When a dark fantasy novel sells millions of preorders before it even hits shelves, you know Hollywood will take notice. Alchemised by SenLinYu has done just that, as it was one of the most anticipated novels of the year and even sold its movie rights for a significant sum!
Originally a fanfic reimagining, this book has been reborn as a standalone story—and studios are already racing to bring the world of Paladia to life.
SenLinYu, who identifies as they/them, is an American author best known in fanfiction circles for Manacled, a Harry Potter fanfic featuring the forbidden Draco/Hermione story that amassed millions of views. In 2025, they officially moved into the publishing world by reworking Manacled into an entirely new narrative, which became Alchemised.
The author’s writing often blends gothic atmosphere, moral ambiguity, trauma, and romance. In interviews, they’ve spoken about crafting a world and characters that feel both haunted and alive—deliberately grounded, even when magic and necromancy revolve around them.
The novel, Alchemised, was released on September 23, 2025, with an initial print run of 750,000 copies and translations into over 21 languages. Expectations were sky-high, and within days of its release, it reached #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers list.
Even before publication, Alchemised secured a seven-figure movie rights deal with Legendary Entertainment, which bought the adaptation rights in a reported deal exceeding $3 million. This makes it one of the largest book-to-film rights sales for a debut novel in recent memory.
This article will walk you through what is known so far: the adaptation deal, how the plot may translate to film, what fans can expect, and whether you should read the book before the movie premieres.
What Will Be The Plot of the Alchemised Movie Adaptation?
Alchemised centers on Helena Marino, a former alchemist and healer who wakes in captivity with no memory of the war that ravaged her homeland.
As necromancers and corrupt guild families now dominate the country, she is under the control of a powerful necromancer known as the High Reeve, who seeks to uncover her lost memories and their hidden power.
Helena’s captivity involves mental probing and magic rituals where her mind becomes a battlefield. Her captor, Kaine Ferron, a rival with whom she shares a mysterious history, has a dual role: both her interrogator and unwilling ally in her memory recovery. Over time, she navigates power, betrayal, and the blurred lines between resistance and complicity.
For the film adaptation, the challenge will be balancing the internal conflict, mind‐magic mechanics, and dark fantasy set pieces—all while preserving emotional connection. A cinematic lens may lean into the visual horror, gothic architecture, and necromantic lore while compressing some memory sequences.
Here’s the official synopsis of the book that will give you a better idea of what to expect from the movie adaptation:
“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.
In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own… secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
Casting & Production Updates:
At present, the adaptation is a movie project under Legendary Entertainment. The deal was reported publicly in September 2025, signaling a preemptive move to secure the rights amid anticipated competition.
It hasn’t even been a month since the book was released, so the adaptation is still in its very early stages of production. I mean, I’m sure no work has been done other than acquiring the movie rights.
As such, no cast, director, or production schedule has been officially confirmed yet.
Given the scale of the purchase and the publicity, the adaptation is clearly a priority for Legendary, but at this time, it remains in early development.
Alchemised Movie Release Date:
No official release date has been announced for the movie adaptation of SenLinYu’s Alchemised, as the acquisition was recent, and the project is in its initial development stages.
Expect casting, scripting, and preproduction to take time. And if production starts early and things move smoothly and quickly, a release sometime between 2027 and 2028 might be feasible.
But that is speculative, so we should wait for an official confirmation!
Should You Read the Book Instead?
Yes, especially if you’re drawn to emotionally layered fantasy. Alchemised gives you direct access to Helena’s internal struggles, fragmented memories, moral dilemmas, and the complete exposition of the world and magic systems—elements that a film may need to streamline or omit.
Reading first also means you can see how adaptation decisions compare: what scenes are kept, what changes, and how performances interpret Helena’s trauma and alliances. In dark fantasy, the first impact comes from mystery and internal revelations—and reading conveys those in full.
And since this novel started as a Harry Potter fanfic, featuring Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, you should definitely consider reading the book before you go and watch the Alchemised movie adaptation!
Upcoming Book Adaptations: