A Little Life author Hanya Yanagihara says ‘no one wants to fund’ screen version
Yanagihara has been attempting to adapt her novel for the screen since its publication in 2015
By Gary Grimes
Hanya Yanagihara, journalist and author of the seminal queer novel A Little Life, has revealed that the reason her book has not yet made it to the screen is because she can’t get the project funded.
The book, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has achieved rare status as a one of the most beloved and widely read queer novels this century. Although wildly popular, the book has also attracted huge criticism for what some have argued is gratuitous depiction of gay men suffering or “trauma porn”. Trans writer Andrea Long Chu even received a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for her take down of the novel and author in New York Magazine.
In particular, the book includes scenes of self harm, child molestation, rape and suicide which have frequently called into question its suitability for a screen adaptation.
Earlier this week Yanagihara took to Instagram to share a post revealing details of a special 10th anniversary edition of the book which is being released in October. Beneath the post, the author responded to a comment from a fan asking why the book has not yet been made into a mini-series, commenting: “No one wants to fund it!”
The writer has expresed interest in bringing the book to life on numeruous occasions in the past. In 2016, the rights were optioned by The Social Network producer Scott Rudin and The Boys In The Band director Joe Mantello, however nothing came of the collaboration.
In 2022, she told The Observer that Hulu had commissioned a 12 episode series, but after seeing scripts for the first four episodes, co-written by Yanagihara – and her $60 million budget – they dropped the series and she has struggled to find another streamer or network to pick it up since.
“I have heard a couple of people say that they wanted it to be like Sex and the City – network executives – which really makes me worried,” she told the paper. “Because there are other ways to crack this book and to interpret it and to bring it to screen.”
In 2018 the book was adapted for the stage by Koen Tachelet, who collaborated with Yanagihara to write a Dutch-language version for an Amsterdam theatre company. This version was later translated to English for a 2023 West End production starring Happy Valley star James Norton and It’s A Sin actor Omari Douglas.
“Ten years ago, [A Little Life] was published, and my life changed,” Yanagihara wrote on the book’s anniversary. “Not immediately: it had been unclear whether my editor, Gerry, would even buy it, and once he did and it was published, it was slow to find an audience. But then something happened that every author wishes for — it became a book that readers recommended to other readers.”
The 10th anniversary re-release will see the novel divided into four books, each with its own original artist-designed slipcase and cover. Yanagihara commissioned eight artists including Navot Miller, Chantal Joffe and Salman Toor to depict scenes from the book for the updated artworks.
The author also confirmed that the book’s original cover, which uses an image by the legendary queer photographer Peter Hujar, will remain in print.
Earlier this year it was announced that a new audiobook of the novel would be recorded by actor Matt Bomer in line with the anniversary.