From: RGarcia.ims at vnumis.com <RGarcia.ims>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 16:00:22 -0400

Carla K wrote:

My question at the time was, "would they cast a blond Scarlet O'Hara, and move GONE WITH THE WIND out of Georgia? Why, then, is it okay to do this with a children's book?"

One network was interested in producing Like Sisters on the Homefront, if we switched the story's focus to Junie ( the lead character's brother who sleeps on the couch all day long). The explanation: girls do not watch stories about girls. Another asked if we could make the teen characters older to accommodate the actors they selected. It changes something in the story, but I decided I could live with making the character 16 versus 14. Besides, I doubt that anyone would believe the actress was 14.

It helps that the executive producer and director both believe in the core of the story . This will help preserve the author's work, especially if they attach the author as the screenwriter. But if they feel that revising story elements can attract a broader audience, the better for the network.


Rita Williams-Garcia

Like Sisters on the Homefront Every Time a Rainbow Dies
Received on Tue 15 Jul 2003 03:00:22 PM CDT