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MrBeast is getting ready to create a new kind of spectacle offscreen.
The YouTuber, who currently has the most subscribed channel on the platform with 379 million subscribers, has teamed up with James Patterson to release a new thriller novel, Deadline reports.
According to the outlet, there is allegedly an “eight-figure” bidding war for the novel, film and TV rights for the book. It will be the first for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, and one of many for Patterson.
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The prolific author is known for his Alex Cross novels, which include Along Came a Spider. The character helped spawn a Prime Video series adaptation last year, which became the number one title globally on the streamer during its first 20 days, per Skydance. The show was renewed for a second season in April 2024, months before its November 2024 season 1 premiere.
Hollywood has adapted dozens of other Patterson novels for film and television, including Maximum Ride, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Live, First to Die and Zoo.
Patterson has also worked with many other co-writers, including Bill Clinton (The President Is Missing and The President’s Daughter), Dolly Parton (Run, Rose, Run) and Michael Crichton (Eruption).
While Patterson and MrBeast’s new novel does not have a name yet, Deadline reported that it has “shades of Squid Game” — a show that MrBeast has taken inspiration from for his YouTube videos—and a logline to match.
“Players fight to survive deadly tests held in dangerous locations around the world, as they battle to become ‘The One,’ ” the logline reads, per Deadline.
Although this is MrBeast’s first venture into literature, the influencer has previously ventured into television with his Prime Video series Beast Games. Earlier this year, it became the streamer’s most-watched unscripted show after acquiring 50 million views in 25 days, per Deadline.
A synopsis explains that the show featured 1,000 contestants competing in “nail-biting, physical, mental, and social challenges” for a chance to win a $5 million cash prize. Each week, contestants were eliminated based on the results of challenges that involved using “their strength and wit to stay in the game.”
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The cash prize ended up being doubled to $10 million during the final episode and was awarded to contestant #831, Jeffrey (Jeff) Randall Allen.
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