Exclusive Interview
Callie Hart Promises the ‘Quicksilver’ Movie Will Be Just as Dark & Sexy as the Book
Things are looking up for Callie Hart. The British author transitioned from self-publishing to being the center of a 10-bidder traditional publishing auction with her hit book Quicksilver. The dark romantasy book was released in paperback on December 3 and hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. The same week, it was announced that Netflix won the rights to adapt the book with a seven-figure deal. Hart will executive produce the movie alongside Elizabeth Cantillon for The Cantillon Company.
“I’ve known about the Netflix stuff for a while now. It’s been a painful secret to keep. Honestly, it feels like a bit of released pressure being able to tell people and share that news,” Hart told Swooon when we caught up with the author shortly after the announcement. “It’s been wonderful. I’ve just been working, but I am going to celebrate properly when I get back home, and I’ve done my laundry.”
The movie is still in the very early stages, with no director or scriptwriter named yet. That means there have mostly been conversations between Hart, Cantillon, and Netflix about what this movie will look like. Fans have already been asking who Hart would fancast in the movie, but they aren’t close to that point of the project yet.
“[Elizabeth] is very collaborative. We’ve sat down and had long, in-depth conversations about where the project should go and the direction that it should take, the vibe, and the atmosphere of the movie. We’re still ironing out all of that stuff,” she said. “Netflix has been very generous, and they have let me have a seat at the table. I am going to have an active role in the project as it goes forward.”
There’s still a lot unknown about the movie, but Hart knows that she doesn’t want this to be YA adaptation. It’s been her firm throughline when talking to Cantillon and Netflix even before they secured the rights.
“This is a very graphic book in many different ways. It’s dark. It’s sexy. It has graphic content and violence in all kinds of different ways,” the author explained. “My main goal here is to make sure that the basis of the movie isn’t lost, that the book isn’t lost. I really want any adaptation to stay true to the story, for it to be dark and gritty and sexy and all of the things that readers fell in love with.”
That has to be a relief for fans who have already fallen in love with protagonists Saeris and Kingfisher. The first book follows Saeris when her metal-manipulation powers lead her to a fae world separated from her desert wasteland home by a live liquid metal portal known as quicksilver. When Saeris arrives in Yveria, she’s forced to work with the mercurial Kingfisher to create enchanted tokens that will allow the fae to cross through the portals unharmed. They discover that their connection is deeper than either of them could fathom but could also bring the destruction of both their worlds.
Quicksilver is the first of three planned books in Hart’s Fae & Alchemy series, with the second book scheduled for next fall. The sequel was originally planned for fall 2024, but the rocketing success of the first book has changed the timeline. Hart is still stunned by how well the book has done, but when she talks about it, Quicksilver has all the obvious ingredients for success.
“I think people just love a push-and-pull, enemies-to-lovers story. That is so iconic. People just love that. It’s so satisfying when that evolution in a relationship happens and the romance finally sparks. That’s such a fun moment to read about. I love reading about that, too,” she revealed.
Still, she’s humbled by how the book is doing. “I put it out, and it didn’t do well right away. It took me a moment to find a romantic readership. For a while, I thought that it was going to be one of those books that I had written for myself. I’m so lucky to share it with everyone, and people seem to be liking it. It’s a huge honor for me.”
Quicksilver is now available wherever you buy books. The Netflix adaptation is currently in development.
