If you were anywhere near a bookstore or a cinema in 2011, you couldn't escape the glowing hands of John Smith. It felt like the next big thing. Everyone was looking for the "next Twilight," and a story about nine alien teenagers hiding on Earth while being hunted by pale, needle-toothed monsters seemed like a slam dunk. But then, the movie sort of... fizzled. Critics weren't kind. The box office was okay, but not "spawn a decade of sequels" okay. Yet, here we are over a decade later, and people are still obsessed with I Am Number Four.
Why?
It’s actually a pretty wild story involving a controversial "book packager," a massive series of novels that far outlived the film, and a fanbase that refuses to let the Lorien Legacies go. Honestly, the drama behind the scenes of the writing process is almost as intense as the Mogadorian invasion itself.
The Lorien Legacies: More Than Just a Movie
Most people only know the Alex Pettyfer movie. That’s a mistake. The book series, written under the collective pseudonym Pittacus Lore, actually spans seven core novels and a staggering amount of novellas. It’s huge. The premise is simple: nine kids from the planet Lorien are sent to Earth after their home world is destroyed. They have "Legacies"—basically superpowers—that develop as they hit puberty. There’s a charm cast on them so they can only be killed in chronological order. One, Two, and Three are already dead. John Smith is Number Four. He’s next.
The books dive deep into the mythology of Lorien and the Great Expansion. While the movie stayed fairly grounded in a small-town Ohio setting, the books eventually go global. We’re talking massive battles in Chicago, secret underground bases in New Mexico, and a full-scale alien invasion that the world actually notices. It’s not just a "teen romance with aliens" story; it turns into a legitimate sci-fi epic.
The Pittacus Lore Mystery
For a long time, people wondered who Pittacus Lore actually was. It wasn't just one person. The series was the flagship product of Full Fathom Five, a company started by James Frey. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the guy who got famously grilled by Oprah for fabricating parts of his memoir, A Million Little Pieces.
Frey’s model was unique. He’d come up with an idea and hire MFA students or young writers to do the heavy lifting for a relatively small fee and a share of the royalties. Jobie Hughes was the primary writer for the first book, but the relationship between him and Frey reportedly soured, leading to a very public fallout detailed in New York Magazine back in 2011. This "factory" approach to writing is why the books feel so fast-paced and cinematic—they were literally designed to be sold as movie scripts from day one.
What Went Wrong with the Film?
Directed by D.J. Caruso and produced by Michael Bay, the movie had the right ingredients. It had the budget. It had the star power. But it fell into the trap of trying to be too many things at once. It wanted to be a moody teen drama, a high-octane action flick, and a franchise starter.
One of the biggest issues was the pacing. The movie spends so much time on the romance between John and Sarah Hart (played by Dianna Agron) that the actual stakes of the alien war feel secondary until the final thirty minutes. By the time Number Six (Teresa Palmer) shows up and starts blowing things up with her telekinesis and fire resistance, the movie is almost over. Palmer’s performance was actually a highlight—she brought a kinetic energy that the rest of the film lacked.
A Missed Opportunity for a Cinematic Universe
Back in 2011, the "Cinematic Universe" craze was just starting to heat up. Marvel was still in Phase One. If I Am Number Four had been released three years later, it might have been structured differently. The film ends on a cliffhanger, with Four, Six, and Sam heading off to find the others. We never got to see Number Five (who has a very interesting, villainous arc in the books) or Seven, Eight, and Nine.
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Fans were devastated.
The sequel, which would have been based on The Power of Six, was put on indefinite hold. Screenwriter Marti Noxon has mentioned in interviews that while there were scripts and ideas, the momentum just died. The movie didn't "fail," but it didn't hit the heights of The Hunger Games, which came out shortly after and effectively sucked the air out of the room for every other YA adaptation.
The Lore Grows: The Lost Files and Reborn
Even without movies, the books kept selling. Millions of copies. The "Lorien Legacies" ended with United as One, but then Frey and his team launched "Lorien Legacies Reborn." This sequel series focuses on a world where human teenagers start developing Legacies because the Garde (the aliens) shared their power with Earth.
It’s a smart pivot. It moves away from the "hidden among us" trope and looks at how society would actually react if thousands of kids suddenly had the power to control gravity or turn into stone. It deals with government registration, prejudice, and the ethics of super-powered teens.
