In 1970, a book about a young girl’s journey of self-discovery through faith and maturation would take the world by storm and help define the culture of the 1970s. that novel, Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret, remains a worldwide success, and yet it lingered for half a century without a cinematic adaptation, a somewhat noble anomaly in Hollywood’s book-to-movie pipeline. Finally, in 2018, author Judy Blume surprised her fans by tweeting, “So, which of my books, kids and/or adults, would you like to see adapted for series or movies?”
No idea being an Academy Award winning producer at the same time James L Brooks (Terms of affection) and filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig (The edge of seventeen) discussed adapting Blume’s work within their company, Gracie Films, Blume let her social media followers know she was ready.
Blume ended the post with a proclamation just before Fremon Craig emailed a pitch to her in Key West, Florida. “I think the time has come,” she tweeted. Kismet.
And so began the production journey of the adaptation of Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.
Approaching a national treasure
“When I wrote Judy, I told myself not to hope that she would ever read the letter, much less answer it,” says Fremon Craig, a second filmmaker who became a director in addition to being a producer and producer. being the screenwriter.
In her email to Blume, Fremon Craig noted that the great author had been a North Star-style inspiration to her when she debut film, The edge of seventeen (a subversive, Blume-ian film itself). As fairy tales go, Blume would later recount that she was a fan of it The edge of seventeen.
Like so many others around the world, Blume Fremon’s writing had sustained Craig throughout her childhood and adolescence. “She was the person who made me fall in love with reading and eventually writing,” she said.
James L. Brooks, Fremon Craig’s mentor on the project — and producer of Terms of affection, Jerry Maguire And The Simpsons — review of the first meeting before the green light:
“We have to [Blume’s] apartment and her husband, George Cooper, sat in the corner. I wanted to talk about the reality of what happens when you edit a book. Judy is a national treasure. I was a little in awe of her so I was uncomfortable and carried on for a while. Then we all looked at each other. George, who had been following the whole exchange, said his first words: “We’re doing this, aren’t we?” And we all hugged, and that’s how it started.”
The pressure to stay true to Margaret
“I definitely felt a huge responsibility,” Fremon Craig said, “because I love Judy Blume. It was so important to me to make something that she was proud of, and that felt like it really reflected her work, an extension of her work in a way. So there was a period where I had to shake off the pressure. When I first sat down to write, it was a little bit paralyzing.” Fremon Craig worked on the project for about a year script, determined to stay unusually faithful to Blume’s text for the adaptation.
It would have been likely for producers not to mention God in times when this can feel like a contentious topic, given that God is not even allowed to be mentioned in most public schools. However, Fremon Craig didn’t cut God from the adaptation, as evidenced by the film’s title preserving the novel’s peculiar boldness.
When asked about the decision to keep God in, Brooks replied, “I don’t think we discussed anything more than those conversations. They were worth it. I think one of the most important lines in the photo was during her first prayer when Margaret asked if God is there first, she says, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ That line always meant so much to me because it debunked the mythology of it. It just made it very personal between a little girl and her search for God.”
Even the setting – New Jersey in the 1970s – has not changed. “One of the most amazing things about the book is how timeless it is. I read it in 1990 and assumed it was contemporary,” said Fremon Craig. “I never thought about making it contemporary. The time period was important to me, not only because it’s true to the book, but also because it shows how connected we all are. There’s something comforting about knowing that our mothers and grandmothers and all women throughout history have been through the same thing.”
Diversification Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret
“An adjustment requires you to make certain changes, but every change I made somehow felt like a betrayal,” explains Fremon Craig. “But eventually I realized that as long as I got the spirit of the book and the feel of the book, then I was doing well. That helped me let go of some of that pressure and just focus on that.
Fremon Craig noted that Blume not only understood that an adaptation requires adjustments, but that the author himself even suggested ideas for it. “She was a real creative partner. I am so grateful to have had her generous and open-minded cooperation,” she added. This collaborative effort led to the decision to re-imagine several characters for the film as African American rather than white as in the novel.
Fremon Craig said, “Representation is very important to me. It’s part of the reason I wanted to write and make movies. In many ways, I didn’t see stories about women. I didn’t see any stories about my friends being of a different race. It felt like that had to change. And with this story in particular, I want all girls to see themselves reflected in it. That feels important.”
It seems impossible to improve on a classic. With more than nine million copies sold worldwide, “recognizable” is often a word used by readers to describe why Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret is so loved. The book’s topics—pre-teen anxiety, adolescence, friendship, finding faith, family dynamics—all bring readers together more than isolate them. And yet the inclusion of other races in the adaptation polishes up this cherished gem.
Regarding the decision to make diversification part of the adjustment, Brooks added, “It made sense. And it worked.”
Gracie Films production, Lionsgate comes out Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret on Friday, April 28, 2023.