Play Dead Movie

According to Variety, Ryan Brown's Play Dead is going to be adapted for a movie. One of my students picked up the novel today and was going to check it out, but then when he was holding it at the circulation desk, he turned it over. When he saw the picture of Ryan Brown on the back, he decided not to check it out just because, according to him, "he [Brown] looks like his name should be Chaz."

Gatsby

Just heard that there's a new The Great Gatsby movie in the works to be directed by Baz Luhrmann. I love remakes like this. I think it's important to update them every few decades or so.

Wings Movie

Am I the only who didn't know that Miley Cyrus is going to star in the film version of Aprilynne Pike's Wings?

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

When Grace was a child, she was attacked by a pack of wolves while she was playing in her backyard. She thought she was going to die, but one wolf saved her. Ever since then, she has had a fascination with the wolves. Every winter, Grace goes outside in her backyard and watches the wolf that watches her. The beginning of the current narrative is prompted by the death of one of Grace's classmates who was mauled by wolves. Now, several members of the community seem bent on shooting the wolves to make the Minnesota town a safe place, free of wolves. Grace tries to stop them, but before she can, "her" wolf is shot. She comes home to find him in his human form, lying bleeding on her porch. By this time the reader has already figured out that the wolves are actually werewolves. Thus begins her actual meeting and relationship with the wolf, Sam. Sam struggles not to change back into a wolf so that he can stay with Grace, knowing it is ultimately futile. Meanwhile, Grace's classmate who was assumed dead appears to have changed into a physically and mentally unstable werewolf. The chapters alternate first-person perspectives from Sam and Grace.

While I love the cover of this book in that it fits the story very well (I love the red blood spot over the I in the midst of the cold white), I know it likely won't grab the attention of readers. Same thing for the title, which goes great with the story but doesn't really give a good clue to a casual browser as to the plot. This is a shame since the book is excellent and there are a ton of students who I know will like this. Just means a lot of promotion and hand-selling on my part. But I think it will pick up momentum once a few people start reading it. I have some big werewolf fans, and it's a great Twilight read-alike without being derivative or replicating the same stories. The characters are very well-done and complex. Sam might be a little too-perfect if you think about it, but he makes for a great literary crush. Guess that's just one reason why it's been picked up for movie rights and will likely be very popular in that medium. That's a primo role for some hot young actor. I'm very excited to promote this to readers and to other librarians in my district. Excepting the cover and title issues mentioned above, I'm surprised I haven't been asked about this book by any of the students yet.

Sweet Valley High Movie

You know, I don't think I ever would have put Diablo Cody with Sweet Valley High. But I think it's cool! I'm hoping she'll bring some fun and edginess to what would probably otherwise be a lackluster, silly teen pop movie. Too bad the Olsen twins are too old and boho to do Elizabeth and Jessica.

More Fun Movies!

The MTV Movies Blog reports that a live-action Jetsons movie is in the works. Yay! I watched every episode as a kid. Now I need to think about who they should cast...

Also from the MTV Movie Blog, Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts will star in Eat, Pray, Love. Good casting. I need to finish the book.

Beastly

Neil Patrick Harris is playing the tutor! It's a small part, but I love NPH.

Wuthering Heights Movie

According to the MTV Movie blog, Gemma Arterton and Ed Westwick are going to star in a new version of Wuthering Heights. I post links about YA book movies and whatnot every so often, but I am actually really excited about this one!! I *heart* Ed Westwick. And now I'll get to see him do not only his brooding and rakishly cocked eyebrow (which he does so well!), but also hear his real British accent. [Swoon] Elisabeth Rappe from MTV seems to be complaining a little about how this is one of the three pieces of English literature that "are regularly dusted off for a big screen adaptation." But you know what? I think it should be (along with the two she mentions - Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice - and Hamlet). They are great stories and I love to see them interpreted (especially Hamlet, which is meant to be performed and interpreted). I loved the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice, even though I also loved the Colin Firth version, for example. And every time they are redone with "the hottest actor or actress of the moment," it gets a new generation interested in the story. Sure, there are some stories people probably would rather watch the old version of over and over again and never want to see redone, but most teens would probably rather see the story done by contemporary actors with modern filming. I'm sure it's blasphemy to say this, but I'd be happy to see Gone With the Wind redone now.

