PRODUCTION COMPANY MR MUDD GIVES TEEN NOVEL THE STAR TREATMENT

FILM ADAPTATION OF ‘THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION’

Based on the 1999 book of the same name, The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a story of teenage discovery. Novelist Stephen Chbosky will write the screenplay for the film adaptation of his book and also direct the feature himself. With a little help from production company Mr Mudd and Producers including John Malkovich, the film is set for release in the U.S in 2012. It is not yet clear when it will hit cinemas in the UK. The epistolary novel is narrated by a Pittsburgh born teenager who goes by the name ‘Charlie’. This is only an alias, nearly all of the main characters are not given real names. ‘Charlie’ tells us his life story and the events that unfold around him through the medium of letters that he writes to an anonymous person he has never met.

The introverted and unpopular ‘wallflower’, will be played by Logan Lerman. (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) The story has come under some scrutiny in the past due to its controversial subject matter. Covering topics such as sexuality, abuse, drugs, abortion and mental illness, it is perhaps not the most child friendly tale.

The protagonist is a High School freshman who is dealing with the recent death of is best friend. The plotline follows him through the ups and downs of his adolescent life, covering everything from making friends to having his first love.

‘Charlie’ meets step-siblings ‘Sam’ and ‘Patrick’ who take him under their wing and introduce him to a life of crazy parties and extroverted expressionism and he begins to get his life back on track.

Sam will be played by Harry Potter star Emma Watson, whilst the supporting cast includes some impressive talent including Paul Rudd (Role Models), teen idol Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Mae Whitman and Johnny Simmons (both of whom starred in Scott Pilgrim vs The World). This cast line up should certainly attract a young adult audience. It may not be a coincidence, then, that the production and distribution company behind ‘The Twilight Saga’; Summit Entertainment is said to be lending a hand to this movie remake also.

Candid pictures from the set have recently been tweeted by Lerman: