Film Adaptation of Rainbow Rowell's ELEANOR & PARK in the Works

Good news for people who love good news! Beloved (by me) young adult novel Eleanor & Park is going to be adapted for the big screen. Picturestart has acquired the rights and will be producing alongside Plan B pictures. And just in case you thought the news couldn’t get any better, the book’s author, Rainbow Rowell, is writing the script and will be executive producing as well. Which, not every novelist is great at writing screenplays, but Rowell also writes the current run of Marvel’s Runaways, which is so so good, and which also means she has some practice writing scripts and collaborating with artists who fill everything out visually, so I have high high hopes for this one.

This is Deadline’s description of the book:

The novel is the bittersweet story of two misfit teenagers living in Nebraska in 1986. It poignantly captures the awkward, sometimes painful, minefield of the high school experience — and the wonder of first love. Protagonists Eleanor and Park connect on the school bus, through comic books and mix tapes, and fall headfirst for each other, even though they know it will bring them trouble.

And that’s it. There are no wizards or vampires or superpowers (although Rowell also wrote a great book about wizards and vampires, if that’s more your thing). It is a bittersweet romance, but it is also sort of every geek’s dream. They fall in love by sharing comic books and talking about the movies and music they love. They read Watchmen together. There is a cool Kung Fu kick (it’s actually Tae Kwon Do, but Kung Fu kick reads cooler). There is also plenty of trouble and enough controversy that the book has been banned by some schools. In spite of that, Eleanor & Park is incredibly popular and has sold over a million copies and been published in 41 languages. So. It is beloved by more than just me, which is great news.

This has shot to the top of my (and Jessica’s) most anticipated projects list. I cannot wait to hear more about casting and the release date, so we will definitely keep you posted.