“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” to be adapted; Watson and Lerman in talks to star
One of the major problems of sleeping next to your iPhone (please don't judge me for this, I judge myself enough for this), is waking up in the middle of the night, scanning social networks, and finding a film story that makes you (read: me) scream. This is one of those. Variety is reporting that, not only is one of my favorite books from the past decade, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, being adapted for the big screen, but it will also be written and directed by author Stephen Chbosky. It's good I was laying down for this news.
But more than just vague adaptation news, it looks as if the process of bringing PERKS to the screen is already escalated, with news that Logan Lerman and Emma Watson are both in talks to star in the film. Again, it's good I was laying down for this news. Though this news does not specifically outline the roles Watson or Lerman would play, it's more than safe to assume Watson would play Sam and Lerman would play the narrator, Charlie.
It would be hard for me to ever fully explain how much this book meant to me as a teenager. Though I never felt as alienated as Charlie or Sam or Patrick did, I think anyone who didn't feel even a touch of what they went through during those awkward teenage years is repressing some issues. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a seriously wonderful, brutally honest look at growing up in high school. It's narrated by high school freshman Charlie, who is both incredibly sensitive and very aware. Charlie feels alienated in all areas of his life, from his family to his schoolmates. His life starts to shape up when he befriends the pretty Sam and her brother Patrick. Though the book is framed by Charlie writing letters about his life to someone he doesn't even know, it's so vividly written, I imagine it will translate very well to the screen.
I'm a big believer in Lerman's talent. I would have loved to see him cast in the SPIDER-MAN reboot, but this news (and his recent joining of Paul W.S. Anderson's THE THREE MUSKETEERS) seems to signal that's not happening. I loved Lerman in MY ONE AND ONLY, and I think he could bring the level of hyperaware observation to PERKS that he had in MY ONE AND ONLY, but hopefully with much less snark. Lerman is also the right age for the role, and it's comforting to not have to potentially watch a twentysomething play a role that hinges so much on wide-eyed naviete and discovery.
I can't say I'm sold on Watson, however. I am, of course, a huge fan of the the HARRY POTTER series and dearly love her Hermione Granger. But I've always pictured Sam with a bit more of an edge, much more of a surface toughness. Could Watson pull that off? I don't know.
Fans of the book, what do you think of this news?
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