione” and The Handmaid’s Tale. It amassed 10 million views on the platform and eventually went on to become a topic of discussion on TikTok among book lovers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the book has officially been acquired by Legendary for a massive seven-figure deal, rumored to be around the $3 million mark, making it one of the biggest acquisitions of a new book’s film rights in history. It’s said that Legendary made a preemptive offer for the rights to Alchemised in the hopes of beating out any competition, resulting in a “whirlwind round of dealmaking.” Following the news, SenLinYu expressed excitement over getting to see the world they crafted in the highly anticipated novel come to life on the big screen. “I’m honored by Legendary’s incredible enthusiasm for the project and can’t wait to see the world of Paladia come to life,” the author said in a statement.
Can Manacled Find Success as Alchemised?
According to the publisher, Alchemised is a dark fantasy story taking place in the aftermath of a war in a world where alchemy and necromancy exist. Its main character is Helena Marino, a healer who fought on the losing side of the battle and suffered memory loss before her capture. Now the victors of that war, corrupt guild families and necromancers, have sent her to the lair of powerful necromancers, who hope to extract the Resistance’s secrets from her mind.s
The publication of Alchemised comes at a time when Harry Potter is mired in controversy due to author JK Rowling. While the Alchemised has been revised heavily to be a distinct work, the fact that it started out as Harry Potter fan fiction could prove controversial for the upcoming book adaptation. As Rowling continues to find herself in the news for all of the wrong reasons, fans are understandably turning away from Harry Potter. In fact, fans have already begun to call out the adult actors in the upcoming Harry Potter series for joining the project knowing of Rowling’s views. We’ll have to wait and see how the movie is received when it eventually comes to fruition. For now, Alchemised is slated to hit bookstands on September 23rd.
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