Lions would be so fun! I still think Chriqui could take the part--if 27 years old can play high schoolers, why shouldn't she? And Kenzari is a great idea--I'd always wanted Riz Ahmed, but that's contributing to the problem of Desi actors playing Arab roles instead of letting actual Arabs play Arab roles, so your idea is much better.

I don't think they ever really cared to adapt the books so much as they wanted an existing name to slap on what was functionally an original series, but they strip mined just enough from the books to make me furious about what they changed.

I hate this so much!!!!

Sometimes people don't seem able to tell the difference between what should be adapted to film and what should be adapted to TV.