Bridgerton Co-Creator Chris Van Dusen Will Executive Produce And Write YA Adaptation, They Both Die At The End

With "Bridgerton" season 2 just around the corner, promising even more scandals withe the Bridgerton family, series co-creator Chris van Dusen has been signed to co-write and executive produce the adaptation of "They Both Die at the End." Deadline reports that Entertainment One's series adaptation of the eponymous Adam Silvera YA novel has been in the works for a duration of 10 months and is expected to release some time soon.

"They Both Die at the End" made history when it was first released, being the first YA novel with queer Latino characters to hit number one on the New York Times bestsellers list (while also ranking as the bestselling YA novel of 2021). The official synopsis of "They Both Die at the End" reads as follows:

"On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their end day. The good news: There's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day."

The core of the novel is an emotionally uplifting one, even though the fates of the characters are mired in tragedy. The tale is heart wrenching and life-affirming at the same time, and the adaptation is expected to unfold along the same lines. No details about the principal cast or a release date have been revealed as of yet.

This is not the first time that a television adaptation of "They Both Die at the End" has been attempted, as a series was previously in development at HBO, with director J.J. Abrams and writer Chris Kelly formerly attached to the same.

Van Dusen created and executive produced the first two seasons of "Bridgerton," and his other credits include several episodes of "Scandal" and "Grey's Anatomy." Van Dusen is set to co-write the pilot script for the series adaptation with Silvera, while executive producing via CVD Productions. eOne will be serving as the primary studio and global distributor, while Entertainment One acquired U.S. rights to Silvera's novel sometime in 2021.

"Bridgerton" season 2 is expected to return on Netflix on March 25, 2022. The second season is expected to shift its focus from Daphne and Simon's storyline to another courting season in the ton, wherein Eloise and Anthony Bridgerton will be the core focus, while newer characters are introduced.