This morning the film world woke to the news that the trailer for THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER film adaptation had been released – and by the looks of her performance in the snippets we see, Emma Watson will surely prove herself to be more than just Hermione Granger.
Based on the novel of the same name, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER stars Logan Lerman (PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF) as Charlie, a shy loner who’s sick of being ignored and who desperately wants to make friends. His wish comes true when he’s approached by Patrick (Ezra Miller – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN) and Patrick’s step-sister, Sam (Emma Watson – HARRY POTTER). The trio form a sort-of gang, tackling the pressures of high school, drugs, sex and crime while trying to stick together. Nina Dobrev, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott and Johnny Simmons all star alongside Lerman, Miller and Watson, giving the cast list some credibility and power. Fans of the book will also be pleased to hear that the novels author, Stephen Chbosky, has written the screenplay and directed the film himself – obviously trying to stick as closely to the source material as possible.
The book has been published in 16 countries and 13 languages and has sold over 1 million copies in the US, it being most popular with teens and young adults. From the look of the trailer, the film most definitely fits that target audience and will hopefully please old fans and bring in new ones. As a coming-of-age type of film, I definitely see hints of IT’S A KIND OF FUNNY STORY (2010) and ADVENTURELAND (2009), which are both hilarious and touching indie dramas. Watson seems to come out of her shell as Sam, but we’ll have to wait and see whether her American accent will hold true (and I can’t get enough of Miller shouting ‘Be aggressive! Passive aggressive!’). Check out the trailer and poster below!
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, directed by Stephen Chbosky, is due for a US release from 14th September 2012.
