Bryan Lee O’Malley’sScott Pilgrimseries is one of the most well-known graphic novel franchises from the 2000s. Its status as a fan favorite inspired Universal to pick up the film rights and make a movie adaptation directed byEdgar Wrightin 2010. While the movie initially flopped at the box office, it found a much more dedicated audience on video and streaming. This movie is the very definition of a cult classic. And with that status, it’s surprising that studios haven’t been delving into O’Malley’s other works for a story to adapt. That is until recently when it was announced thatBlake Livelywill be directingthe adaptation of O’Malley’s follow-up toScott Pilgrim,Secondsand Wright would be returning to pen the script and co-produce the film. The book often gets overshadowed by Bryan Lee O’Malley’s more popular works, coming out between the critically acclaimedScott Pilgrimand before his popular ongoing seriesSnotgirl, making this book the middle child of his bibliography. It makes sense that this is the first book of his to be made into a movie afterScott Pilgrimbecause this story is also a semi-sequel and a spiritual successor to Scott’s story.
RELATED:Why Ramona Flowers from ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ Deserves Another Look
All theScott Pilgrimbooks tell the story of how Scott and his entire group of friends grew up over the course of about a year. It’s a relatively small-scale story, but the amount of characters makes it feel expansive: Nearly every character in the series gets at least a dedicated B-plot. In comparison,Secondsis a more singular story. It focuses on Katie who is a successful 29-year-old chef, leaving the restaurant she built from the ground up, with help from her friends and colleagues, to start up a new restaurant that will have a more personal flare. From there, the story follows Bryan Lee O’Malley’s tradition of magical realism by including an element of time travel. Katie discovers that by writing down her mistakes in a notebook and eating a magic mushroom, she will wake up with her mistakes reversed.
This story is a semi-sequel toScott Pilgrimin the sense that Scott, Ramona, and a few other characters appear inSecondsas guests at Katie’s restaurant. It’s more of a nod and a wink than an actual continuation of their stories. But it does confirm that a lot of the relationships at the end of theScott Pilgrimbooks and film did work out. But more importantly, it’s a sequel in the sense that it further expands on themes and ideas from his past stories. Thematically,Scott Pilgrimis about growing up in the strange transition period between being a teenager and adulthood, and acknowledging that the only way for you to mature is to confront your baggage.Secondsis about a person reaching their thirties and realizing that after confronting that baggage, they still have to put in work to be a better person.
The time travel element makes it feel likeIt’s a Wonderful Lifebut with a much less likable protagonist. Katie is not the best person and has a lot of room to grow, which leads to a very nuanced character arc that feels more realistic. She is selfish, short-sighted, and very stubborn. This is part of the reason that the book feels so special. It allows its lead character to not be the best person in the world. O’Malley gives Katie just enough genuineness that you want to root for her even if you never agree with her. Much like Scott, Katie is a character you cheer on because you want her to reach the point where she knows how to accept her regrets and make the right decisions in her future. It’s realistic character growth that isn’t neatly wrapped up in a bow by the end because that’s not really true to life. In most stories, people change, but in reality, people grow, and that subtle distinction means a lot. That’s actually an ongoing theme with most of O’Malley’s writing, and it’s why theScott Pilgrimmovie and so many of his other stories have an open-ended finale.
This internal struggle and small scale are what make this a perfect story for a feature-length directorial debut. It has all the hallmarks for a good genre film with its time travel story device and humor, but it’s ultimately a personal journey. This is only a singular book, whereasScott Pilgrimhad to cram 6 books worth of story in just about 90 minutes. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of depth and nuance from the supporting cast had to be only hinted at or swept under the rug, so the plot can chug along. Hopefully, theSecondsmovie will not have the same issue, and every character will get their time in the spotlight. Katie and the supporting cast all have enough backstory and personality that makes them well-rounded. TheSecondsmovie will have ample time to explore that side of O’Malley’s writing without having to fit in an action scene every ten minutes or so. If Blake Lively can hone in on this tone, it’s going to lead to a movie that stands out amongst its peers. Including the pop-cultural behemoth that isScott Pilgrim.
