On June 21, 2009 sci fi author Scott Westerfeld wrote a post on his blog titled, "Update on the Uglies Movie," which amassed many, many reader comments. In it, he explained that while his series, "The Uglies," had been optioned to be a movie, not much else had moved forward as far as a script, director or actors. But, he continued, "the producers did say that there’s lots of support for this project at their studio."
Well, it may be almost eight months later, but it looks like Scott finally has good reason to update that post again. Industry sources have confirmed to MTV News exclusively that Screen Gems, in the wake of the success of its current release "Dear John," is developing — and in fact, fast tracking (!) — a film version of "The Uglies" series.
While there haven't been any decisions made regarding things like casting yet, we can tell you that our source said production of the movie is planned for later this year. That means we will all hopefully know soon enough who could be playing the beloved teen Tally Youngblood in the futuristic, meaningful tale about a dystopian society that places an incredible emphasis on looks.
And, if you're wondering how "Dear John" could have possibly helped get this bestseller to to the big screen, it's because Screen Gems is a studio that generally puts its focus on the horror/sci-fi genre (think: "Hostel," "The Stepfather" and "Resident Evil"), so with the Nicholas Sparks adaptation, they took a gamble on a romantic drama and it paid off. "The Uglies" combines the heart (and teen audience!) of "Dear John" with the studio's penchant for fantastical adventures.
How excited are you for "The Uglies" movie? Who are your top casting picks? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter @hollywoodcrush!
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