Is the My Dark Vanessa movie real? Rumor explained

The popular novel by Kate Elizabeth Russell is rumored to have a movie adaptation – but is it true? Here’s what we know.

Some of the most hotly anticipated movies and TV shows of the year are adaptations of existing stories, including Fallout, Dune 2, and the sequel to Beetlejuice. Now, fans think the popular psychological thriller My Dark Vanessa is getting the same treatment.

The novel’s blub reads: “Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher. 2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due.”

While the premise would clearly make an interesting film, is the My Dark Vanessa movie actually real? Here’s everything you need to know.

Is the My Dark Vanessa movie real?

No, the My Dark Vanessa movie isn’t real – there are no film adaptations currently in the works.

Most of the rumors come from enthusiastic fan remakes – you can find plenty of fanmade trailers over on YouTube.

Back in 2020, there was also controversy surrounding My Dark Vanessa as a choice for Oprah’s Book Club, which had direct links to Apple TV+. However, ultimately nothing came from the rejection other than a few disappointed enthusiasts.

Where fans of the novel might be making a connection with the world of cinema is the recent release of Jenna Ortega’s Miller’s Girl – in fact, if you search “how to watch My Dark Vanessa movie” on TikTok, this is exactly what you get.

Released in January 2024, Miller’s Girl follows a similar plot, reading: “A creative writing assignment yields complex results between a teacher and his talented student.”

You can catch the trailer below:

However, the film was quick to be panned by many critics, currently holding a 29% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Charles Bramesco for Inside Hook wrote, “From one scene to the next, a viewer may experience trouble discerning whether this is a merely stupid movie, an amusing specimen of semi-witting camp, or stealth coup of high-wire self-parody.”

Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com agreed, “As a showcase for Ortega’s star power, Miller’s Girl does get the job done. But as a piece of pulpy, post-#MeToo storytelling…Bartlett’s dramatic thriller unfortunately comes up short.”

Find more movies to stream this month here.