CHICKLIT FLICKS |
IN PRODUCTION |
RUMOUR MILL |
MADE FOR TV |
CHICKLIT FLICKS
Want to catch a chick lit flick at the movies or on DVD? Here's our list of the big-screen adaptations:
PS I Love You:
Based on Cecelia Ahern's tear-jerking novel about Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) who has to get her life back on track after losing her husband (Gerard Butler). Other actors involved include Friends star Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick Jr.
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007):
Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels. Maria Bello (Jocelyn), Amy Brenneman (Sylvia), Emily Blunt (Prudie), Kathy Baker (Bernadette), Maggie Grace (Allegra) and Hugh Dancy (Grigg) star in this adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler's novel.
Suburban Girl (2007):
Based on Melissa Bank's The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, it stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as book editor Brett Eisenberg who becomes involved with an influential older man, Archie Knox (Alec Baldwin).
The Nanny Diaries (2007):
From the debut novel by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin comes this comedy about life at the top as seen from the bottom. Scarlett Johansson stars as the nanny Annie, Laura Linney is Mrs X, Paul Giamatti is Mr X and Nicholas Art is their son Grayer.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006):
From the novel by Lauren Weisberger, this stars Anne Hathaway as assistant Andrea Sachs and Meryl Streep as the boss-from-hell Miranda Priestley.
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In Her Shoes (2005):
Adapted from Jennifer Weiner's novel, Toni Collette is attorney Rose, Cameron Diaz is wild child Maggie and Shirley MacLaine is their grandmother, Ella.
Must Love Dogs (2005):
Diane Lane and John Cusack star in this movie based on Claire Cook's book.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004):
Renee Zellweger (Bridget), Colin Firth (Mark Darcy) and Hugh Grant (Daniel Cleaver) return for the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding.
Le Divorce (2003):
Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts star in this tale of an American woman visiting her married sister in Paris, based on the book by Diane Johnson.
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001):
The die-hard fans were worried about Renee Zellweger pulling off a British accent and gaining enough weight. A nice touch was casting Colin Firth, who Bridget drooled over as Darcy in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, as her Mr Darcy.
Legally Blonde (2001):
This is now a Broadway hit but Reese Witherspoon started it all as Elle Woods in the movie adaptation of Amanda Brown's novel. The blonde sorority queen follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard law school just to win him back but discovers she has plenty of legal nous.
Someone Like You (2001):
Adapted from Laura Zigman's Animal Husbandry, Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) is unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend Ray (Greg Kinnear). She begins an extensive study of male behaviour to try to find out what makes men tick, using her womanising roommate Eddie (Hugh Jackman) as fodder for her research.
Me Myself I (1999):
Pip Karmel wrote and directed this Australian film starring Rachel Griffiths as Pamela Drury, who gets to live the life she could have had.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Based on Terry McMillan's novel, this stars Angela Bassett as Stella Payne, a stockbroker who is persuaded by her friend Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) to take a well-deserved holiday to Jamaica where she encounters young islander, Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs).
The First Wives' Club (1996):
Olivia Goldsmith's smash hit stars Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton. Reunited by the death of a college friend, three divorced women seek revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women. It gave us the wonderful Ivana Trump line: “Don't get mad, get everything.”
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
This movie based on Terry McMillan's novel stars Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines and follows four very different African-American women and their relationships with men. All of them are “holding their breath” until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship.Back to top
IN PRODUCTION
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Flirting with Forty (2008)Heather Locklear has signed on to star as Jackie in a TV movie adaptation of Jane Porter’s Flirting with Forty. Jackie is a divorced mother of two who becomes romantically involved with a much younger man while on holiday on the brink of her 40th birthday. It will screen as a holiday movie on the Lifetime network in December. |
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Confessions of a Shopaholic (2008):Australian actress Isla Fisher (of Wedding Crashers and engaged to Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen) has stepped into the shoes of Rebecca Bloomwood. Filming began in Connecticut in February. Some Sophie Kinsella fans are up in arms because Fisher is to play Rebecca as an American. Former model Krysten Ritter (Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars) has been cast as best friend Suze while Hugh Dancy (The Jane Austen Book Club) has been cast, reportedly as her boss and/or Luke. John Goodman and Joan Cusack are playing her parents. Other actors who have signed on include Kristin Scott Thomas, John Lithgow and Lynn Redgrave. Australian director P.J. Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding) and producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun) are also involved in the project. The movie is due to be released for Valentine's Day 2009. |
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Then She Found Me (2008):A movie based on Elinor Lipman's 1990 book Then She Found Me, about schoolteacher April Epner whose life goes into turmoil when her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her over-the-top birth mother Bernice appears, is due in US cinemas in April 2008. It stars Helen Hunt (who also makes her feature directorial debut) as April, Bette Midler as talk-show host Bernice, and Matthew Broderick as husband Ben. Colin Firth plays love interest Frank, the father of one of April's students. The romantic comedy got good reviews at the Toronto Film Festival in September. |
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Sex and the City (2008):The four TV stars Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), Kristin Davis (Charlotte) and Kim Cattrall (Samantha) have all signed on for this big-screen production of the hit TV series, based on a book by Candace Bushnell. Even Chris Noth is back as Mr Big. Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls, American Idol contestant) will also appear as Carrie's assistant. Filming began in September 2007, with the movie expected to be released in May 2008. |
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RUMOUR MILL
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The Bachelorette Party
Karen McCullah Lutz's The Bachelorette Party, about a jilted woman attending the hen's party for her cousin who is marrying her best friend, has been touted as a 20th Century Fox vehicle for Nicole Kidman. McCullah Lutz was a screenwriter on Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You.