- Generation One: The first book in the sequel series.
- The Fugitive Six: Continues the story of human Garde.
- Return to Zero: The finale of the Reborn trilogy.
If you stopped after the first book, you've missed about 80% of the actual story. The world-building gets incredibly dense. You learn about the Chimera (shapeshifting alien pets), the history of the Mogadorian leader Setrákus Ra, and the fact that the "Gardes" were never meant to just hide—they were meant to be the architects of a new world.
Why the Fanbase Stays So Loyal
Go on TikTok or Tumblr today and you’ll still find people arguing about who would win in a fight: Number Nine or Number Four. Nine is the fan favorite for a reason. He’s arrogant, incredibly powerful, and provides the comic relief that the series desperately needs when things get dark. And things get dark. Characters you love die. Often.
The series resonates because it captures that universal feeling of being an outsider. Yes, they have superpowers, but they are also refugees. They’ve lost their parents, their culture, and their entire planet. They are trying to survive in a world that doesn't know they exist, or worse, wants to dissect them.
Real-World Connections
The themes of displacement and the burden of expectation are heavy. Each of the Garde has a "Cépan"—a guardian who isn't a warrior but a teacher. The relationship between Four and his guardian, Henri, is the emotional core of the first story. Henri's death isn't just a plot point; it’s the moment John is forced to grow up. It’s a metaphor for the loss of childhood protection that everyone goes through, just with more plasma blasters.
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What’s the Current Status of a Reboot?
There’s been a lot of chatter lately. In early 2024, reports surfaced that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar—the creators of Smallville and the minds behind the hit show Wednesday—are working on a reboot of I Am Number Four.
This is the best possible news for the franchise.
Gough and Millar know how to handle teen angst mixed with supernatural elements. They did it for a decade with Clark Kent. A TV series format would suit the Lorien Legacies much better than a two-hour movie. Imagine a season dedicated to each book, or at least enough time to actually meet all nine Garde members without rushing.
The original movie's cast has moved on. Alex Pettyfer is older, Dianna Agron has carved out a great career in indie films, and Teresa Palmer is a major star. A reboot would mean a fresh start. New faces. A chance to get the Mogadorian design right (the 2011 versions were a bit "generic bad guy").
How to Get Into the Series Now
If you’re looking to dive back in or start for the first time, don't just watch the movie and stop. You’re getting the "lite" version of a much richer world.
- Read the core seven books first. Start with I Am Number Four and go through United as One. The quality actually improves as the series progresses and the stakes get higher.
- Don’t skip "The Lost Files." These are novellas that explain what happened to the characters who weren't in the first book. Six's Legacy is particularly good and explains why she’s so hardened when she meets John in Ohio.
- Listen to the audiobooks. The narrators do a fantastic job of giving the different Garde members distinct voices, which helps when the perspective shifts in later books.
- Follow the reboot news closely. With the success of shows like Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, there is a massive appetite for faithful YA adaptations.
The legacy of Lorien isn't just about the powers or the aliens. It’s about the fact that even when you’re the last of your kind, you keep fighting. You find a new family. You make a stand. That’s why I Am Number Four still hits home for people. It’s a story about not being a victim of your circumstances, even if those circumstances involve being hunted by intergalactic warmongers.
Keep an eye on the production updates from Gough and Millar. If they can capture the grit of the later books while maintaining the heart of the first one, we might finally get the adaptation this series deserves. Until then, the books are waiting. And honestly? They’re better than the movie anyway.
Your Lorien Legacies Reading Order
To get the full experience, you should mix the main novels with the novellas (The Lost Files). This is how you get the real depth of the story:
- I Am Number Four (Book 1)
- The Lost Files: Six's Legacy
- The Power of Six (Book 2)
- The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy
- The Rise of Nine (Book 3)
- The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies
- The Fall of Five (Book 4)
- The Revenge of Seven (Book 5)
- The Fate of Ten (Book 6)
- United as One (Book 7)
By the time you reach The Fate of Ten, the scope of the story is so much larger than just a kid in Ohio. You'll see why the fans never gave up on this series. It’s a wild, messy, exciting ride that deserved a better cinematic fate than it got in 2011. But the beauty of stories is that they can always be told again. Lorien will rise. It’s just a matter of when.