Kait Mae

I recently read Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Naturals series, and I fell in love with it immediately. It somehow knocked The Inheritance Games from my top spot for mystery series. So, as I do with all my favorite books and series, I decided to fan cast it and think about how, if given the chance, I would adapt it to screen. And as a huge fan of Criminal Minds, this was one of the easiest hypothetical adaptations I’ve done so far.

What Is ‘The Naturals’?

The Naturals is a four-book series with an extra novella showing what happens a few years later. It’s quickly become one of my favorite mystery series – and that’s pretty hard to do. It’s been described as Criminal Minds for teenagers, and I couldn’t agree more.

The Naturals follows four teenagers called “Naturals” – those with a natural aptitude for something others train years to do, like being a profiler or statistician.

The first book sees Cassie brought into the program, only to be stalked by the killer they’re searching for. The second follows the group as they investigate seemingly copycat murders that hit close to home for one of the Naturals.

The third book takes the group to Vegas to look into murders that don’t look to be connected but are by one tiny detail. The fourth and final book picks up with the group chasing down a cult that has links to Cassie’s mother’s disappearance.

And all of that is followed up by a novella after a 5-year time jump to an investigation where teens seem to be killing themselves, but one young potential Natural is convinced they’re being murdered.

Read More: How I Would Adapt ‘The Inheritance Games’

How Would I Do This Adaptation?

First and foremost, there’s no way I wouldn’t make this a live-action show. It’s been described several times as Criminal Minds for teenagers—why not follow a similar format?

Each book would be one season of 18-20 half-hour episodes each, with the potential to continue ahead with more seasons if the author and audience were on board. If that were the case, I’d incorporate the novella, Twelve, into a later season and continue with that slight cliffhanger for the rest of the season.

However, if the hypothetical show ended after the final book, I’d still like to adapt Twelve – but as a movie.

If the show were to continue, I’d focus on the group continuing to be consultants to the FBI until they are old enough for the FBI Academy, as in the books. Each season would have an overarching mystery while the group deals with personal issues and mini-mysteries throughout the season.

Who Would I Cast?

Before I start, I want to preface this by saying that, as usual, I’d prefer unknown or lesser-known actors for this, but for the sake of fan casting, I’ve chosen some actors who just have the right vibes.

First up, Cassie. For her, I wanted someone who looked like they had natural red hair. I could only narrow it down to Taylor Richardson (I recognized her from The Time Traveler’s Wife) and Sadie Soverall (from Saltburn and Fate: The Winx Saga). Both have different vibes about them, but they work for Cassie.

Up next, we have Lia Zhang. I immediately had two candidates for this role, and that hasn’t changed since finishing the series. The more common fan cast I’ve seen (and agree with) is Ashley Liao. But I haven’t seen anyone toss Minnie Mills in for this role, so I’m doing so now.

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Moving on to Michael, I was imagining Mitchell Hope the entire time. I can’t explain it – he just looks like Michael for some reason. And I have plenty of confidence he’d be able to handle the role.

As for Dean, I always imagined him as dark-haired despite being described as blond, so I had to search for just the right person. And after drawing a blank for two days, I remembered One of Us Is Lying’s Cooper van Grootel – he’d be perfect for this role.

Lastly, for the OG Naturals, Jane Widdop from Yellowjackets is the closest to what I imagine her to look like. Though I haven’t seen her in anything recently (I have a long need-to-watch list), she just has that look that I imagine Sloane having.

Moving on to Briggs and Locke – the original FBI agents dealing with the Naturals. Briggs has this no-nonsense attitude, and I immediately thought of Tyler Hoechlin from Teen Wolf and Superman and Lois.

As for Locke, my immediate thought went to Evan Rachel Wood – after reading the books, my stance hasn’t changed. She has played characters with the same attitude as Locke, so I have no doubt she’d be perfect as this character.

Up next, my pick for Sterling is Deborah Ayorinde from Them. I know she’s described differently, but the entire time I was reading, I just kept imagining her as a younger Tara from Criminal Minds – so I’m running with that.

And last but not least, Judd (one of my favorites). Dean Norris is exactly who Judd needs to be played by. Dean constantly plays characters who end up being antagonists, but he needs a good caretaker role, too. Judd is a former Marine, and Dean looks like he could have served, too.

That’s it for today, but let me know who you would cast if The Naturals was adapted. Don’t forget to check out the books if you haven’t yet. They were terrific, and I was stunned speechless several times throughout the series.