How to Build a Girl, Caitlin Moran’s debut novel, which sold more than half a million copies in more than 16 countries worldwide, is being turned into a movie.
Cue the applause.
The story is centered on Johanna Morrigan, a young girl who dreams of leaving behind her hometown of Wolverhampton and ultimately ventures forth to reinvent herself (i.e. moves to London, becomes a music critic and calls herself Dolly Wilde).
“Caitlin Moran is the wittiest writer on the planet and her creation, Johanna Morrigan, stands alongside Elizabeth Bennet and Bridget Jones as one of the great female literary icons,” said Debra Hayward, who, alongside Alison Owen have recently formed Monumental Pictures- the film company that acquired the rights to Moran’s work.
“We want to make commercial movies and television with strong female characters,” Owen echoed.
And why not? Equal representation in the media matters to young girls- think of The Hunger Games which has a new installment out soon, or the success of “Scandal” and the new Shonda Rhimes-produced television show, “How To Get Away With Murder”. Numbers don’t lie, and ratings clearly prove that there is a profound interest in films and television shows that feature strong female leads. Plus, Moran’s novel is hysterical and earned tons of great reviews.
No word yet on when we may actually be able to see the movie, so instead I’ll just leave you with one of my favorite lines from the novel:
“l’ve eaten drugs off a hanky, had sex with a medically inadvisable penis, confused the Smashing Pumpkins, blew off a threesome with a quote from Blade Runner, and tried to kiss my hero whilst being serenaded by singing gibbons. And, like all the best quests, in the end, I did it all for a girl: me.”
Images via CBC Canada, Giphy; The NY Post, The New York Times 6th floor blog
