Kait Mae

If you were a teen during the 2010s, there’s no way you didn’t know about I Am Number Four. When the adaptation of the first book in Pittacus Lore’s original series came out, it was huge. And then it wasn’t when people realized how not great it is. Is it a fun movie? Absolutely. Did it do the series justice enough to get more adaptations? Absolutely not. And while others may have moved on, this series has a chokehold on me that won’t let go. So, I’m taking it upon myself to do a hypothetical adaptation that does it justice.

What Is This Series?

Pittacus Lore’s Lorien universe started with the seven-book series, Lorien Legacies. I Am Number Four was the first, with United as One bringing it to a close. But that’s not all. Interspersed with this series were novellas and anthologies of stories, collectively called The Lost Files.

Lorien Legacies follows nine alien teens from Lorien who flee to Earth after their planet is destroyed by the Mogadorians. Each, known as a Garde, develops powers known as Legacies and is protected by a charm that allows them to only be harmed in sequence. The first book opens on Number Four, or John Smith, as he’s the next on the list after the first three are killed.

But that’s also not all! There are two more spin-offs that take place after the ending of the Lorien Legacies. One follows the next generation of powered teens in Lorien Legacies Reborn. The other follows two major characters from the original series in The Legacy Chronicles.

That’s it for the Lorien universe, but Pittacus currently has the Ashfall series now following a whole new group of characters.

How Would I Adapt It?

The original adaptation was a movie – one that was a little lackluster but had a ton of potential. But if I had the chance, I’d make this a live-action TV show. I say this with nearly all science-fiction and fantasy series, but with so much lore, movies don’t let us explore it enough.

Each season would cover one book, and I think 20 45-minute episodes is the perfect length for each season. As for the novellas and short stories from The Lost Files, I’d incorporate those as episodes in the main series, while a few would be short films between the seasons to keep interest on the show.

Moving on to the spinoff sequels, I’d have two shows going at the same time. Reborn would pick up right after the original series, and The Legacy Chronicles would take place at the same time. And even though I’m stating this, I won’t be doing a casting for these two shows unless they appear as major characters in the original series.

See more: How I Would Adapt The Shadowhunters Books

Who Would Be My Garde and Other Characters?

Let’s start with the two characters that started this all off – Number Four (I’ll be calling him John) and Henri, his guardian. I’ll be honest, I thought Alex Pettyfer looked perfect for the book description…but I’m going off-book for this. I went for actors that embody the characteristics and not book-accurate looks.

So, for John, I’m casting Ali Hadji-Heshmati, with Dev Patel being Henri. I saw a fan-casting of Dev Patel as Henri on TikTok once, and I can’t stop thinking of it. So, I wanted someone who could believably play his son and found Lockwood and Co’s Ali Hadji-Heshmati. His acting in that sealed it for me.

Moving on to two major characters in John’s story, let’s cast Sarah and Sam. For Sam, I saw Jaeden Martell in Y2K and just knew he would be perfect as Sam. As for Sarah,I wanted someone who looked like she’d be a popular high school girl, and found Scarlett Sperduto. I think she’d kill it.

Now, it’s time to cast the other living Garde. First up, Number Six. If you know anything about me, you should know I love Rachel Zegler. And after seeing her in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I know she’d absolutely kill this role. She can handle the scenes, no doubt.

See more: How I Would Adapt Vampire Academy

Next is Number Five. I’m going with Charlie Plummer. Without spoiling anything, there’s something about Charlie that makes him scream Five to me.

Moving on to Number Seven (Marina), I wanted someone who had Mexican or South American ancestry – and that is a hard line I’m drawing. That’s how I found Inde Navarrette. She’s a Mexican-American actress that I loved in Superman & Lois.

Next in line is Number Eight, and I’m sticking close to his book description. I went searching for an Indian actor because Eight lives in India and seems to blend in well enough. So, I’m going with Abhay Verma – I haven’t seen his work yet, but he’s the same age as the rest of the cast and looks like the character.

Up next, Number Nine or Stanley, I’m casting Caleb McLaughlin. The second I sat down to cast this, I knew I was casting him despite the book description. There is something about Caleb’s portrayal of Lucas in Stranger Things that just made him Stanley in this series.

Moving on, I’m casting Ella (one of my personal favorites, so be nice). I am not set on this because she will age out of the role if this isn’t made within a few years, but I think Ryan Kiera Armstrong would be absolutely perfect as this young character.

Moving on to our main antagonist, Setrakus Ra. If I get the chance, I fully intend on having the actor in special effect makeup that makes him nearly unrecognizable. But with who I’d cast, I’m going with Tom Hardy – his voice is just perfect for the role.

Crayton is next, and as a major part of two books, I knew I had to cast someone to fit in with the other cast members. And that person is Ethan Hawke. I don’t think I need to introduce his work, or why he could handle this somewhat paternal role.

See more: How I Would Adapt Red Rising

Now, Adamus is first introduced in The Lost Files, but he does play a large role in Lorien Legacies – but I won’t say how. Like Setrakus, he would be in special effects makeup that make him somewhat unrecognizable, but I needed a voice that fit the character. And that voice belongs to Daniel DiMaggio.

Last for this list, I’m casting Karen Walker. From the moment I saw her in Captain Marvel, I knew Lashana Lynch was my Karen. She has everything needed for the character and more. I fully believe she’d bring a side to the character fans will love and hate at the same time.

That’s my hypothetical adaptation of a childhood series of mine that will not let go. Are you hoping it gets a second chance at the screen, too?