Oh, and Peter Webber who directed Girl With a Pearl Earring is going to direct this film. I thought that was an amazing movie, so I am super excited for this movie.

YA Movie News

Vanessa Hudgens is going to be Lindy in the movie version of Alex Flinn's Beastly. (from Variety) Who would make a good Kyle? I could see Chance Crawford. I'm interested to see who they cast. It needs to be someone hot and preppy.

David Slade is going to produce Eclipse.

This & That

How did I not know The Lovely Bones is being made into a movie? It has a great cast; I hope they don't butcher the plot.

Kathleen Newman-Bremang has a post on the MTV Movies Blog about "The Top 5 Teen Movies - Other Than Heathers - That Should Be Musicals." (1) Not too sure about being made into a musical, but I loved Heathers (and Christian Slater) when I was a child, so this is exciting news for me. I think it would be great to expose a new generation of teens to its fabulousness. (2) I love her suggestion for The Breakfast Club as a musical. I think it would be perfect. (3) Other teen movies or books you think would make great musicals? I'm going to think about this one.

Movie News

Some movie news from the MTV Movie blog:

1. Chris Columbus has cast Uma Thurman as Medusa, Pierce Brosnan as Cheron, and Sean Bean as Zeus in Percy Jackson.  With such big name producers and cast, I'm thinking this movie might be really good.

2. Baz Luhrmann is going to direct The Great Gatsby.  The MTV blog speculates on Leonardo DiCaprio as a good Nick.  I personally think that'd be a great choice, but any other thoughts on the cast?  I realize this isn't a YA book, but it is actually pretty relevant to YA lit other than just being a book-to-movie adaptation.  Students read this in school, and I think having a contemporary film version will be fantastic for the English teachers.  I think Luhrmann will do a great job with it too.  Can't wait to see the cast.

3. I guess I'm out of it because I didn't realize that World War Z was being made into a movie.  Of course, it's perfect for a movie.  The title alone screams "movie!"  This is an extremely popular title in my library.  I have reluctant readers who read this and love it, and this is not some lightweight thriller.  There's some serious social commentary in it.

4. In even more "I didn't know this movie was in the works" news, Courtney Love is producing a biopic of her life with Kurt Cobain that will star Scarlett Johansson as Courtney and Ryan Gossling as Kurt.  I'm even going to relate this back to YA lit!  I recommend Kurt Cobain's Journals for YA collections.  It has images of Kurt Cobain's actual journals, and students now even really still like him and find this to be an incredibly cool book.  I have to point it out for them to discover it, but they love it once I do.

Hunger Games Movie

Lionsgate has acquired the film rights to Hunger Games, and Suzanne Collins is doing the film adaptation. I'm glad to hear she's doing the adaptation. Makes me have high hopes for it turning out well. It's being produced by Nina Jacobson, who is also producing Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  I wonder who they will cast?  Any thoughts on who you'd like to see?  Personally, I hope they get all pretty unknowns to play the parts, and I hope the casting and makeup is a lot better than Twilight.  Could be awesome...

Don't you like how they mention that Stephenie Meyer likes it? I mean, I guess that's all the endorsement you need for (the hopes of) a hit now. I suppose publishers send her copies of all their YA books in hopes of her mentioning it on her blog.

Man, I can't wait for the sequel in September. Anyone know if there will be any ARCs going around? I remember a ton of them available for HG at TLA last year, but now maybe they know it will be hit and don't need so much prepub publicity.  

