Judy Blume Sells Screen Rights to Novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

For the first time in nearly 50 years, Judy Blume has sold the screen rights to her seminal 1970 novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Blume has granted the rights to producer James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films and The Edge of Seventeen director Kelly Fremon Craig, per Deadline.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was published in 1970 as a YA novel, and its depiction of a teenage girl going through puberty has made it one of the most essential texts in the genre. Over the years, the novel has faced numerous calls for it to be banned from libraries, and also landed among Time’s list of the top 100 English-language fiction books since 1923. It’s also Blume’s best-known work, and topped Paste’s list of the best Blume books. The only other adaptations of Blume’s work to date have been the 1978 TV movie Forever and 2012’s Tiger Eyes, directed by her son Lawrence Blume, so this adaptation lands in rare territory.

Fremon Craig seems like a solid choice to adapt the novel, having made her directorial debut with 2016’s delightful The Edge of Seventeen, which she also wrote, and which was acclaimed for its thoughtful treatment of an ordinary teenage girl with mostly ordinary concerns. That film was also produced by Brooks’ Gracie Films, which also launched the careers of writer-directors Wes Anderson and Cameron Crowe.

Fremon Craig is said to be underway on a script after meeting with Blume and the producers on Wednesday, with casting also gearing up for the titular role.