Mike Caron to Adapt Sara Coven's The One We Left Behind for Film
Nickelodeon veteran Mike Caron has optioned Sara Coven's middle-grade novel The One We Left Behind as a feature film, with Sean Lavery set to write the adaptation, The Hollywood Reporter reported on 15 October 2026.
An option gives a producer exclusive rights for a set period to develop a book for the screen. Caron is developing the project through his own Mike Caron Productions, the company he launched in 2022.
Middle-grade means books aimed at readers roughly aged 8 to 12. This one is set in the 1990s. It follows seventh graders navigating friendship, playground loyalties and bullying.
The novel centres on 13-year-old Evan. His standing takes a knock when he is assigned to spend lunch with William, a new student living with severe food allergies. What starts as a forced seating plan grows into a difficult test of character.
Coven drew on her nephews' experiences with severe food allergies to write the book. It was first published on 9 September 2022, according to Kirkus Reviews. It went on to become one of six national finalists in Kirkus' inaugural Indie Awards for children's literature. Its audiobook later won first place at BookFest.
Caron is well known to young audiences. He directed several dozen episodes of Henry Danger, Danger Force and Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder. Earlier in his career, he worked as an assistant director on Zoey 101, iCarly and Victorious.
Those credits span the loud, fast-paced world of children's television. The behaviour on set is highly organised. Timing matters. So does working with young performers.
Lavery previously wrote on the comedies Cougar Town and Crossing Swords. His 2019 pilot Me & You was selected for the inaugural Black List Disability List, a curated list spotlighting scripts featuring disabled characters.
Caron is also in pre-production on the feature Invader, starring Amy Acker, Todd Stashwick and Tommy Walker. He is represented by Kaplan Stahler Agency. Lavery is represented by Haven Entertainment.
What makes this stand out is the lunch-table lens. Food allergies shape school life for many families. Few family films put that daily negotiation at the heart of the story.
