Fans of classic Shakespeare should be aware that the new Romeo & Juliet production in London’s West End takes a very different approach. Starring Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe, the play doesn’t follow the original script closely and instead presents a reimagined version of the story.
This West End show appears to be designed for a younger crowd, unafraid of a fresh take on a familiar story, and is likely attracting viewers because one of its main actors is known from the popular Netflix series, Stranger Things.
Honestly, it doesn’t even bother me that they’re updating this 430-year-old story! It’s totally what’s happening with all the classics these days – making them fresh for a new generation. And I’m here for it, because it means even more people will fall in love with it like I did!
Lately, Hollywood has been making a lot of movies and TV shows that drastically differ from the original stories, potentially upsetting the authors. However, these new versions have proven popular with Gen Z viewers.
These adaptations have become popular thanks to #BookTok, a part of TikTok where people share book reviews and recommendations.
The trend began during the pandemic and was first celebrated because it got young people reading books instead of spending all their time on their phones while stuck at home.
Yet in recent years, BookTok has also been accused of reducing media literacy.
TikTok’s recommendation system appears to favor quick, formulaic, and romance-focused stories, often at the expense of more complex or meaningful writing. This creates a cycle where users are repeatedly shown similar content.
It feels like there’s increasing pressure to appear like a reader, rather than genuinely enjoy reading.
As a huge book lover, I was a little taken aback when I saw a ‘bookfluencer’ suggest that the best way to get into reading is to… pick out a cute outfit to wear while you read! It felt like they were trying to make reading look more like a photoshoot than a cozy, immersive experience. I believe it’s more about finding a story you connect with, not about how you look while you’re reading it.
A debate recently flared up on BookTok when an influencer confessed to skipping over long paragraphs while reading.
A TikTok video posted by Miranda, an online user known as @probablyoffreading, recently caused a lot of discussion after it went viral and was later removed.
The popular book reviewer, with over 640,000 followers, focuses on romance and thriller novels. She admitted that she skips any paragraph that looks too long, saying, ‘I just skip it!’
In the video’s description, she wondered if she was the only person who did this, and many TikTok users confessed they only pay attention to the conversations when reading books.
Beth, known as @thecool_table online, even shared a guide explaining how to quickly skim over unnecessary parts of text while reading.
She recalled learning a speed reading technique from a teacher when she was younger. She explained she’d been motivated to read a lot of books within a specific timeframe.
She explained that reading diagonally across the page, instead of line by line, helps your eyes scan more words at once, allowing you to anticipate what’s coming next more quickly.
Another bookfluencer complained that the novel she was reading had ‘too many words’.
Yana, a TikTok user from California, jokingly complained in a review that Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Six of Crows’ had ‘too many words’ on every page.
A video originally posted by @yannareads is no longer available, but it received 36 million views after being shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
A lot of people criticized BookTok, with some feeling it’s become irrelevant and others believing influencers see reading as a way to appear popular rather than a genuine hobby.
Interest in Emily Brontë’s novel, Wuthering Heights, has been growing, especially after Emerald Fennell’s recent movie adaptation.
The movie, starring Margot Robbie as a teenager named Cathy, was popular with Gen-Z viewers. A memorable scene featured Robbie, age 35, playfully running around a countryside landscape in a latex gown.
Despite the initial excitement, many TikTok users confessed they struggled to finish the book, often needing to take breaks after just a few lines.
The 2022 movie version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, with Dakota Johnson, caused some surprise with its use of modern language, even though the story is set in the 1800s.
The 2021 teen romantic comedy He’s All That, featuring TikTok star Addison Rae, received very negative reviews from critics.
This comedy is a fresh take on a familiar story. It’s a remake of the 1999 film She’s All That, which itself was inspired by the classic play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and the 1964 movie My Fair Lady.
Despite receiving a low 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie still reached the top spot on Netflix the week it was released.
Coming up later this year is a Netflix series based on Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
This story has been made into many movies, including a 2005 film starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy.
The story hasn’t been made into a TV series since the acclaimed 1995 BBC adaptation starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.
Dolly Alderton, known for her advice column and previous work on the reality show Made In Chelsea and as a podcast host, has written the scripts. She’s also a popular writer with many industry connections.
She wrote the screenplay for the BBC’s 2022 television adaptation of her memoir, Everything I Know About Love, which is her only TV writing credit to date.
Oh my gosh, it was HUGE! Like, a total sensation that everyone in the US was watching. And honestly? It’s become the dating bible for people my age – all the millennials and Gen Z folks are using it to figure things out. I mean, it’s the first place I looked, and everyone I know is obsessed!
The upcoming series, with Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet and Jack Lowden as Mr. Darcy, will be set in the traditional time period but aims to offer a modern, humorous, and emotionally charged reimagining of the beloved story.
The classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is being adapted for television, and Aimee Lou Wood, known for her role in Sex Education, will play the lead character.
Daisy Edgar-Jones, known for her role in Normal People, will star in the new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility.
It remains to be seen if these will stay true to the original works or be given a younger spin.
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2026-04-05 12:08