If I Stay

Apparently, Summit Entertainment has bought the rights to Gayle Forman's If I Stay, which hasn't even come out yet. Has anyone read it? And they want Catherine Hardwicke to direct. Really? Because Twilight was pretty crappy, imo. I hope they put a little more budget into this at least. If nothing else, this makes me interested in reading If I Stay. I'm not loving the book's cover at all, though.

From Entertainment Weekly

A review of If I Stay from Reading Keeps You Sane that affirms my interest in the book

Nick & Norah's Movie

I saw Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist last night and I really liked it. I don't know if I would have cared about or liked the characters as much if I hadn't read the book, but I have no way of knowing since I did read it. I was worried that I wouldn't like Michael Cera as Nick, even though I like MC very much. It was actually just what I thought: he was great and I liked him, but the character of Nick was more like MC's character in Juno than the Nick from the book. So even though it didn't totally follow the book, it was still really good and enjoyable. One of the things I liked in the book was the hot makeout scene in the hotel, which was substantially changed in the movie (I won't spoil it for anyone here). However, I liked what they did with it, and they made it very sweet and appropriate (but not too watered-down!). Now I am wanting to re-read the book, and one of the reasons is to go back and see if Nora was as sexually inexperienced and repressed as she was portrayed in the movie. But my review is an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Oh, and I don't remember where I read about it, but I knew that Cohn and Levithan were in the movie as extras in the background at the diner. Look for them!


In really cool news for me, I got the manager of the local theatre to give me a movie poster for my library. The poster he gave me (pictured below) is 4'x6'. It's taller than I am! At first I thought that was really cool, but now I'm kind of wishing I'd held out for a more regular size poster so I could frame it. I'm not even sure if this can be laminated. Still really cool, though.

Nick & Norah

You must know that I am super excited for Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist this Friday. I saw an ad in my newspaper today for free passes to a preview screening on Monday night, but I missed the time when they were being given away. Here is a Salon interview with director Peter Sollett in which he talks about, among other things, the soundtrack for the movie. Can not wait! I thought it was interesting that he cast Michael Cera before Superbad and Juno. Although I love MC, I still don't know that I see him as Nick.

Atlas Shrugged Movie

Somewhat old news, but apparently Angelina Jolie is going to be Dagny Taggart in a movie version of Atlas Shrugged. It'll make for an interesting movie, but can I tell you how much I do not like Ayn Rand and anything that glamorizes her philosophy of "objectivism?" I find it weird that Angelina Jolie would be so interested in objectivism; it doesn't really seem to fit her altruistic nature.

*I realize this isn't strictly YA, but (a) it's interesting to me, and (b) lots of students have to read it for school.

YA Movie News

This is not just to post that another YA book is being made into a movie with a big star. This is to say that Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List is being made into a movie! I love that book (although not quite as much as N&NIP). It's going to star Hayden Panettiere, who is apparently also making I Love You, Beth Cooper. Very cool. Another movie to keep tabs on. I can't wait until they announce the other characters.

Twilight Movie Stuff

Billy Burke is playing Charlie. And Twilight Moms bombarding the film set? I mean, what adults would possibly be interested in following the making of the Twilight movie? What weirdos. ;)

Pics of the filming here.

My Sister's Keeper

I didn't know that movie version of My Sister's Keeper was in the works, but apparently Cameron Diaz is playing the mother and Abigail Breslin is playing Anna. I'm not really seeing CD in the part. Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack are also cast. Is Cusack Julia? Don't see it. Baldwin is playing Campbell, of course.

Latest Twilight Movie News

According to this MTV blog post, Anna Kendrick has been cast as Jessica Stanley and Justin Chon as Eric Yorkie. Not the biggest parts, but I am still dedicated to keeping informed. Seeing as how they are supposedly starting filming this month, I can't believe they don't have more parts filled. The post mentioned that they're going to be announcing the casting for Sam and Emily. I'm going to assume this is for the subsequent movies since Emily didn't appear in Twilight.