Judy Blume slams criticism for J.K. Rowling comments: ‘Total bulls–t’

Selome Hailu Now in her eighties, legendary children’s author Judy Blume only recently became keen to the idea of adapting her books for the screen. But when it came to “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” — arguably Blume’s most famous title — her arms were crossed. She didn’t want any filmmaker to touch it. “And then I got this letter from Kelly,” Blume told Variety, smiling, in a cover story for March’s Power of Women issue. She’s referring to “The Edge of Seventeen” writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig, to whom she eventually granted the screen rights. Blume was convinced for three reasons: the beauty of the letter that Fremon Craig wrote her, the fact that James L. Brooks mentored Fremon Craig and would serve as a producer on the film, and most importantly, the fact that Fremon Craig was the first person to pursue the rights whose work Blume had previously seen. Within a week of the letter, Fremon Craig and Brooks flew to Key West, Fla. to make an in-person plea to Blume; the rest is history. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” hit theaters via Lionsgate on April 28.

At a time when theatrical is looking to distinguish itself with more prolific fare than the factory conveyor belt of humdrum product coming from streaming, it’s with great upset to hear that Lionsgate’s feature adaptation of Judy Blume’s pinnacle 1970 novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret fell greatly short at the box office with a $6.8M opening; below both the $7M-$9M that the studio was seeing, and the more bullish $10M+ that rivals spotted.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo. The movie based on the popular Nintendo game has earned more than $458 million in the US since opening on April 5 — and is projected to hit the $1 billion global milestone on Sunday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Few authors have established as powerful a bond with their fans as Judy Blume. That incredible connection first manifested with the publication of her debut novel for young adults, 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which shattered taboos by candidly addressing subjects like menstruation and masturbation.  

“Nothing in any future I see can replace the communal theatrical experience,” emphasized Lionsgate Motion Picture Chair Adam Fogelson at the top of Lionsgate CinemaCon presentation, which closed out the 2023 Las Vegas confab this afternoon.

The new movie Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is hitting theaters this weekend and we caught up with rising star Abby Ryder Fortson to learn more about her!

Brent Lang Executive Editor To get the chance to make a movie of Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” producer James L. Brooks and writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig made the pilgrimage to the beloved author’s home in Key West, Fla. “I spent most of our time with Judy warning her about Hollywood and all the things it will do to you — basically, I warned her about folks like me,” says Brooks, the Oscar-winning director of “Terms of Endearment” and the co-creator of “The Simpsons” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Blume chose not to heed the admonition. By the end of their sit-down, Brooks, Craig and Blume’s husband George were all hugging. The film rights were theirs. It turns out Brooks and Craig had an ace up their sleeve: Blume had loved their collaboration “The Edge of Seventeen,” a sensitively drawn look at a teenager navigating the minefield of high school while processing her dad’s death. It’s a coming-of-age tale that’s similar to “Are You There God?,” which depicts the challenges and mortifications of being on the cusp of puberty. On April 28, fans of the book will get to see how successfully Craig, Brooks and their collaborators pulled it off when the Lionsgate release opens in theaters.

, was published in 1970. She's been our advisor and confidante on everything from bras, bullying, and of course, periods.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.We’re so used to seeing teens played by twentys-omethings. What was it like casting actual 11-year-olds for this?Kelly Fremon Craig: The casting process was seeing every kid under the sun and really looking places that you don’t expect, trying to find kids from all over. A lot of the kids, this was their first ever thing.

J.K. Rowling after the Harry Potter author doubled down on her feelings about the transgender community.Broadbent, who played Horace Slughorn in the film adaptations of Rowling’s books, described the current backlash against the author as “really sad”.“I think J.K.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director J.K. Rowling is well aware many “Harry Potter” fans intend to boycott Max’s upcoming television series adaptation due to her involvement as an executive producer on the show. The Warner Bros. Discovery streamer officially announced the series on April 12, confirming each book in Rowling’s series will be adapted into a full season of television. A new cast of actors will be assembled to take on the roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione and more. Rowling has been embroiled in controversy for several years now due to her controversial statements on gender, many of which have been slammed for being anti-trans. “Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share,” Rowling wrote on Twitter in reaction to backlash against the new “Harry Potter” television series. “Activists in my mentions are trying to organize yet another boycott of my work, this time of the ‘Harry Potter’ TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.”

