Disney to adapt Judy Blume books
‘Deenie’ and ‘Are You There God...’ get the big-screen treatment
Updated: 6:33 p.m. ET March 09, 2004
LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co., author Judy Blume and independent producer Jane Startz have agreed to make movies based on Blume’s hit kids books like “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” Disney said Tuesday.
First on the development list will be “Deenie,” about a young teenage girl seeking to define herself beyond the wishes of her parents.
Financial details of the deal were undisclosed.
“The name Judy Blume is synonymous with great young adult literature. Everyone discovers her books in fifth grade and grows up with her — she strikes a chord with humor and heart while never preaching,” Nina Jacobson, president of Disney’s Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, said in a statement.
Blume’s books have sold over 75 million copies in 26 languages worldwide. Six of her titles are among the top ten all-time, best-selling children’s books.
Startz’s producer credits include the upcoming “Ella Enchanted” for Disney unit, Miramax Films, “Tuck Everlasting” for Walt Disney Pictures and “The Mighty” for Miramax.
The deal is the second high-profile series of books Disney has signed up as source material for movies after it and movie maker Pixar Animation Studios Inc. failed to strike a deal to make more films when their current contract expires.
Last week, Disney agreed to co-finance and distribute “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which will be based on the series of “Narnia” books from author C.S. Lewis. Those books, the first of which was published in 1950, have sold over 85 million copies around the globe.
Disney’s deal with Pixar had been highly lucrative for the company and had produced blockbusters like “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.”
Disney’s management, including Chief Executive Michael Eisner, have been criticized for being unable to strike a new deal with Pixar.