There are many upcoming movies to look forward to in 2018. One is Becky Albertalli’s best-selling book, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. This movie will star Everything, Everything’s Nick Robinson and 13 Reasons Why’s Katherine Langford.

The film is scheduled to be released on March 16, 2018 and will be directed by Greg Berlanti. Readers and fans will be able to connect with the main character, Simon Spier, a closeted gay boy whose private email addressed to another boy is accidentally leaked to fellow student, Martin Addison, who blackmails Simon into playing his wingman in order to gain the attention of one of Simon’s best friends.
Simon’s inner struggle regarding his sexuality will hopefully reflect real-life issues; addressing coming of age for teens who battle with acceptance and religious matters, friendship, and the ability to speak up for one’s self in the face of conflict.

Simon is a very realistic character, and if you have not done so already, you should take the time to sit down and read the novel. Readers and viewers will hear from Simon’s point of view of what it feels like to be gay in high school and how this new discovery will affect the rest of the student body and those that he surrounds himself with.

In a review for EW back in September of 2016, Stephen Lee gave the book an “A” and wrote, “Albertalli paints a stunningly three-dimensional, cliché-free world for Simon that bursts with unforgettable characters.”

In regards to story plotting, Albertalli tells it from the standpoint of a teenager; her use of imagery and characterization will take readers and fans for an emotional joyride. Not only are her chapters polished and uniquely the narration of an average junior struggling with his identity in high school, but she is also very modernized about her choice of words written down on paper.

Fans and readers will not only be able to relate to Simon and the challenges he faces in and out of school, but acknowledge the accomplishments of a woman who took the time to put this book together in the words of herself as “an author and former teenager who was in the same position that Simon and many like him now face today in society.”

“I think it’s definitely exciting that a movie like this is getting made. There aren’t many movies that explore sexuality in such a real, raw way. It’s important that the LGBTQ community is represented accurately, especially at a time when opinions vary on such things,” says Ashlie Dawkins.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda will also teach readers and fans about the importance of diversity and the expansion of racial demographics brought together on motion picture. As represented in today’s society, production companies such as Temple Hill Entertainment and Fox 20000 Pictures are now turning their attention to YA, telling stories of teens from different backgrounds and problems that they must overcome at their own pace.

“I don’t think this would be a good movie only because the plot seems to be too cliché,” Jahlen Grant King expressed after learning the book is being turned into a movie. “It delves too close to reality. What would be a better movie would be an LGBTQ+ Disney princess/prince who’s a renegade and in tune with their feminity.”

If you haven’t planned ahead already, make sure you go see the movie in March. Buy your tickets in advance online and be one of the first ones to witness Simon and his journey to adulthood.