The movie adaptation of John Green’s 2017 novel Turtles All The Way Down is finally inching closer to its release date, and fans are hysterically thrilled! The movie was first announced back in 2019, and to say the wait has been excruciating would be an understatement. This will mark the third time one of Green’s books has been adapted into a movie, following The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and Paper Towns (2015). Two of his books have also been adapted into the TV series Looking for Alaska and Let It Snow.
Turtles All The Way Down takes us through the story of 17-year-old Aza Homes, who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety. She constantly fears the human microbiome and catching infection, specifically C. diff. The plot covers themes about young love, friendship, and mental health, all while Aza and her best friend Daisy try to pursue the disappearance of a local billionaire. Turtles All The Way Down cannot be typecast into one specific genre — it is a romance, a comedy, a tear-jerker, and a detective mystery, all packed into one. Readers of the book are aware of the unforeseen rollercoaster that it takes you on, so what can we expect from the movie?
Who Is in The Cast of Turtles All The Way Down?
The cast of Turtles All The Way Down is just as exciting as the plot! We have Instant Family and Madame Web star Isabela Merced playing the role of OCD-laden teenager Aza Homes, with Cree Cicchino playing her supportive, quirky best friend, Daisy Ramirez. Merced has also previously appeared in John Green’s Let It Snow. Serving boy next door at its finest, Ginny and Georgia heartthrob Felix Mallard has been cast to play Ava’s childhood crush and love interest, Davis Pickett. Teen drama enthusiasts would’ve recognized a familiar face in the form of Poorna Jagannathan from Never Have I Ever as Ava’s therapist, Dr.Singh.The cast also includes Maliq Johnson, Judy Reyes, J. Smith-Cameron, and more, in supporting roles.
Is There a Trailer for Turtles All The Way Down?
The trailer for Turtles All The Way Down dropped on the Max YouTube channel on April 3, 2024, and it’s everything you would hope for and more! Right off the bat, it was refreshing to see the friendship between Ava and Daisy take center stage, with most of the screen time granted to the dynamic duo. The music choice of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” in the opening scene gives the trailer an edgy Gen-Z vibe, which is very much on-trend with the premise of the storyline.
The translation of Ava’s anxiety from paper to screen almost felt poetic, allowing viewers to empathize with her character on a deeper level as she constantly questioned whether someone like her could ever pursue a romantic relationship. Felix Mallard has that stare-into-your-soul look about him the whole time as he appears to be evidently smitten by Aza. Hearts stopped beating during a moment in the trailer when he said, “It’s not forever. It’s now,” with a million emotions rushing through our minds — it instantly leaves you shrieking in excitement at how this adorable love story will pan out.
While it’s not going to be a traditional love story of sorts and is vaguely different from Justin Baldoni‘s Five Feet Apart, it does touch base on similar topics as Five Feet Apart. With Turtles All the Way Down, in particular, we do appreciate the attention to detail with the band-aid covering the never-fully-healed callus on Aza’s finger. However, the trailer does miss a peek at the arch involving the disappearance and subsequent search for billionaire Russell Pickett — which serves as the main narrative for the film’s plot.
When Is Turtles All the Way Down Releasing and Where Can You Watch It?
Turtles All The Way Down is all set to release on May 2, 2024, on HBO Max. Fans of the book are excited to see how much the movie stays true to the book and its original plotline. However, John Green serving as an executive producer is a comforting reassurance that the story’s soul will remain intact. Will the film contain key scenes from the book, such as the infamous sanitizer drinking and the incredibly stress-inducing first kiss? We’ll just have to wait and see! Alongside Turtles All the Way Down, Max has a lot to impressive movies and TV shows, including these exciting Anime TV shows.
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