ReelShort's Bound by Love: Behind the Scenes

An interview with screenwriter Abby Dzeng about adapting the book

Today’s interview with screenwriter Abby Dzeng is all about what it takes to adapt an original book into a vertical drama. After the success of Bound by Honor, the sequel Bound by Love is out now on ReelShort.

But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…

Credit: Behind the Verticals

👀 Spotted

• Jamie Oliver Group teaming with Baby Teeth for microdrama.

• TikTok partners with Sundance Institute to tap into the microdrama craze.

• Fox is divvying up ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ season 3 into 101 episodes for Holywater’s My Drama microdrama app.

• Forbes: TikTok and Cannes push vertical drama toward the mainstream.

• Nordic broadcasters explore microdramas as public-service fiction moves into the feed.

• Gabriela Tafur’s microdrama platform attracts Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo to $5.5M seed funding round.

• UK leads European microdrama market, says Omdia.

• How Issa Rae built TikTok’s first micro-drama hit.

• Research: How do AI microdramas lead to addictive use among older adults?

• ‘The Vertical Tea,’ a new talk show covering the explosive world of microdramas, launches.

• Shortical’s latest microdrama stars actor as an AI version of himself.

• Why unscripted is the next play in vertical video?

• Fast Company: Microdramas might just be the next metaverse.

• Versant invests in microdrama streaming app.

• Microdramas are the attention economy’s new TV Format.

• Sunset Studios and Knockout Shorts unveil microdrama-focused standing sets at Sunset Las Palmas lot.

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🎙️ Interview with Abby Dzeng

How did the original book adaptation collaboration come about? Why was Bound by Love chosen to be adapted?

Bound by Love was a natural fit for ReelShort because Cora Reilly’s stories already have a deeply passionate global fanbase and the kind of emotional intensity that translates incredibly well into vertical storytelling.

At ReelShort, we look for stories with strong tropes, high emotional stakes, tension-driven pacing, and cliffhangers that keep audiences wanting the next episode immediately. Cora’s universe already had that built in organically through the books and fan community.

After the success of Bound by Honor, it became clear there was strong audience demand to continue expanding the world onscreen. Bound by Love allowed us to build on that momentum while bringing fans deeper into the universe in a way that feels immersive. Fans grew attached to not just the story but the characters being portrayed by the same actors, and it’s been great bringing them back on set.

Were there any challenges when adapting the books into a vertical drama that you don’t usually experience when writing an original vertical drama script or localizing one?