The film version of Courtney Summers's young adult novel This Is Not a Test will premiere in Canadian theatres on February 27, 2026. Directed by Adam MacDonald, it follows teenagers surviving a zombie apocalypse while barricaded in their high school. This marks the first screen adaptation of Summers's work, which has earned her multiple awards.
Courtney Summers, a Canadian author known for young adult novels such as Cracked Up to Be, All the Rage, Sadie, and I'm the Girl, sees her 2012 book This Is Not a Test adapted into a film for the first time. The novel, which became a cult classic among readers, centers on Sloane, a teenager played by Olivia Holt in the movie. Sloane has lost her will to live and seeks escape from an abusive household amid the unfolding zombie apocalypse.
The film, directed by actor and horror specialist Adam MacDonald, retains the book's core plot of a group of teens barricaded in their high school. Summers, who has won the 2019 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult literature, the 2019 Odyssey Award, the 2020 Forest of Reading White Pine Award, and the 2021 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Young Adult novel for The Project, expressed excitement about the adaptation. She also served as a judge for the 2023 First Page student writing challenge.
In an email to CBC Books, Summers shared her enthusiasm: "I loved when I got to hear the cast say lines from the script that were pulled from the book. They all gave such electric performances I would've been thrilled regardless, but that moment of overlap was surreal and so much fun."
She highlighted the differences between reading and viewing: "A book is a private conversation a reader has with themselves — a movie is social. It's an event. I saw someone nearly leap out of their body at one specific part of the movie and that is now a cherished memory. It was a blast."
Summers praised MacDonald's involvement: "To have a filmmaker like Adam MacDonald resonate so strongly with the book he'd choose it for his next movie project is still unbelievable to me. It's creatively gratifying to have written something that connected with him on that level."
The author appreciated the collaborative process: "Adam was incredibly generous throughout. He shared multiple drafts so I could see what threads he was pulling and offer any thoughts, or answer any questions he might have. He's got a real respect for all sides of his craft, and each time I was invited in, I got to witness the wholeheartedness of his approach, and his commitment to making a zombie movie with something meaningful to say."
An expanded edition of the book was released on January 13, 2026, ahead of the film's debut.
