(i didn't write this so keep in my this is based on the author's blog but i'm also gonna post the link to the blog!!!)

Dec. 1st, 2009 11:37 am To fans of Beastly, the book, re: The movie
I've been reading a lot of message boards, Twitters, etc. (I am not on Twitter, so don't look for me; My husband is, and he has Beastly as a search, so I get to see every single tweet that even uses the word, Beastly in another context) , and I've seen a lot of people who are worried that CBS is going to "ruin" the book in their movie version.

My message to my fans: Thank you SO much for loving my book enough to worry about it. That is super-flattering, and I'm very grateful that you love the book as much as I do.

However: Don't worry.

Honestly, I've read the script because, basically, I'm not good with surprises (like, I really try to find out what my Christmas gifts are ahead of time if at all possible), and the folks at CBS were kind enough to let me read it. I've heard horror stories about books that were ripped to shreds as movies. For example, most people may not know this, but Lois Duncan's book, I Know What You Did Last Summer was suspense, not horror. I got to see Ms. Duncan talk about this at a conference, and this was a big surprise to her. She brought her grandchildren to the movie. Oops.

And don't even get me started on Wicked, the musical. I mean, I love Stephen Schwartz and all, and Wicked is a good show, but if you've read the book (or The Wixard of Oz), you know it doesn't end well for Elphaba. To quote one blog I read, "The @%#*& witch dies!" So that was a bit of a shocker. I mean, I understand why the writers did that. You couldn't really have a fun, popular musical where the main character you've grown to love dies violently by melting in the end, unless it was sort of a Sweeney Todd-type musical (and, much as I love Sweeney Todd, it has never been a moneymaker like Wicked). So they changed it. I celebrate Wicked, the musical for what it was, but it wasn't profound like Wicked, the book.

Sorry to ramble. I'm just giving examples of what I would consider killing a book for a movie (or theatrical) version.

Early in the casting process, CBS offered the role of Kyle to a well-known actor who stated that he thought Kyle/Adrian should have a closer relationship with his father. This would have been, in my mind, a BIG change. It would definitely have bothered me because what attracted me to the Beast's story was that he seemed so abandoned and alone. That's what the book was about -- loneliness, abandonment, desperation. I related to the Beast because of my own strong feelings of loneliness as a teenager (and that is why he reads all the books I loved as a teen, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Picture of Dorian Grey), and while I like this actor a lot, I wouldn't have been happy if his casting had meant they'd change that part of the book.

But that actor isn't involved in the movie (To any teen girls reading this: Have you SEEN Alex Pettyfer?), and the writer put the script back.

Judging from the script, there haven't been huge changes to the book. Really, only one small plot change (having to do with how Kyle talks Lindy's dad into letting her stay, and Kyle's motivations), but it all flows nicely. I can honestly say that, had my editor suggested this change to the book, I would have considered making it. Any other changes are along the lines of cutting a 300+ page book down to a 120-ish page script. Again, since my book isn't terribly long, this didn't result in huge changes to the plot.

The characters are the same people. They changed Magda's name, probably because the actress who is playing her is not Hispanic, but she's still the same wise mentor. And yes, I know Vanessa Hudgens doesn't look the way I described Lindy in the book, but she is the same person too. I was in New York two weeks ago, and I got to see about a 10-minute clip of the movie, the party scene where Kyle (as in the book) fights with Sloane, talks to Lindy, and snubs Kendra, then the scene back at his apartment with Kendra. Vanessa Hudgens comes off very smart, and sweet and self-deprecating as Lindy in the scene, and she was definitely in sharp contrast to Sloane, Trey, Kyle, and the other snotty kids at the school. This was the most important thing to me, that Lindy would be a normal, middle class, smart girl, and she nailed it. I really enjoyed her in Bandslam, and I look forward to seeing her in the whole movie.

And Mary-Kate Olsen -- OMG! I've recently had the opportunity to watch a million Full House reruns with my kids (Other than Candace Cameron's hairstyle, it never gets old), and if you think about it, you can tell that Mary-Kate and her sister are extremely talented girls. But New York Minute wasn't exactly the vehicle to show that off. In Beastly, though, Mary-Kate gets a role into which she can really sink her teeth. Honestly, she is Kendra, and I don't say that lightly because Kendra is my favorite character in the book, and the one to whom I most relate. I don't care how thin she is; She's perfect (and her costumes are awesome). She's SCARY! She will be a highlight of the movie.

Anyway, if you're a fan in the book, you can rest easy in the knowledge that the movie version is pretty true to it. Not one major plot point is different. Not one major character has been deleted. The ending is identical, and Alex Pettyfer is going to be great as Kyle.

And -- yesss! -- I sent in my new book yesterday. It will be out in a year, and the title (drum roll, please) is . . . Cloaked.