The Chaos Walking movie is reportedly a mess, “unreleasable”

An upcoming YA book-to-film adaptation is facing major complications.

Lionsgate’s ‘Chaos Walking’ movie, based on the sci-fi novel The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, has been deemed “unreleasable,” according to a report from The Wall Street Journal released in April. It’s been undergoing extensive reshoots as a result.

The report stated that the movie “turned out so poorly it was deemed unreleasable by executives who watched initial cuts last year, according to current and former employees.” The report continued, “Lionsgate delayed the film’s planned March release and is about to begin three weeks of additional production, at a cost of millions more, in the hope that new scenes will improve its commercial prospects.”

Subscribe to Bookstacked

News. YA Book Reviews. Upcoming Releases. Monthly giveaways. Weekly. Free.

Let's do this.

By subscribing, you accept the privacy policy

Doug Liman is set to direct the movie. ‘Chaos Walking’ will tell the story of Todd Hewitt — played by Tom Holland (‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’) — who grows up on a planet where only men have survived and where they can read each others’ thoughts. His life is turned upside down when he meets a woman named Viola, played by Daisy Ridley (‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’).

Holland reportedly missed the premiere of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ due to the reshoots.

Lionsgate has already sunk $100 million into the film’s production and the reshooting is adding up to as much as $15 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Patrick Ness is also apparently heavily involved in the film’s script, along with six other screenwriters, according to iO9.

The movie was originally due for release last March. There’s been no word on a new release date.