Maybe you remember Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel Holes? It’s one of my favorite books ever written. It tells the story of a bullied teenage boy falsely accused of a crime and sent to a place called “Camp Green Lake” in the middle of the desert, where all the inmates are forced to dig holes day after day. From there it evolves into a tale of hope, anti-racism and justice, and it’s truly beloved among millennials like me. It was turned into a movie in 2004, a Disney flick starring Shia LaBeouf as main character Stanley Yelnats, and that also occupies a major space in my movie-loving heart.
Recommended Videos
So I was equal parts excited and trepidatious to hear that Holes is about to be adapted again. This time, it’s coming to the small screen. It’ll be written by Alina Mankin with Liz Phang showrunning and Drew Goddard producing, and there’s a major twist that will set it apart from the previous 2004 version of the story. This time around, the main characters will be girls.
At first, I admit it, I had a rush of “how dare they change it.” But after thinking about it, actually, a gender-flip makes a lot of sense. The story has already had one adaption that can scarcely be improved upon when it comes to faithfulness, so it’s time to shake things up a bit.
I do dislike that this means loses the anti-toxic masculinity thread from the novel. Stanley wins the day because of his compassion and love for his friend Zero, not by virtue of being “a real man”. Stanley is a soft hero when all is said and done and boys really need them in their stories. But the original Holes isn’t going anywhere, and having Stanley (and presumably all the other inmates of Camp Green Lake) gender-flipped opens up all sorts of storytelling possibilities. Done right, this could be a look at how poverty and the penal system affect women and girls.
Of course, the gender flip brings some questions, too. Are they going to gender flip everyone? In the original book and movie, the main villain is the Warden, a terrifying woman who paints her nails with rattlesnake venom. She’s a fantastic antagonist and I feel like to make her male would take something away rather than add it. So here’s to hoping she remains the nightmarish woman that she was in the books. And Kissin’ Kate Barlow, the fascinating former teacher who turns outlaw after her boyfriend is murdered by racists, likewise needs to remain a female character in my opinion. But I have faith that the people in charge of the show will get it right. After all, Liz Phang brought us Yellowjackets, Alina Mankin was executive story editor on Anne with an E, and Drew Goddard produced iconic works such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost. Surely this can’t go wrong.
My other question is what they’ll do about the protagonist’s name. Stanley Yelnats having a palindromic name is a fun detail in the books. What palindromic name will our female heroine go under? I look forward to finding out!
This post was originally published on here
