‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret’ Lands At Lionsgate
Lionsgate has answered the prayers of Judy Blume fans who have been long awaiting a feature film adaptation of Blume’s coming-of-age classicAre You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. The studio has won a multi-studio and streamer auction for the rights to theAre You There God It’s Me Margaretmovie, which will be directed byThe Edge of Seventeen’sKelly Fremon Craig.
Deadlinereports that theAre You There, God? It’s Me Margaretmovie has landed at Lionsgate after several studios and streamers bid for the film rights to Blume’s classic novel. Lionsgate has committed to green light the film with a budget in the $30 million range, with Craig directing and writing the script.
Blume had granted Craig and herEdge of Seventeenproducing partnerJames L. Brooksfrom Gracie Films the rights toAre You There, God? It’s Me Margaretafter seeing the Craig’s acclaimed 2016 coming-of-age comedy, which starred Hailee Steinfeld as an acerbic and angsty teenage outsider. It was the first time Blume had reached out to a director after decades of turning down offers to adapt her beloved teen classic. When Craig and Brooksfirst received Blume’s blessingto makeAre You There, God?in 2018, the director said, “I got the greatest e-mail from Judy, where she said if someone were to make a film of one of her books, she hoped it would have the same tone and feeling thatThe Edge of Seventeenhad.”
“I knew when I met Kelly and Jim I was incredibly lucky to have them heading up Team Margaret,” Blume said in a statement. “With Lionsgate’s early and continued enthusiasm for the project we all feel Margaret has found the right home. After 50 years it’s about time!”
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaretwas a literary sensation when it was published in 1970, testing the boundaries of books for teen girls by tackling issues of sexuality, religion, and puberty. It was considered groundbreaking for its frank discussion of these topics, and has faced censorship and banning since its publication. Here is the synopsis for the novelAre You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret:
But none of them can believe Margaret doesn’t have religion, and that she isn’t going to the Y or the Jewish Community Center. What they don’t know is Margaret has her own very special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything—family, friends, even Moose Freed, her secret crush.
