After months and months of hearing how outstanding it was, I read John Green's The Fault In Our Stars while on a beach vacation over Christmas, actively choosing to put myself through heartbreak while I was supposed to be relaxing. Hell, it was worth it-- The Fault In Our Stars, technically a young adult novel but so much better than any label could suggest, is one of the best books I've read in years, the kind of thing that makes you want to shake your friends and say "We will to understand each other until you read this."
With a movie adaptation now in the works, there will surely be many more of us fighting to get people to read the book before seeing the movie. Not that the film version doesn't look promising, though-- in fact, with director Josh Boone now set to direct, it's clear it's in the hands of someone who loves it as much as I do. Talking to THR about the news he had been hired, Boone explained that he read the book just after the death of a close friend:
“John's book came along just when I needed it. It pierced my heart and helped me deal with my grief. I laughed and cried and was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. That our lives matter, that the love and kindness we share with others reverberates long after we're gone. I feel the weight and responsibility to get this right and give his readers and devoted fans as pure a translation as possible … We hope to create a little infinity within this film that fans can revisit over and over."
Honestly, that line about the little infinity, which is a reference to the book? It has me tearing up all over again. It's that kind of book, you guys.
With Boone now set we can hopefully expect some casting news soon, particularly for the leads roles of Hazel and Augustus, the two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group and fall for each other (it's way less sappy than that sounds, I promise). Word broke not long ago that Shailene Woodley could play Hazel, fresh off her acclaimed role in the Sundance teen romance The Spectacular Now. Now THR's Borys Kit has added in a tweet that True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld was also in the mix. Either would be great, but I"m especially curious about who will play the charismatic, funny and deeply romantic Augustus, a tough thing for a teenager to pull off for sure. Hey, Nat Wolff was in Boone's directorial debut Stuck In Love and is pretty great in the upcoming Admission… if he gets the part, you heard it here first.