J. K. Rowling had a nonchalant response to criticism about her involvement on the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

Angelique Jackson Literary icon Judy Blume has been in the public eye for more than 50 years, but lately she’s been posing for even more cameras than usual. For the past few months, Blume has been everywhere — from the red carpet premiere of the feature adaptation of her 1970 classic “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” in Los Angeles last week, to Variety’s Power of Women ceremony in New York City, where she was honored earlier this month. But on Monday night in Studio City, Calif., it was Blume’s husband George Cooper on the other side of a cell phone camera lens. As Blume was introduced to an eager (and pink-masked) crowd by 16-year-old Annabelle Chang, who owns Annabelle’s Book Club LA, Cooper sprang from his seat behind the desk to capture the moment on his cell phone.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. A new documentary about Judy Blume sheds light on the profound impact that the beloved children’s book writer had on a whole generation of young girls.

Legendary author Judy Blume has written 29 books and swore the only one she would never consider selling for the screen was 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, her timeless coming-of-age book that became a rite of passage for just about every girl, like Margaret, going from age 11 to 12, and probably their mothers as well. Blume held fast until 2018 when writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig and her mentor, Oscar-winning filmmaker James L. Brooks, came calling with just the right idea for an adaptation. The deal was sealed. The movie is here. Blume says she is probably the only author to say the movie is better than her book.

When it comes to young adult literature, there are few books as universally beloved and influential for preteen girls as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Judy Blume’s seminal 1970 novel. Tackling everything from boys to periods to religion, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” was a groundbreaking exploration of so-called taboo topics that plague all young girls.

Rachel McAdams is looking forward to sharing her new film with her kids as she stars in the film adaptation of Judy Blume's iconic 1970 coming-of-age novel, ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke with McAdams at the Los Angeles premiere of her new movie, in which she plays Barbara Simon, mother to the film's titular Margaret Simon (played by Abby Ryder Fortson).Reflecting on showing the film — which candidly and honestly details a young girl's spiritual quest and her efforts to navigate puberty, emotional maturity and deep philosophical questions — McAdams said of showing the film to her young daughter sometime in the future, «I just hope she's not embarrassed.»McAdams and her partner, Jamie Linden — who are famously private about their personal lives — share a 5-year-old son and a daughter they welcomed sometime in late 2020 or early 2021.«She probably will be [embarrassed], so I'm just gonna prepare myself for that,» McAdams added with a laugh. «But I'm really excited to show it to my son too!»«I feel like it's great for guys to see behind the scenes... to just normalize what's really normal and create compassion between the sexes,» McAdams added. «So I hope a lot of boys will go and see this with their moms, or their dads too.»As for reflecting on her own childhood while starring in the coming-of-age story, McAdams joked that there was «a little PTSD there, yeah, I'm not gonna lie.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Amazon has been awarded $35.3 million in state tax incentives for TV production, including the largest amount ever granted by the state of California for a single film or TV season. “Citadel,” a big-budget spy thriller set to debut on April 28, was awarded $25 million to relocate to California from the U.K. for its second season. The show is expected to pay $119 million in “qualified” expenditures — which include below-the-line workers and California vendors — making it the biggest show ever lured from out of state by the credit. The Hollywood Reporter has called the show “pricey and troubled,” noting that its first-season budget soared above $200 million due to a change in the creative team and extensive reshoots.

Judy Blume is speaking out and setting the record straight over her comments about J.K. Rowling.

A new generation of wizards! HBO announced that a new Harry Potter series was officially in the works.