John Green’s blockbuster, heart-wrenching Young Adult novel The Fault in Our Stars has been adapted for the screen, and will hit theaters next summer (2014.) It’s a beautiful book that really sticks with you, so the pressure is on to stay true to the book’s emotional honesty.
Director Josh Boone is fairly new, with only one movie, Stuck In Love, under his belt, but The Fault in Our Stars has a special significance to him. He read the book right after losing a close friend. “John’s book came along just when I needed it,” Boone told The Hollywood Reporter. “It pierced my heart and helped me deal with my grief. I laughed and cried and was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. That our lives matter, that the love and kindness we share with others reverberates long after we’re gone. I feel the weight and responsibility to get this right and give his readers and devoted fans as pure a translation as possible … We hope to create a little infinity within this film that fans can revisit over and over.”
(500) Days of Summer writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber wrote the adaptation, but John Green was on set and also made a cameo! Shailene Woodley stars as Hazel, and her Divergent co-star Ansel Elgort plays Gus. The supporting cast includes Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, and Mike Birbiglia.
Ansel and Shailene on set = just the cutest!
To add authenticity, real teen cancer survivors are featured in the support group scenes. Shailene, who’s character is battling cancer, cut off her hair for the role, and shared her “hair nubbins” on Instagram this August:
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video from the set with John Green, Ansel Elgort, and comedian Mike Birbiglia. Elgort reveals how he found out he got the role:
Some more videos from the set:
The novel was originally published in 2012, making the turn-around-time between movie and film a dizzying feat. The film was shot in Pittsburgh and Amsterdam, and wrapped October 16, 2013.
The scheduled release date for Fault in Our Stars is June 6, 2014. If you haven’t read the book, no matter your age, do it now. It’s an undeniably brilliant book that will make you look at your life differently, maybe even live it differently.
