Netflix has won the rights for the series adaptation of the No. 1 New York Times bestselling Young Adult novel, They Both Die at the End, from Adam Silvera (What If It’s Us, Infinity Reaper), after competing for them with five different streaming services and networks, according to Deadline. Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) will be in charge of the series, with Yellowjackets executive producer Drew Comins (All the Old Knives, Broken Record), studio eOne, and reggaeton superstar Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Bullet Train, Narcos: Mexico), also known as Bad Bunny, working on the show with him. According to Deadline, the show has received a significant script-to-series commitment.
The book-to-series adaptation marks the return of Van Dusen to Netflix where he created, executive produced, and served as the showrunner of the first two seasons of Shondaland’s hit period drama Bridgerton. The first two seasons of the fan-favorite period drama ranked as Netflix’s most popular English-language TV series at their premiere.
According to Deadline, Van Dusen will be writing the script for the pilot for They Both Die at the End and will be executive producing through CVD Productions. Other executive producers attached to the project include the author of the book Silvera, Ocasio, and Comins who will be producing via his eOne-based Creative Engine.
Entertainment One, the studio behind the new TV show, acquired U.S. rights to Silvera’s novel They Both Die at the End in the spring of 2021 for executive producer Comins. Van Dusen became attached to the show a year later after finishing his work on the first two seasons of Bridgerton. Van Dusen had previously mentioned that They Both Die at the End is the kind of novel he would like to adapt into a series next.
The novel lets the reader know from the start that the book will not have a happy ending. It follows the devastating yet entertaining and uplifting story of two people whose lives change over the course of one day. The book’s summary reads: “On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure–to live a lifetime in a single day.”
According to Deadline, the novel made history as the first YA novel with queer Latino characters to hit the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list when it was first published in 2017. A prequel, The First To Die At the End, was published on October 2022 again attaining the number one spot on the New York Times Best Seller list and has remained on the list for thirteen consecutive weeks since its publishing.
They Both Die at the End is still in pre-production. Both seasons of Bridgerton are available to watch on Netflix. Yellowjackets is available to watch on Showtime.