Warning: This article contains spoilers from Netflix’s Uglies.
Ugliesdirector McG addresses what happened to Peris (Chase Stokes) at the end of the film. The Netflix adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 dystopian novel features significant changes from the source material, with one of the biggest occurring in Peris' story. Peris is the best friend of Tally Youngblood (Joey King). His personality and relationship with her changes when he undergoesUglies' standard surgeryto become a Pretty at age 16. The adaptation differs from the book with Peris also being transformed into a Special and sent to hunt down Tally, along with seemingly plunging to his death.
While speaking withDeadline,McG discussed the decision to make Peris a Special and how this impacts his relationship with Tallyand his overall character arc. He teases whether Peris is really dead after his perilous fall and how this ties into the larger themes of the adaptation. McG also emphasized what needs to happen in order forUglies' story to continue in a future sequel, which would adaptPretties, the next installment in Westerfeld’s book series. Check out the director’s comments below:
The whole point of that, of that arc, is I love this romantic idea of how hard the system tries to change him. His will and his love for Tally is so powerful that it transcends surgery, and when he sees her, there’s still so much power. I’m just romantic in that way that I want love to win in the end, and that’s why, in that final scene on the rooftop, Peris can’t even bring himself to speak to Tally until he’s hanging off the edge of the building and he calls her by her nickname, again, with a broken look on his face. Then he falls to — I’m not going to say it was his death. I would never say that. Of course, he fell into the fog. I want [viewers to wonder] is he or isn’t he alive in there? Is he or isn’t he good or bad? Has Cable won or has his affection for his friend won out in the end, and I love stories that explore those emotions.
The audience needs to speak up and say we should finish the book series. Obviously, it’s a series of books. The story goes on, but we need to have everybody clamor for it, because it’s tough to get movies made, and it needs to be worth it, and they’re expensive. We’re all very optimistic that the stories will continue, and of course, that’s why we signed up for this in the first place. It’s a series of books, and we want to tell the full story.
What The Changes To Peris' Story Means For Uglies & Its Future
Peris' Story Will Be Entirely Different In A Potential Sequel
In the 2005 novel, after Tally leaves the city on her mission to find Shay and the Smoke, Peris does not have much of a presence in the story until the sequel.Transforming him into a Special sent after Tally allows him to have more of a consistent presenceand more of an arc throughout the adaptation. The film’s Peris is even the one to kill David’s father, Az (Jay DeVon Johnson), snapping his neck in front of Tally and many others, even though Peris has nothing to do with Az’s death in the book.
10 Biggest Changes Netflix’s Uglies Movie Makes To The Book
Overall, Netflix’s Uglies movie was faithful to Scott Westerfeld’s book series. Still, there are a handful of ways that things went very differently.
The changes to Peris' story make it impossible for him to play the same role that he has in thePrettiesnovel, where he is still a Pretty and not a Special who murdered someone important to Tally and her friends. McG’s comments indicate thatPeris likely survived his fall, as he still needs to prove to Dr. Cable that she did not win and that his feelings for Tally are stronger than the surgery done to his brain. If he returns in a potential sequel, his role will have to be different in even more substantial ways.
Our Take On The Changes To Peris' Story
The Changes Were Not Executed Well
While the idea of giving Peris more of an arc and presence inUglieshas its merits, the execution of these changes did not work well. Peris is an important part of Tally’s past and her motivations to become a Pretty, working better as a catalyst than as a consistent presence.Expanding his role came at the expense of making Tally’s development feel less earnedand forcing the tired trope of former best friends being at odds with each other, and both of Tally’s love interests, Peris and David (Keith Powers), having to fight each other.
Part of the issue is also thatthe arc that McG discusses does not have an opportunity to be fully actualizedin the adaptation. McG suggests that Peris overcame his programming because of his love for Tally, but just when he seems like he might get a chance to do thisduringUglies' ending, the fight with David begins, and he soon after falls into the fog below. The changes to Peris' story did not work in Netflix’sUgliesand will create narrative issues in a potential adaptation ofPretties.
Uglies
Cast
In a futuristic society where everyone undergoes compulsory cosmetic surgery at 16 to become “pretty,” Tally eagerly awaits her transformation. However, when her friend goes missing, she embarks on a journey that challenges her beliefs about beauty, conformity, and rebellion, ultimately questioning the foundations of their world.
