Disney has tapped John Wick and Grand Hotel producer Eva Longoria and Grand Hotel producer Ben Spector to develop an adaptation of Carlos Hernandez YA novel Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, about a teenager named Sal who can reach through time and space to retrieve things, and his new friend Gabi, who is determined to put that power to good use.
The book came out in 2019 from Rick Riordan’s imprint Rick Riordan Presents, and earned considerable acclaim: it was nominated for the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book and the Best in MG during the first Ignyte Awards from FIYAH. It also earned the Pura Belpré Award, which honors Latino/Latina writers and illustrators whose “work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.”
According to Deadline, Longoria and Spector are developing the project for a series as part of their production studio’s overall deal with Disney Branded Television, and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists’ Nelson Soler is included in the project.
In the book, Sal Vidon is a bit of a troublemaker, and ends up meeting Gabi Real in their school’s principal’s office. Gabi is trying to defend her friend Yasmany, who got into a fight with Sal over a prank. Sal has some particular powers: He can conjure things from other universes, and the two become friends after Gabi learns Sal’s secret. But their antics could throw the entire universe out of whack, and it’ll be up to them to fix things.
The book feels like it’s perfect Disney material, and hopefully, it will eventually make its way to Disney+ for us to check out. Until then, there’s the book and its sequel (Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe) for us to check out in the meantime.
