Before you start reading this article, go ahead and place your index finger on the side of your head. Then as you read, scratch periodically as a way to cope with the confusing strangeness of the following story. Apparently, Red Crown has just optioned the Choose Your Own Adventure series for an upcoming movie. Yes, the series of clever children’s books that allowed kids to forage their own paths is turning into a movie (or movies), but what exactly that might mean is anyone’s guess.
According to Variety, Red Crown is also looking to produce a television adaptation, but on paper at least, it would seem to have the same problem as a filmed version. How is choice involved if viewers have no real control over the path the protagonists take? It seems like this whole thing would be perfect for a slew of straight to DVD releases where audiences could use their remote controls to select how to proceed, but with almost no details on the table, it’s unclear if this is the route they’re ultimately going to take.
In the mid 1980s, Clue was released containing three different endings. The DVD even allows viewers to select a specific one, play all three or randomly select one, but that murder mystery was hardly dubbed a choose your own adventure. There has to be a larger plan here. When we get wind of it, we’ll pass it on. In the meantime, speculate away.
