'Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day': Lisa Cholodenko To Direct Children's Book Adaptation

Here's a rare bit of good news for Alexander: he's going to be a movie star. And he won't even have to move to Australia to do it.

Lisa Cholodenko, Oscar-nominated director of "The Kids Are All Right," is set to helm a big screen adaptation of the childhood classic book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," Variety reports (via ComingSoon.net).

The book, released in 1972 by author Judith Viorst, is about a young boy named Alexander and the many misfortunes he suffers throughout a single day, starting with waking up with gum in his hair and continues with indignities such as not getting a prize in his cereal, having his picture of an invisible castle rejected, losing his best friend, learning he has a cavity and having to wear railroad pajamas.

The film will have major muscle behind it, as both 20th Century Fox and The Jim Henson Company will be involved in its production and distribution.

For more, click over to ComingSoon.net.

Comments

[Kitzy]

01:09 AM on 05/06/2011

One of my favorite picture books.

[Mars22]

02:23 PM on 05/05/2011

I'm excited for the movie. This was one of my favorite books as a child. And I don't know why everyone's hating on Where the Wild Things Are. I thought that movie was great because it was in fact an adaptation, meaning it stuck to the themes and basic plot of the book but it has its own ideas and ways of expressing them. If they turned every child's book into an exact movie-copy, what would be the point in going to see it?

[Max Shaw]

11:34 AM on 05/05/2011

I loved this book when I was a kid..Although for a film version, I think it would be better as an animated version--something along the lines of UP or Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs style..

[bartonfink]

08:14 AM on 05/05/2011

I watched Laurel Canyon and the Kids are Alright just this week. A great, super-talented director. If she has a hand in writing it, all the better.

[kareemachan]

10:55 AM on 05/05/2011

That's good to know, as some movie adaptions are cringe-worthy (ie, 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs').

[bartonfink]

02:31 PM on 05/06/2011

Cholodenko's involvement is no guarantee, but she handles human frailty and interior conflict very well. I'm interested to see what she does with a child's perspective.

[Fatdaddy Nick]

03:18 AM on 05/05/2011

I'm Snoop Dogg will contribute to the soundtrack which will include James Brown's I Feel Good and that the film trailer will begin with a raspy voiced man saying "In a world where.....". (rolls eyes)

[Fatdaddy Nick]

06:29 AM on 05/05/2011

OH COME ON HP STOP IT. I didn't even type it that way! Why does HP alter peoples comments?

[Fatdaddy Nick]

06:29 AM on 05/05/2011

Why does HP alter peoples comments?

[bartonfink]

08:15 AM on 05/05/2011

It looks like you're having a conversation with yourself. Do you need a minute?

[padrushka]

02:44 AM on 05/05/2011

This was a favorite of ours.

[VET06]

02:37 AM on 05/05/2011

I don't know what to think about this. I loved this book when I was a kid and currently read it to my son. I want to have faith and assume that it will be a good movie; however, history is not on my side when it comes to children's books coming to the big screen.

[Edward Goodwin]

05:16 AM on 05/05/2011

I hear ya. Look at the way they butchered "The Cat In The Hat"

Don't even get me started on "Where The Wild Things Are" I loved that book when I was kid. While my wife was still pregnant with our first, I went out and bought all the Dr Seuss books and "Wild Things" I couldn''t wait to start reading them to our son.

It was at that time that I discovered what had become of Little Golden Books. Remember those? I grew up with the ones from the 50's because that's what was handed down to me from my oldest sibs.

Nowadays, they are PURE product placement. "Barbie Visits Toys-R-Us" "Mr Potato Head rents Toy Story II At Blockbuster Video"

Okay, I exaggerated just a little on that, but they are tied into toys that are currently popular.

They're not even books any longer. Just pages folded over and stapled to a heavy stock glossy paper cover. Cheap, cheap, cheap. Fortunately, I discovered that places like Goodwill are a great source for the originals

[hilaritee]

01:15 AM on 05/05/2011

what is the point of making a film out of a 32 page book? you could read it twice before the opening credits even finish. hollywood's war on books continues...

[lostinit]

12:59 AM on 05/05/2011

Where the wild things are was a disaster. No good can come of this.

[Capella Campomayor]

12:07 AM on 05/05/2011

I read the book and it was amazing. This movie is just plainly BAD. Please dont watch it. - Capella Campomayor

[p c r]

10:56 PM on 05/04/2011

I used this book during a statewide speech competition in high school, way back in the 1970's. I always loved it.
Whe I had my daughter, ten years later, it was one of the first books I ever bought her. We still joke about how "Sometimes you have days like that, even in Australia". I hope one day to read this to grandchildren., and if the movie is good they can see it hen they are old enough. Books begin to be read in infancy for the best effect.

[JHKH]

10:50 PM on 05/04/2011

I hope it's better than "Where the Wild Things Are." That was a huge disappointment.

[logic-a-go-go]

10:12 PM on 05/04/2011

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Movie. Good kids book. Not for a movie.

[p c r]

10:57 PM on 05/04/2011

This is spam.

[bigshotlawyer]

09:07 PM on 05/04/2011

Remember the theme of the book? Everybody has a bad day.