Forever YA

Hollywood needs a new franchise. Heck, WE need a new franchise.

For more than a decade, from around 2001 to 2015, the "young adult" genre reinvigorated the film industry.

From 2001 to 2011, we had the Harry Potter flicks.

From 2008 to 2012, there was The Twilight Saga.

Then The Hunger Games followed from 2012 to 2015.

I don't know if we realised it at the time but this young adult era was among the most engaging in film history. Say what you will about them but young adult movies were fun, interesting and everyone was talking about them.

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Now, there's nothing.

Star Wars was successfully rebooted last year but it's hardly a "young" property.

Jurassic Park? Old.

James Bond? Old.

Superheroes? Super old.

These are institutions. What we desperately need is a fresh phenomenon, and I think - and I hope - Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children just might be it.

Based on the young adult novel by US author Ransom Riggs, its title pretty much says it all.

It's a story of a bunch of supernatural kids - there's an invisible boy, a flying girl and telepathic twins - who live in a creepy mansion under the care of Miss Peregrine (Eva Green).

She can transform into a falcon and manipulate time.

Jake (Asa Butterfield) is the new kid and Barron (Samuel L Jackson) is the baddie.

BOOK

The book was released in 2011 and was followed by two sequels, Hollow City (2014) and Library Of Souls (2015).

The mighty Tim Burton is directing, bringing his distinctive visual style and dark whimsicality.

You should check out the trailer, it really looks promising.

These young adult properties are vital to the film industry for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that they keep young people going to theatres and create new movie fans.

Here's hoping Miss Peregrine, which opens on Sept 29, is the next Harry Potter and not the next Lemony Snicket.