MAX announced this week that the film adaptation of John Green’s beloved 2017 novel Turtles All the Way Down will be released for streaming in Spring 2024. The film will be a direct adaptation of Green’s book, which follows 17-year-old Aza Holmes (can we just call her Holmesy from here on?) as she embarks on a quest with her best friend, Daisy, to solve the case of her missing billionaire neighbor.
The primary obstacle standing in Aza’s way is her mental health because she suffers from severe OCD. When she rekindles a meaningful friendship with her childhood crush — who happens to be the son of the missing billionaire — Aza is forced to face her demons head-on, without anything or anyone to save her from herself.
What We Know About the Film So Far
The film will star Isabella Merced (Migration) as Aza Holmes, Cree (Big Sky) as Daisy Ramirez, Felix Mallard (Ginny & Georgia) as Davis Pickett Jr., and Maliq Johnson (The Many Saints of Newark) as Mychal Turner.
This is the second adaptation of a John Green book for Merced, who had a primary role in 2019’s Let It Snow, which was based on the book by the same name. The book was comprised of three separate short stories by three individual authors, telling the story of an ill-fated traveler facing a storm on Christmas Eve. Clearly, Merced was impactful in her role since Aza Holmes is quite possibly the most intricately written character in all of Green’s repertoire.
An Author And a Director Unite
According to John Green,
This movie is everything I wanted the book to be. It’s funny and human and explores mental illness in a deep and raw way without ever romanticizing or sensationalizing the experience. I am so grateful to Hannah, Isabela, Cree, Felix, and the entire cast and crew.
John Green, EW
Director Hannah Marks felt as strongly as Green that the film must happen, saying
I was immediately drawn to the movie because I was such a fan of John’s and this book. John does an incredible job of telling a teenager’s mental health story in a way that’s funny, heartfelt, and specific. I relate to the character of Aza deeply. I’m honored to be a part of bringing this story to life and I loved every minute of working with these fantastic young actors.
Hannah Marks, EW
And Now We Wait
As fans of the book prepare for the movie release, it is important to remember the weight of the subject matter discussed around Aza’s character in Turtles All the Way Down. Aza suffers from OCD, a topic Green did extensive research to portray accurately in his book. As OCD sufferers prepare to see an example of OCD represented in the film, there is some trepidation to be felt. The film has a responsibility to represent OCD as accurately as Green did in the book, a topic discussed thoroughly in this Bookstr article. If the film fails, it will be yet another media loss for the OCD community.
With all hope, Turtles All the Way Down will deliver not just an entertaining movie but also an educational one that brings light to the importance of mental health and OCD awareness.
Are you interested in reading more articles that discuss OCD-related books? Check out this Bookstr article on powerful books about OCD!
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