The Ivy Chronicles:
The script for Karen Quinn's The Ivy Chronicles, about a woman who starts a consulting business to help privileged pre-schoolers get into New York's top kindergartens, is being finished. Catherine Zeta-Jones and producer Jerry Weintraub are reportedly involved in the project.
The Late Bloomer's Revolution:
Sarah Jessica Parker will reportedly star in the film version of Amy Cohen's memoir The Late Bloomer's Revolution. The film will tell the story of a single woman who, following the death of her mother, develops a bond with her father when they both find themselves on the dating scene. Parker will produce the film through her production company Pretty Matches. Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will direct. Cohen was a writer-producer on sitcoms Caroline in the City and Spin City and a dating columnist for the New York Observer.
The Next Thing on My List:
Jill Smolinski's novel has been acquired by New Line Cinema. Wendy Finerman Productions, behind last year's The Devil Wears Prada and the upcoming PS I Love You, is set to produce.
Enchanted, Inc:
Universal has optioned the film rights to Shanna Swendson's 2005 novel about smalltown girl Katie Chandler who lands in the big city with a job at Magic, Spells, and Illusion Inc., which traffics in benevolent sorcery.
The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom:
This book by Jo Barrett reportedly has been optioned by CBS and Paramount Studios. With Australian actor Hugh Jackman giving the book a “great read and a great laugh” puff on the front cover, it's no wonder his team Seed Productions has been attached to produce. No word yet on whether it'll be for TV or cinema.
The Devil in the Junior League:
This Linda Francis Lee book is also known as Ladies Who Lunch. Alias star Jennifer Garner has reportedly signed on for this 20th Century Fox production. It is not yet known if Garner will only produce the movie or if she will also join the cast to play either the Junior League socialite or the woman she has to help. Expected to be released in 2008.
If You Could See Me Now:
Another Cecelia Ahern novel making it to the big screen courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. And yet another one linked to Hugh Jackman (he'll play imaginary friend Ivan). It is tipped to be a musical. The producers have been responsible for other big musical projects such as Chicago, Hairspray and Footloose.
Can You Keep a Secret?:
Another Sophie Kinsella story set for the big screen courtesy of Paramount Pictures. This time Kate Hudson has been linked to play junior marketing executive Emma Corrigan, who confesses her innermost secrets to a plane passenger - only to find he is her company's American CEO.
Sammy's Hill:
A Columbia TriStar release based on the debut novel from former US president Al Gore's daughter Kristin Gore. Written and directed by David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees) it is tipped to be a The West Wing meets Sex and the City. Names touted for the Samantha Joyce role include Drew Barrymore and Kirsten Dunst.
The Journal of Mortifying Moments:
Robyn Harding's website reports that the TV and film rights to this book have been optioned by American Pie actress Alyson Hannigan.
The Dirty Girls' Social Club:
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez reports progress on the pre-production of this movie, saying the script has been approved and casting is due to take place soon.
Rachel's Holiday:
Catherine Zeta-Jones is reportedly in talks to be cast in the lead role of this immensely popular chicklit book by Marian Keyes.
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MADE FOR TV
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Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl:Sex and the City creator Darren Star is involved in a TV series for HBO based on Tracy Quan's Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl. It will be an ensemble show that will look at “how power, sex and money collide through the eyes of a group of highly paid escorts”. Star had initially developed it as a feature film, with the original Pretty Woman Julia Roberts reportedly attached at one stage. |
The Bad Mother's HandbookBased on Kate Long's The Bad Mother's Handbook, this drama tells the story of one year in the lives of three women - Karen (Catherine Tate), her teenage daughter Charlotte (Holly Grainger) and Karen's mother, Nan (Anne Reid). Karen gave birth to Charlie when she was a teenager and can't help feeling that accidental motherhood has meant she's missed out on life. Then she discovers a secret that shatters her identity. It aired on Britain's ITV in February 2007. |
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Daisy Dooley Does Divorce:Anna Pasternak's book, based on her weekly Daily Mail column about a nearly 40-year-old divorcee, has been optioned for American TV. A pilot show, produced by Ashton Kutcher's company Katalyst, is currently in production for ABC. |
The Starter Wife:
The Starter Wife, based on Gigi Levanie Grazer’s 2005 novel, has been picked up as a weekly TV series. Originally a six-part mini-series, starring Debra Messing as the spurned Molly Kagan (Gracie Pollock in the book), the USA Network has ordered another 10 episodes of the show, which is due to start production in March 2008 and be added to the US’s summer programming. Network executives say the decision to continue the show was based on its rating success and critical recognition through its 10 Emmy nominations. The series will see Molly reinvent her life. The mini-series, currently showing in Australia on Channel Ten, was filmed on Australia's Gold Coast in late 2006, with the Queensland beaches standing in for the Malibu, California, setting. Australians in the cast include Judy Davis, who won an Emmy as best supporting actress, Miranda Otto and Aden Young while Australian Idol judge Mark Holden also scored a role.Net link: USA Network - Starter Wife
Did you know? Gigi Levangie wrote the 1998 movie Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon.
Lipstick Jungle:
This American TV series, adapted from the 2005 novel by Candace Bushnell (of Sex and the City fame), will be screened in Australia this year on Channel 7.
The series, which premiered in the US in February 2008, looks at the lives of three high-powered friends - magazine editor-in-chief Nico (Kim Raver), movie executive Wendy (Brooke Shields) and fashion designer Victory (Lindsay Price) - as they experience the challenges of being at the top of their game. And NBC is cleverly promoting the 13-episode show to a Sex and the City audience with: “These women aren't looking for Mr Big. They are Mr Big.”
Another actor involved in the production is ex-Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy (St Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Weekend at Bernie's - and the topic of Jenny Colgan's 2001 novel Looking for Andrew McCarthy).