Netflix reveals first-look at new movie based on beloved book

Virgin Radio

9 Aug 2024, 13:35

Netflix has shared a first-look trailer of their upcoming film based on the beloved book UGLIES. 

Nearly two decades after it was first announced, the film adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s best-selling novel seems to be finally on the horizon.

UGLIES is set in a dystopian future where everyone is considered ‘ugly’ until they turn 16 and undergo cosmetic surgery to become ‘pretty’. In the new trailer, we’re introduced to Tally Youngblood (Joey King), a 16-year-old girl who rebels against society after her friends Shay (Brianne Tju) and David (Keith Powers) reveal to her the dark truth about becoming ‘pretty’. 

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Director McG summarised it to Netflix’s magazine, Tudum, as “the belief of society that if we all look the way we want, you can eradicate conflict.”

The trailer shows Tally grappling with what it means to become pretty. She tells the audience, “All my life, I wanted to be pretty.” We then see flashes of Uglyville and New Pretty Town on screen, and Tally can be heard saying, “I thought it would change everything. I hope that’s still true.”

Elsewhere, we see Shay warning Tally about the ‘pretty’ surgery and how it is far more invasive than it appears. 

The trailer also stars Laverne Cox as Dr. Cable and Chase Stokes as Peris.

Also, speaking to Tudum, King revealed that she had been preparing for this role for over a decade. 

“What’s crazy is my excitement for the story has been at the same level since I was 11 years old,” she explained.

Despite the book first being released in 2005, she believes the story has grown over the years. 

“I think it’s super relevant that we’re making this now,” she added.

Director McG agreed and explained: “It’s a commentary on what we’re experiencing today, where so many people can’t just take a photograph and post it on social media. You’ve got to put it through the filter, you’ve got to edit it, you’ve got to do the thing to present this idealized version of beauty. “

This marks King's second Netflix movie in the last year after she appeared in A Family Affair alongside Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron. 

UGLIES will land on Netflix on 13th September.