It was 2011. Alex Pettyfer was everywhere. YA adaptations were the only thing Hollywood cared about, and everyone was looking for the next Twilight. Then came Soy el número cuatro (I Am Number Four). It had the pedigree: produced by Michael Bay, directed by D.J. Caruso, and based on a massive bestseller by Pittacus Lore. It seemed like a guaranteed franchise. But it just... stopped.
If you've ever spent a late night scrolling through Netflix or Disney+ and stumbled back onto John Smith’s glowing hands and high-school angst, you’re not alone. People are still obsessed with what happened to the Garde. Honestly, the movie wasn't a total flop, making about $150 million worldwide. Yet, in the brutal math of Tinseltown, that wasn't enough to trigger the six-movie arc the studio initially dreamed of.
The weird truth about the source material
Here is something most people don't actually know: Pittacus Lore isn't a person. It’s a collective pseudonym. The book series behind Soy el número cuatro was actually the product of Full Fathom Five, a "book packaging" company started by James Frey. Yeah, the A Million Little Pieces guy.
Frey basically hired young writers—most notably Jobie Hughes for the first book—to churn out high-concept stories specifically designed to be sold to movie studios. It worked. DreamWorks bought the film rights before the first book was even finished. This "factory" approach gave the story its slick, cinematic feel, but it also led to some behind-the-scenes drama that might have dampened the momentum for a sequel.
The lore is surprisingly deep. We're talking about nine Loric children sent to Earth with "Cêpan" (guardians) to hide from the Mogadorians. The twist? They can only be killed in numerical order as long as they stay apart. It’s a great hook. Simple. Effective. It’s why fans are still salty that we never saw the rest of the numbers.
Why the movie actually stalled out
You’ve probably heard the rumors. Maybe it was the box office? Or maybe Alex Pettyfer’s reputation at the time? It was kinda a mix of everything. While Soy el número cuatro performed okay, it didn't hit that Hunger Games level of cultural saturation.
Critics were also pretty harsh. They called it "generic." They weren't entirely wrong, but they missed the point of why the fans liked it. It wasn't trying to be Inception; it was a superhero origin story before the MCU became the only thing in theaters.
- The Marvel Factor: 2011 was the same year Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger came out. The audience's appetite for "special teens" was being replaced by an appetite for "actual superheroes."
- Budget vs. Return: It cost $60 million to make. Usually, a movie needs to triple its budget to be considered a smash. It barely doubled it.
- Director Fatigue: D.J. Caruso has been vocal over the years, saying they were close to a sequel called The Power of Six, but the studio just got cold feet.
Actually, the chemistry between Pettyfer and Dianna Agron was one of the highlights. They were dating in real life during filming, which gave the romance a bit more weight than your average teen flick. But even that wasn't enough to save a franchise when the "Mog" makeup costs were so high.
What happens in the books (The spoilers you wanted)
Since we never got a second movie, you're probably wondering what happens to Number Four and Number Six (played by the incredible Teresa Palmer).
In the books, the scope gets way bigger. Soy el número cuatro is just the tip of the iceberg. John and Six eventually team up with Marina (Number Seven), who has been hiding in a convent in Spain. We also meet Number Nine, who is an absolute beast and way more arrogant than John.
The Mogadorians aren't just hunting kids; they are prepping a full-scale invasion of Earth. It turns into a global war. In the final books, even humans start developing Legacies (powers). If the movies had continued, we would have seen massive battles in Chicago and even a trip back to a dying Lorien. It's a bummer we missed out on seeing Number Nine’s penthouse apartment in the sky, which was a huge part of the later books.
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Is a reboot actually happening?
In early 2024, rumors started swirling again. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the original screenwriters (and the guys behind Wednesday on Netflix), confirmed they are working on something related to the series.
Is it a sequel? Probably not. It’s been too long. Pettyfer is in his 30s now.
But a reboot? That makes sense. The "Lorien Legacies" series has seven main books and a bunch of spin-offs called The Lost Files. There is enough material there to rival the Harry Potter series. A streaming show on a platform like Disney+ would actually suit the pacing of the books much better than a two-hour movie. They could spend more time on the training, the various Legacies like Anima (talking to animals) or Glacies (ice manipulation), and the tragic backstories of the fallen numbers One, Two, and Three.
Honestly, the world of Soy el número cuatro feels more relevant now than it did in 2011. We're used to ensemble casts and serialized storytelling. We don't need one "Chosen One" anymore; we want the whole team.
How to dive back into the Loric world
If you're looking to scratch that itch and can't wait for a reboot that may or may not happen, here is how you should actually consume the story.
Don't just rewatch the movie. It’s fine for nostalgia, but it cuts out way too much. Start the book series from scratch. The first one is good, but The Power of Six and The Rise of Nine are where the stakes really ramp up.
- Read the novellas: The Lost Files give you the POV of the Mogadorians and the numbers who died before the story started. It makes the world feel much darker.
- Track the "Legacies": Each number has unique powers. John has Lumen (light/heat), but Six has Subter (invisibility) and weather control. It’s fun to see how they combine them.
- Check out the sequel series: Yes, there is a sequel book series called Lorien Legacies Reborn. It deals with the aftermath of the war and how Earth handles a bunch of powered-up teenagers.
The legacy of Soy el número cuatro is a weird one. It’s a "cult classic" that was meant to be a mainstream blockbuster. It sits in that strange space with John Carter and Tron: Legacy—movies that people genuinely love but Hollywood gave up on too soon.
Whether we get a new show or not, the story of John Smith remains a blueprint for how to do YA sci-fi right: keep the powers cool, the stakes high, and the villains genuinely terrifying. If you're looking for your next binge-read, this is it. Forget the "Number Four" moniker for a second and look at the whole series. It's a wild ride that deserved more than one outing on the big screen.
To get the full experience, grab the "Lorien Legacies" box set. It's usually cheap on Amazon or at local used bookstores. Start with the main seven books before touching the "Reborn" series to avoid massive spoilers about who survives the final battle at the end of United as One.