The boys got their '80s fix with "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe," but it's the girls' turn now—and this is a good one. "Jennifer's Body" scribe Diablo Cody is bringing Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield to the big screen in an adaption of the young adult series "Sweet Valley High," reports Variety.
Authored by Francine Pascal, the novels revolve around twins Elizabeth and Jessica, who while identical, couldn't be more different. Elizabeth is kind and caring, a would-be journalist who works on the school newspaper, while cheerleader Jessica is a conniving schemer who cycles through guys like so many used tissues.
The popular series launched in 1983 spawning several spin-offs including "Sweet Valley Kids," "Sweet Valley University" and "The Unicorn Club." Perhaps capitalizing on the success of YA series "Gossip Girl," "Sweet Valley" was relaunched in 2008 with updated covers and text which included references to cell phones, blogs and other technologies unheard of in the '80s (we're betting that has to be the version Diablo will be getting her material from).
The new adaption will not be the first time the series has come to life. A television series based on the novels debuted in 1994, starring real-life twins Brittney and Cynthia Daniel. The series lasted four seasons.
With "Juno," "Jennifer's Body," and now "Sweet Valley High" on her resume, Diablo seems to have found a niche in high school-based movies. I expect her take on "Sweet Valley" to fall somewhere in between her two earlier films on the spectrum—witty, fun dialogue like in "Juno" with a bit of the mean-girl edge from "Jennifer's Body." Or she could go the "Twilight" route and take the ideas from the "SV" books in which the twins face off with a werewolf and Jessica has a romance with a vampire. Stranger things have happened.
Are you excited to see Diablo Cody's adaption of "Sweet Valley High"?
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