‘Things We Never Got Over’ Author Lucy Score Talks Hopes For Development Of TV Show Adaptation
Lucy Score’s Things We Never Got Over has been out for over two and a half years with the two sequel books completing the Knockemout trilogy in 2023 ahead of the announcement that Things We Never Got Over is getting the television adaptation treatment.
The first book in the trilogy is also one of the most read books on Kindle Unlimited, and Amazon hosted an event featuring a Q and A with the author Thursday at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel.
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“When I started writing that book, I didn’t know what it was about,” Score told Deadline. “I was like, ‘Okay, it’s this grumpy hero and this opposites attract heroine who shows up in town. I thought that’s what the story was about, but right before I started with writing, one of my dear friends passed away very suddenly, and I struggled writing the book. I kept trying to just chip away at it, and something wasn’t working. Eventually I realized I was writing through my own grief, and once I accepted that, then the story really came together. Things is still a rom com, it’s still love story, but underneath it is a theme of how brave it is to love someone when you know you’re gonna lose them.”
Score couldn’t share too much about the progress of Amazon MGM’s adaptation of Things We Never Got Over, but she shared with Deadline some of her hopes and dreams for the book’s transformation onto the small screen in the interview below:
DEADLINE: Would you say that theme of loss carried over to the following two books in your trilogy?
Score: “It did. The series just maintained this theme of how much bravery it takes to love someone after you’ve been hurt or after you’ve lost someone special. That’s what that series was really saying to me.”
DEADLINE: Are there any updates on the show’s production?
Score: I can’t say a whole lot other than the fact that I am so excited. It’s another one of those pinch me moments It’s in development. The showrunner is Amy Rardin, who is amazing. She just did Echo, the Marvel series on Disney plus, and also, I was such a huge fan of her work in Jane the Virgin, so I am very excited to see what she comes up with for the pilot.
The executive producers, Patrick Moran and Lynley Bird from PKM have been absolutely wonderful. Amazon MGM has been amazing. They’re all almost as excited about the show as I am.”
DEADLINE: Are you going to advise on scripts or anything? How involved do you think you’ll be?
Score: I have meaningful consultation. They’re very open to me expressing myself, which is really nice, and I also understand that they are the experts. I’m not there to tell them I know more because I do not.
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DEADLINE: Do you have a dream cast for the characters in the show?
I’ve been loving watching readers cast it because they are so creative. I just want people who can make the characters feel real. I’m not married to any specific person, but I’m very excited to see what kind of chemistry comes together onscreen.
DEADLINE: What have you seen of the readers fancasting?
Score: Everybody loves Tom Ellis for suit daddy (Lucian Rollins). I would not be mad about that. There have been a lot of votes for Charlie Hunnam for Knox, Tom Hardy for Nash. They’re leading men material. The readers have some good taste.
DEADLINE: With this one getting adapted, do you approach your new books with those hopes?
Score: I am hopeful that there will be other projects, in the works in the near future. It definitely makes me think about things. It adds another lens for me to think about the story from as I’m writing it, which to me is really fun. It’s been a lot of fun to be part of this process already, so I can’t wait for more.
DEADLINE: Tell me about your next book series.
Score: I love it so much. Story of My Life is book one in the Story Lake series coming out in March of next year. This is what I wanted to give every reader who has ever read a book and said, I wish I could move there. It’s still small town, still grumpy hero, fish out of water. I call it Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek redemption rom com.
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DEADLINE: What are your thoughts generally on the book to TV adaptation pipeline?
Score: I’m really excited about it because I’m a storyteller at heart, so I’m always fascinated with how other people and how other mediums can tell a story. For me to sit down and write a book, it’s me alone in a room, voices in my head of course, and I tell a story. There are very few layers that get added to that story. I have editors who will look at it and make suggestions. But other than that, that’s pretty much it. If it goes to TV or movie, you are adding so many layers to each story. You have cast, you have the director, you have wardrobe, music, location, there’s just so many ways to subtly add to the story, and I cannot wait to see someone else’s vision for the characters that I created.
DEADLINE: Are there any songs you hope make it into the show’s soundtrack?
Score: I have a writing playlist that I always put on when I’m writing, and I just have such an appreciation for The Killers. I love all of their work, and I think my favorite line from a song ever is “‘Cause I don’t shine if you don’t shine” from their song “Read My Mind.” It just feels like the theme of my life. I would melt into a puddle if The Killers could be part of the soundtrack.
DEADLINE: What, if anything, central to the book do you hope makes it into the show?
Score: Definitely the banter. I want it to be lot of funny banter back and forth especially between the brothers. I just want the characters to connect in a similar way that they did on the page, and I want viewers to connect to the story the way readers connected to it. That’s my wish list.
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