YA adaptations that are rated R or TV-MA
Exactly how Y of a YA are we talking about, here? Some of the content in the adaptations is true to the books; others are not.
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- CreatorBrian YorkeyStarsDylan MinnetteKatherine LangfordChristian NavarroFollows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.Far more graphic than anything in the book, which is only covered in season 1 (the show was originally supposed to be a limited series). Nothing in seasons 2 through 4, which includes the protagonist getting jumped and sodomized with a broom handle, is in the book.
- DirectorRoger KumbleStarsJosephine LangfordHero Fiennes TiffinDylan SprouseBased on the 2014 romance novel of the same name, this follows the love life of two young adults.While the first “After” movie was rated PG-13, all subsequent movies in the series are rated R. This is partially due to a character’s nickname.
- DirectorCastille LandonStarsJosephine LangfordHero Fiennes TiffinLouise LombardJust as Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes. Revelations about her family, and then Hardin's, throw everything they knew before in doubt and makes their hard-won future together more difficult to claim.
- DirectorCastille LandonStarsJosephine LangfordHero Fiennes TiffinLouise LombardAs a shocking truth about a couple's families emerges, the two lovers discover they are not so different from each other.
- DirectorCastille LandonStarsHero Fiennes TiffinJosephine LangfordMimi KeeneAfter breaking up with his true love, best-selling author Hardin Scott travels to Portugal in an attempt to make amends for his past behavior.
- DirectorBrett HaleyStarsElle FanningJustice SmithAlexandra ShippThe story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other's lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.
- DirectorRobin HaysStarsCameron MonaghanGrayson GabrielPeyton ListAnthem tells the story of Luke (Monaghan) a teenager who foresees the death of his new best friend Stan (MacNicoll), the most popular guy in school. When this premonition becomes reality, Luke must deal with the trials and tribulations of being dubbed "The Prophet of Death" and being titled a freak by the entire town. It doesn't help that he's fallen in love with Faith (List) who just happens to be Stan's girl or that he's on the outs with his childhood best friend Fang (Grayson Gabriel) or that the premonitions just keep coming - In a story that expertly navigates that often rocky, at times inspiring road to adulthood, Anthem authentically balances the teenage experience of confusion, anxiety and rage with those exceptional moments of clarity, self discovery and human connection. Hormonal, funny, exhilarating and wise, Anthem slyly explores the need to belong, the isolation of youth and the powerful brew of fear truth and noise that plays inside us all.
- CreatorJoe BartonStarsJay LycurgoNadia ParkesPaul ReadyCaught between two warring clans, the son of a notorious witch responsible for a deadly massacre tries to find his place in the world — and his powers.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTimothée ChalametTaylor RussellMark RylanceA young woman embarks on a 1000 mile odyssey through America where she meets a disenfranchised drifter. But all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether love can survive their otherness.Yes; “Bones and All” was a YA novel. The book is quite different.
- DirectorRichard TanneStarsLili ReinhartAustin AbramsSarah JonesA teenage boy falls in love with a troubled girl who transfers to his high school.
- CreatorFrank MillerTom WheelerStarsKatherine LangfordDevon TerrellGustaf SkarsgårdA teenage sorceress named Nimue encounters a young Arthur on her quest to find a powerful and ancient sword.
- DirectorGren WellsStarsSadie SinkTheo RossiJessica CapshawWhen Tess and her family suffer an unimaginable loss, she finds support from a surprising source: her biological father - a lovable slacker from the wrong side of the tracks - and the charming but dangerous juvenile delinquent next door.The movie is legitimately rated R for “some teen marijuana use.”
- DirectorYaniv RazStarsLucas Jade ZumannMichael H. ColeRoger Dale FloydIn the emotionally charged, wild and humorous world of sixteen year old James Whitman, we see his struggle to overcome anxiety and depression by seeking advice from Dr. Bird - an imaginary pigeon therapist - in the wake of his sister's disappearance.
- CreatorBrian YoungStarsAbigail CowenHannah van der WesthuysenPrecious MustaphaA live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2004). It follows Bloom as she adjusts to life in the Otherworld, where she must learn to control her dangerous magical powers.This one goes a step further, being a gritty reimagining of a fairy cartoon for little girls.
- DirectorLeigh JaniakStarsKiana MadeiraOlivia Scott WelchBenjamin Flores Jr.A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.Not an adaptation of any existing “Fear Street” novel; just in the spirit of those books.
- DirectorLeigh JaniakStarsSadie SinkEmily RuddRyan SimpkinsShadyside, 1978. School's out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.
- DirectorLeigh JaniakStarsKiana MadeiraAshley ZukermanGillian JacobsThe origins of Sarah Fier's curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.
- CreatorJoshua SafranStephanie SavageJosh SchwartzStarsJordan AlexanderWhitney PeakTavi GevinsonRevival of the TV series centering on a new generation of New York private school teens using social media to spread gossip.Not a straight adaptation, but a sequel to the existing adaptation, which was known for pushing its TV-14 rating.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsSaoirse RonanTom HollandGeorge MacKayAn American girl, sent to the English countryside to stay with relatives, finds love and purpose while fighting for her survival as war envelops the world around her.
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsElle FanningAlex SharpNicole KidmanAn alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London borough of Croydon.
- DirectorJim GillespieStarsJennifer Love HewittSarah Michelle GellarAnne HecheFour young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.
- DirectorDanny CannonStarsJennifer Love HewittFreddie Prinze Jr.Brandy NorwoodThe murderous fisherman with a hook is back to once again stalk the two surviving teens, Julie and Ray, who had left him for dead, as well as cause even more murder and mayhem, this time at a posh island resort.
- DirectorSylvain WhiteStarsBrooke NevinDavid PaetkauTorrey DeVittoA group of teenagers in Colorado find themselves being stalked and killed one by one by a mysterious figure with a hook, exactly one year after they covered up a friend's accidental death.
- StarsMadison IsemanBrianne TjuBill HeckIn a town full of secrets, a group of teenagers are stalked by a mysterious killer a year after a fatal accident on their graduation night.
- DirectorCory FinleyStarsAsante BlackkTiffany HaddishKylie RogersWhen an occupying alien species' bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families' futures.