Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

What made you decide to pursue the film rights for “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”?Īfter I had made “The Edge of Seventeen,” I was thinking about what to do next. I love exploring those details that we stuffed deep down inside ourselves. That, to me, is the gift of her writing, and so much of why I’m a writer. Honestly, there is a direct link back to to her books when I think about what made me want to be a writer.

So her books are really formative for me. So I related to the tidal wave of self consciousness that Nancy brings on just by showing up in Margaret’s life. Something about them made me feel incredibly self conscious. I had certain friends who would make me feel bad about myself, and they didn’t even say anything in particular. At that age, you’re deciding, who are the people that are reflective of you? And I remember feeling like some of the people I was hanging out with, I wasn’t sure if they were my friends or my enemies. I also related to the struggles she goes through with friendships. I also happened to be a late bloomer, who was praying for boobs every night. She understood everything that I was going through at that age. When I read “Margaret,” oh my gosh, it felt like somebody had a USB cord to my brain. The first one I read was “Just as Long as We’re Together,” and it started a spiral where I had to read everything. Before I read her books, I really didn’t love reading. Of all the books I read growing up, hers were the most impactful. What was your relationship to Judy Blume’s work before this project came together? (See Variety‘s interview with Brooks here.) For her full interview about meeting Blume and adapting “Margaret,” read on.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” hit theaters via Lionsgate on April 28.įremon also spoke to Variety for Blume’s cover story.

to make an in-person plea to Blume the rest is history. Within a week of the letter, Fremon Craig and Brooks flew to Key West, Fla. Brooks mentored Fremon Craig and would serve as a producer on the film, and most importantly, the fact that Fremon Craig was the first person to pursue the rights whose work Blume had previously seen. Blume was convinced for three reasons: the beauty of the letter that Fremon Craig wrote her, the fact that James L. She’s referring to “The Edge of Seventeen” writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig, to whom she eventually granted the screen rights. “And then I got this letter from Kelly,” Blume told Variety, smiling, in a cover story for March’s Power of Women issue. She didn’t want any filmmaker to touch it. But when it came to “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” - arguably Blume’s most famous title - her arms were crossed. Now in her eighties, legendary children’s author Judy Blume only recently became keen to the idea of adapting her books for the screen.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume