The DIVERGENT/TFIOS Debate (Can We Get OVER IT) »
Maybe it’s just me that is so tired of hearing the ‘That is so gross, they are brother and sister in one movie, and lovers in the next’ comments about Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley. Putting it bluntly, IT’S A MOVIE! And if this is what you are focused on, then you are probably not reading DIVERGENT or THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and seeing the beauty in each project. And seeing that these are actors, and we should appreciate exactly how good they are because they can pull it all off!
Vulture wrote an article about it…
We understand that these are made-up characters in a made-up movie and nothing untoward is actually happening, but still: This is a strange decision. Of all the possible teen actors (and there are so many, according to the fan blogs), why would you choose the one guy who is already playing your lead actress’s brother in another high-profile YA franchise? It is hard enough to forget an actor’s résumé under normal circumstances; now we have to bring fake incest into this?
It might be different if they played love interests first, like, say, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant (Sense and Sensibility before Love Actually). Somehow it is less jarring when the sexual energy is being removed from the equation; it also helps if you have a solid chunk of time — eight years, in Thompson and Grant’s case — to forget the other screen relationship ever happened. But Divergent will only have a few months’ lead on Fault, which means we’ll have to meet Woodley and Elgort as brother-sister, then watch them fall in love, and then accept them as siblings again in the Divergent sequels. It makes all four (five, probably) movies ickier, for no obvious reason other than “we liked this guy, too.”
Do you agree? What are your thoughts?
Personally, I think that I am grown enough that I can see them separately, and that I can’t wait for both projects! What do you think?
Author John Green Defend’s The Casting in ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ »
We all have opinions. Opinions are like assholes… you know the term. We may not always agree with someone else’s opinion, but for instance when it comes to a book – Did we write it? Did we envision the characters? No, I can guarantee you didn’t write The Fault in Our Stars for instance, unless you are John Green. He recently took to his blog to defend the casting of Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. What he said was pretty passionate, and really, we should all be listening.
1. Shailene Woodley is a brilliant actress and Golden Globe nominee. I cannot think of any 18-year-old actress who has received the kind of critical acclaim that she has (she also won an Independent Spirit Award).
She auditioned for The Fault in Our Stars not because she needs the part (I mean, she’s in the new Spider Man movie, for God’s sakes) but because she loves the book. Her depth of understanding were immediately obvious in the audition and for me there could be no one else to play Hazel. (There were a bunch of really good auditions, but Shailene just understood Hazel as I imagined her.)
I am not particularly concerned with physical looks; Hollywood can fix that stuff. (Remember when Nicole Kidman became Virginia Woolf?) I’m concerned with whether she can embody the voice and experience and life of Hazel. She can.
2. Ansel Elgort is also a huge fan of TFiOS (it is, in fact, his favorite book). He was a high school basketball player who also happens to be a very intellectual guy. Most importantly, when he auditioned, he became Augustus. Watching him audition with Shailene, he was just Gus and she was just Hazel. He understood Gus, and clearly had a very deep and thoughtful relationship with the book. Honestly, I’m a bit confused as to how you can dislike an actor whose work you have definitionally never seen, since his first movie isn’t out yet.
3. Novelists do not cast movies, so these were not my decisions (although I did have a lot of input). But I’m defending them because I think they’re both perfect for their parts (and I’d tell you if I felt otherwise).
4. There seems to be some concern that Ansel and Shailene are playing siblings in a different movie. I guess I can understand that, but they’re actors. They can play different roles. They’ll look different and act different and be different. I mean, no one watched Silver Linings Playbook and thought, “When did Katniss move to the suburbs of Philadelphia?”
If the movie works, you’ll sit down in the theater and you won’t say, “Oh look it’s Shailene Woodley,” or, “Oh, look, it’s Tris from Divergent.” You’ll say, “Holy wow Hazel Grace.”
Take note people! Judge not! We have yet to be able to see what everyone involved with the movie did, and I for one am extremely excited.
FIVE ACTORS TESTING FOR THE FAULT IN OUR STARS »
Umm major news today! Looks like there has been a massive announcement in the YA World, because Variety is announcing the actors that are testing for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS…
Brenton Thwaites, Nat Wolff, Nick Robinson, Noah Silver and Ansel Elgort will test this weekend for the role of Augustus “Gus” Ware, the former basketball player who lost his leg to cancer who Woodley’s character, Hazel meets in a cancer support group.
OMG! This is huge!
Shailene Woodley is HAZEL in ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ »
We have our Hazel in ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and it just so happens that she is Tris too.
According to EW…
“During our exhaustive search to find Hazel Grace Lancaster, I saw some stunning auditions by today’s finest young actresses,” director Josh Boone tells EW in an exclusive statement. “Over 250 girls read for the part, but it wasn’t until Shailene stepped in front of the camera that I truly saw Hazel for the first time. It was like lightning striking. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see what I have.”
The best selling The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (and an EW Best Fiction of 2012 pick) tells the story of Gus and Hazel, two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love. (From the EW review: “Their ensuing love story is as real as it is doomed, and the gut-busting laughs that come early in the novel make the luminous final pages all the more heartbreaking.”)
