Mike Caron, a director with extensive experience on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel children’s programming, has acquired the film rights to “The One We Left Behind,” an independently published novel by Sara Coven. Sean Lavery, a television writer known for his work on comedies including Cougar Town and Crossing Swords, will adapt the material for the screen. The project is being developed through Caron’s production company, Mike Caron Productions, which was established in 2022 to develop original concepts and acquire intellectual property.
Caron’s career has been closely associated with children’s television, including work as a director on Henry Danger, Danger Force, and Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, as well as assistant director credits on series such as Josh & Drake, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious. The feature film adaptation represents an expansion into broader family audience filmmaking. Caron is currently in pre-production on another feature titled Invader, which stars Amy Acker, Todd Stashwick, and Tommy Walker.
The novel, set in the 1990s, centers on seventh graders navigating friendship and social dynamics. The story follows 13-year-old Evan, a student with a carefully maintained reputation as one of the “cool kids,” who is assigned to spend lunch with William, a new student with severe food allergies who has become a target of ridicule from classmates. As their initial resentment evolves into friendship, Evan confronts pressures related to fitting in and escalating bullying directed at someone he has come to care about.
Coven created the novel as a passion project inspired by her nephews’ experiences with severe food allergies. The work achieved recognition as one of six finalists in Kirkus’ inaugural Indie Awards for the Children’s Literature category and won first place for audiobook at BookFest. For Lavery, the project holds personal significance, as his son has a disability—a theme he has previously explored in his writing, including his 2019 pilot Me & You, which was selected for the inaugural Black List Disability List.
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