Netflix gets around to adapting Hatchet

This upcoming adaptation isn’t the first, but thanks to Netflix’s involvement, it will likely be more high-profile (at least for now, as the anticipation builds) than the 1990 movie A Cry In The Wild, which Paulsen co-wrote. Depending on when Netflix releases the film, it could snag a spot in the Top 10 or get buried by the streamer’s copious amount of projects. During his decades-long career, Paulsen wrote more than 150 books and is best known for his contributions to young adult literature. Hatchet, published in 1987, centers on Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old child of divorce who survives a plane crash while on his way to visit his dad for the summer. The novel follows the teen as he’s forced to survive on his own in the wilderness, using a hatchet his mom gave him and newfound survival skills. The book earned a Newbery Honor, and Paulsen released four additional sequels: The River (1991), Brian’s Winter (1996), Brian’s Return (1999), and Brian’s Hunt (2003). It’s unclear whether Netflix plans to adapt the other books, but that will likely depend on how successful the first installment is.