Producer Wyck Godfrey (who knows a little something about adapting popular YA novels to the big screen as he worked on all the Twilight movies) says, ”When choosing the writers, director and now our first actor for Fault we’ve gone with the people that have had the strongest, most emotional and insightful connection to the material. Shailene’s love of the book and dedication to the character was evident in not only her pursuit of the role but her delivery of the essence of Hazel in her audition. I have no doubt that she will deliver a Hazel that will floor both fans of the book and those who have yet to be introduced to the transcendent story of The Fault in Our Stars.
For the rest, CLICK HERE.
Director for ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ has been Confirmed »
Well the internet comes back on in my house and I find that ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ has a director. I couldn’t be happier. I know, I know, I am late. But I am telling you that I am thrilled. I think that ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ is a story that needs to be told. If you haven’t read the book, I suggest getting some tissues, curling up, and starting to read. Because this is going to be one of the best movies ever.
So, John Boone will be directing. Like a lot of outlets, we now have him on our radar, and will be paying attention to his every move.
According to The Hollywood Reporter…
The novel received unanimous acclaim, with Time magazine calling it the best fiction book of 2012.
The studio is looking to go into production this summer.
Fault has deep meaning to Boone, who found solace in the book after he lost a close friend just prior to making his debut movie, the drama Stuck In Love starring Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connolly, Nat Wolff, Lily Collins and Logan Lerman.
“John’s book came along just when I needed it,” Boone tells THR in a statement. “It pierced my heart and helped me deal with my grief. I laughed and cried and was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. That our lives matter, that the love and kindness we share with others reverberates long after we’re gone.
“I feel the weight and responsibility to get this right, and give his readers and devoted fans as pure a translation as possible…We hope to create a little infinity within this film that fans can revisit over and over.”
I Love How @Hypable Finds all the TFIOS News »
We love our friends over at Hypable, and trust all of their TFIOS news. They find all the good stuff out. I have to learn their skills.
According to Hypable…
With a big question mark, we believe Josh Boone will helm the Wyck Godfrey-produced film. In recent days, Boone followed John Green, Godfrey, and Woodley on Twitter. He also retweeted Green’s tweet about big news about the book to film adaptation coming soon.
And so we will be on the lookout. Twitter stalking Josh Boone now.
@Hypable Breaks News on ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ »
Shailene Woodley is about to be Tris in ‘Divergent’, but Hypable broke the news today that she is also up for the part of Hazel in ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. How amazing is that? I kinda admit, I jumpy clapped when that I saw this, because I kinda love her. And then on top of that… John Green and Wyck Godfrey, tweeted that big news is coming up.
Big news is forthcoming in re The Fault in Our Stars movie. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY EXCITING COUPLE OF DAYS.
@therealjohngreen’s “The Fault In Our Stars” To Start Filming THIS SUMMER! »
Fresh off the Twitter presses is this:
The movie version of @'s 'The Fault in Our Stars' could start filming this summer and more scoop! http://t.co/eSU60STs It seems like everywhere we turn another awesome book is being turned into a movie! (Don’t read that like I’m complaining – I FLOVE THIS! Seeing all these great books that I’ve read turning into visions on the big screen? I’m in HEAVEN.
This particular book-to-screen adaptation is going to be produced by the two of the folks behind the behemoth hit “Twilight” – Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey – and MTVNews caught up with them while they were promoting their current project (“Safe Haven” by Nicolas Sparks) and “persuaded” them to talk a little about “The Fault in Our Stars.”
The high points of the conversation are this: “Everyone loves the script, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“(500) Days of Summer”), every actress we’d hope would be interested in the role apparently is, and they’re really close to choosing a director.”
But the meatier bits are these:
“If you read the screenplay you’ll get the same feeling [as in the book],” Marty explained. “I think it’s one of the best screenplays I’ve ever read.”
“Every actress I talk to is interested,” Wyck added about the story’s buzz and appeal. “And then we’re probably going to choose the director in the next two weeks. We actually are in the process of those meetings, and I’m really excited about our choices.”
So how involved is Mr. Green?
“He’s very involved. He’s read every draft. We talk to him all the time,” Marty said. “He loves the script, feels that we’ve captured everything that we could have hoped to capture in the book, so I think fans will be really happy with it.”
And although Wyck and Marty said they’d been meeting with “a lot” of great actresses, they hadn’t yet met with John Green-endorsed Hazel, Mae Whitman, so clearly we need to call some people. Or Mae needs to call some people. They also have to hire a director before they do any official casting.
“It’s tricky; you always want to do it with a director. We won’t pick an actor without the director,” Wyck said. “The director really should be at the center of that, but the great news is we have our choice of the best actresses and actors of their generation.”
“We’re gonna have Meryl Streep actually,” Marty joked. “She’s amazing. She plays a 17-year-old cancer survivor!”
If you didn’t catch that, it was a joke, don’t go all OMGOMGOMGOMG all over Twitter, please.
The entire conversation comes down to this:
“I think we’ll be making ‘Fault in Our Stars’ by the end of the summer. It’s exciting,” Wyck said.
*jumpy claps*
And who doesn’t love a book that takes you back to high school and allows you to “sort of relive that experience through the perspective of these two individuals and their love”? I ask you – who doesn’t? Apparently even Marty’s mum does!!
Thanks, MTVNews!
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