Lois Lowry Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It's funny. I consider Lois Lowry to be one of those instrumental writers for young girls, but I only read Anastasia Krupnik (and maybe one more). Regardless, one of her other big series was The Giver trilogy, which was once again trying to reach the big screen last March. Well, it seems that the production has hit another snag, one that is bad for Lowry fans, but great for followers of JK Rowling and Harry Potter.

On her blog, Lowry says that David Yates was going to helm The Giver after finishing the next Potter flick -- Half-Blood Prince. However, she goes on to say: "But he has just decided he wants to do the final Harry Potter first, thereby postponing The Giver by several years. Maybe the opening of this film could be held simultaneously with my celebration-of-life service after I succumb to old age? Or the producers will decide to get a different director. Stand by. But without holding your breath."

If this is true, it means that Yates will be behind three of the series' films -- Harry Potter and the ... Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows -- in other words, all of the final films. Hopefully he won't have to deal with any romantic turmoil on the set!

Speak out, Potter fans! Do you want him tackling the final installment, or is there someone else you would rather have helming the Hallows?

[via Ace Showbiz]

Children's novelist Lois Lowry was one of those powerhouse names of 80's kid lit, mainly because of her series of kickass Anastasia Krupnik books. The series dealt with all those pesky pre-teen problems like blemishes and popularity, as well as more serious issues like sex and suicide. While the themes of the series earned the books criticism for its frankness, it was The Giver that really turned heads. A science fiction novel published in 1993, the book is about a young boy, Jonas, who lives in a future anti-utopian world. In the novel, everyone is striving for "Sameness," removing emotions from their lives. However, Jonas is chosen to be the "Receiver of Memory" who holds all the pre-Sameness memories and then struggles between the shallow world and the depth of his given memories.

For years, the book has floated around in development hell. After it was published, it was picked up by Lancit Media, and then RCN Entertainment, but both businesses tanked. Nicole Silver then grabbed it with Jeff Bridges, holding onto the film for nearly 10 years. House of Sand and Fog scribe/director Vadim Perelman wrote a script, and was to direct The Giver starring Bridges, until Walden Media bowed out. Now, Warner Brothers has nabbed the rights in a much better deal -- high six figures against $1 million. It's a start for the struggling adaptation, but we'll have to see if the company will wipe the slate clean and try again, or stick with the original Perelman setup. Now that we've had How to Eat Fried Worms, a remake of Bridge to Terabithia and movement on Giver, I wonder how long it will be until we get a Judy Blume feature?