Studios Eyeing Young Adult Novels for Future Blockbusters

Now that a third young adult series has hit it big at the box office, studios are clamoring for the film rights to some of the most popular YA novels on the market. Is the next Harry Potter, Twilight, or Hunger Games out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered?
"Every single studio wants to capitalize on a young adult franchise," said Josie Freedman, co-head of International Creative Management’s books-to-films department. "It's what's selling on the publishing side and on the film side.”
However, don’t expect another Twilight franchise to hit the big screen. Part of the reason for The Hunger Games success is that appeals to men, as well as women, so epic tales of love and romance are out. Dark tales about the battle between good and evil are in. With this in mind, studios have picked up the film rights to dozens of YA novels with science-fiction, fantasy, or dystopian themes.
"The main shift from Twilight is the desperation for the young male audience," literary agent Alicia Gordon told the Los Angeles Times. "That's why we are seeing darker, more action-driven stories."
Of course, the hunt for the next big thing is nothing new. Last week, people were wondering if The Hunger Games would be the next Twilight, and now folks are already talking about the next Hunger Games. Studios have so far purchased the options for Chaos Walking, Divergent, Beautiful Creatures, Uglies, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Shiver, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone, just to name a few.
Any young adult series you’d like to see make it to the big screen? I think the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld has potential. It’s similar to The Hunger Games in that it’s set in the dystopian future, features a strong female character, and contains a lot of disturbing themes that could apply to the world today. However, the story is different enough that no one could accuse it of being a Hunger Games rip off.Source: http://blog.starcam.com/post/Studios-Eyeing-Young-Adult-Novels-for-Future-Blockbusters.aspx