Sydney Sweeney Set to Adapt and Star in Jessica Goodman's Debut Novel "They Wish They Were Us"

Elite high school, privileged students, unlimited credit cards and absentee parents. It’s a tale as old as time, but for some reason these stories never seem to get old and its exactly what we see in Jessica Goodman’s Debut Novel “They Wish They Were Us”. The novel takes place in present day Gold Coast, just outside of New York City where the students of the elite high school are carrying dark secrets. As the seniors of Gold Coast Prep start their last year together, they are once again reminded of their classmate who died three years ago.

These select group of students are called “Players” an exclusive club that operates within the high school. The “Players” attend the best parties, have the highest GPAs and are guarding deep secrets. As the main character, Jill, begins her senior year holding her position within the “Players” Club, she cannot seem to forget her best-friend, Shalia, who died three years prior at the hands of her boyfriend, Graham. As they try to move on and try to forget the past, Graham begins to claim his innocence and searches for an appeal of his charge. The news sends shockwaves through the school as all of the “Players” were together the night that Shalia died, which means if Graham is innocent, the killer is still at large.

This YA Book was a quick and easy read and didn’t require much thought to understand the characters and their motivations. If the above summary interests you, start reading now – the Novel has already been grabbed up for a Series Adaptation from Sydney Sweeney’s new production company, Fifty, Fifty. Jean-Marc Vallée in the director’s chair with Nathan Ross on-board to help produce. Vallée was connected with “Big Little Lies, as he directed most of the episodes in Season 1, and has also worked with Sweeney in the past on 2018’s Dark Drama “Sharp Objects”, another book adaptation from Gillian Flynn.

Deadline first broke the story on July 31st, a week prior to the book’s release. “They Wish They Were Us” is going to be re-named “The Players Table”. The adaptation marks the first acquisition of Sydney Sweeney’s production company Fifty, Fifty and Sweeney will be portraying the role of Jill Newman, the lead in the series. More to come!

And that's the sitch!