Suddenly Cinema the Sequel

Because everything is a sequel these days.

Looking for Alaska by John Green is an delicious book. Another offbeat coming-of-age tale I read in high school. It has memorable characters and an only slightly predictable plot. An oddball high school guy transfers to a new school and meets some eccentric people and is befriended by them. One of them is a girl named Alaska Young. He falls in love; teenage antics and drama ensue. I'm making it sound really lame, but trust me, it's a good book. So good that Paramount bought the rights to make it into a movie.

When I discovered this, I was not pleased. For those who've read the book, I think you'd agree with me that it would be very difficult to replicate this narrative. Or at least the tension it creates in the first part. And I don't think I would like seeing any actress try to be Alaska.

But the more I think about it, the more interested I am in seeing how Hollywood would try to pull it off. (mostly because the author has said he loves the screenplay that has been written) I know I'd be disappointed, but that goes without saying when seeing a movie based on a book you loved. But, alas, I will probably never have the chance to be let down. Due to lack of interest, Paramount has shelved the project indefinitely. IMDB sill has a page for it, but there nothing on it. See? It's there. Someone cared enough to create a space for it.

Now I've heard wonderful things about the author's other works as well. I'm very interested in reading the other books he's published. John Green has developed a small cult following over the last few years. And apparently Hollywood has taken enough notice to purchase the rights to several of his novels but they don't care enough to actually follow through with any of them. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this or not.