People often say that high school makes up the best years of your life. There are similar sayings for college, your 20s, your 30s... pretty much anytime in someone's life can usually be classified as their "best years." Except for middle school. That odd period of early adolescence seems to be reviled by pretty much everyone, which is documented in the new film Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life . The movie looks to finally take junior high to task for all its injustices, which seems like a bigger job than just one movie can handle. So will there be more Middle School movies?
The film is based upon the novel of the same name by James Patterson. Yes, that James Patterson. He's one of the most prolific authors of all-time, best known for his thrillers centering around protagonist Alex Cross; three of which have been made into films: Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, and Alex Cross. The family-friendly and kid-centric Middle School is certainly a departure for the author, but that hasn't made it any less of a success than his other works. The novel, published in 2011, was in fact so successful that it spawned an entire series that so far consists of a whopping six sequels in just four years; along with a number of spinoffs. So it's no surprise that a sequel is already being planned for the movie as well.
In addition to being an author, Patterson also runs his own production company, giving him more control over getting his work made into TV shows and films than most other authors. He currently has four TV series in development, and is also working on a film sequel to Middle School , according to Hal Boedecker at the Orlando Sentinel. And since Patterson wants it made, odds are that it will get made, since the first Middle School film is the author's favorite adaptation of any of his books so far. "It's the first movie or TV show I've done that I really like," Patterson said. "Zoo is pretty good. The Alex Cross movies are fine. This movie I love."
James Patterson is a pretty influential force in media, so if his Alex Cross series that he just thought was "fine" made it to three films, it seems entirely possible that the Middle School series that he "loves" could end up being an even bigger franchise than that. Who knows? Maybe all seven films will end up with their own film adaptation. Watch out, Harry Potter!
Images: Lionsgate Films/CBS Films
