Beautiful Creatures: NO MORE!

A love story set in an enigmatic Southern town, warring magical sects, and a powerful legacy that will determine a teen’s destiny: could it be the recipe for the next YA series-turned-movie blockbuster? The Warner Brothers/Alcon Entertainment film, based on the first book in the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, is headed to the big screen on February 14.

Beautiful Creatures centers on 16-year-old Ethan Wate (played in the film by Alden Ehrenreich), who can’t wait to leave confining, small-town life in Gatlin, S.C. But when an intriguing outsider enrolls at his high school, his life is forever altered. As romance blooms between Lena (played by newcomer Alice Englert) and Ethan, Lena reveals that she descends from a line of Casters, beings who can yield powerful magic, and that she will face a critical transformation on the occasion of her 16th birthday. Directed by Richard LaGravenese, the cast includes Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Thompson.

Vampires vs. Casters: A Showdown?

Of late, film studios have made no secret of the fact that they’re on the prowl for new YA properties that achieve Twilight-level success. As such, comparisons between Beautiful Creatures and its paranormal predecessor seem inevitable – and there are a few similarities. Both series are published by Little, Brown. Both center on love stories between teens who are irresistibly drawn toward each other. One of the teens in each book has a secret, supernatural identity. Both take place in small towns, and both female protagonists happen to drive big clunker cars. Come to think of it, both books build romantic tension via scenes involving vehicular accident close shaves. Despite certain parallels, LaGravenese insisted to Movieline that Beautiful Creatures is not Twilight: “I’m sorry, it’s just not. I mean, yes, it’s a love story and one of them has powers, but that’s it.”

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What made you choose to write a series from a teenage boy’s POV?

Most of the YA novels we read in 2005 were written from a girl’s POV, unless they were novels specifically targeting boys. We wanted to write something that felt different, and writing from a boy’s POV was one way to do it. We also wanted the girl to be the powerful Supernatural. Making our protagonist a Mortal boy allowed us to turn the tables. In the end, I think it was easier. With have six brothers between us, we know that guys struggle with many of the same insecurities girls do: Will the person I like call/ go out with me/feel the same way? Should I follow my parents’ path or my own. These are obviously tough questions whether you are a boy or a girl.

Who’s your favorite character?

It’s a toss up between Amma and Ridley. I love Amma because she reminds me of my great-grandmother from North Carolina who lived with us from the time I was twelve. She was brilliant and brave and ornery, and she baked a mean lemon meringue pie. I also relate to Amma because I’m insanely superstitious. I’ve changed hotel rooms because my room number had a “13″ in it (yes, 113 counts), I would never step on a grave, and I have a special charm necklace I wear when I fly. I love Ridley because underneath all the outrageous outfits, sarcastic comments, and lollipops, she is deeply flawed. Even though she’s a Caster, there are times when Ridley seems more vulnerable than any other character. At her core, she’s a girl who has to live with the consequences of a choice she didn’t get to make. Is there anything more tragic?

Now that you’ve been on set and seen your characters “come to life”, are you happy with who’s been cast?

I think the cast is PERFECT! Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson—it’s like a dream. And the actors playing the teens in the film: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, Zoey Deutch, and Kyle Gallner ARE Ethan, Lena, Ridley, Link, Emily, and Larkin. Equally impressive, they went going toe-to-toe with Academy Award winning/nominated actors and nailed it!

Any scenes in particular that you are most looking forward to seeing translated to the big screen?

There are so many… the first time Ethan sees Lena at school, and the moment she tells him her secret. Alden and Alice have serious chemistry. I’m also dying to see the disciplinary meeting when Macon faces off with Mrs. Lincoln. It’s a powerful scene in the book, and in the film it involves a showdown between Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson. Let me repeat that: JEREMY IRONS AND EMMA THOMPSON! The only thing as exciting? Watching Jeremy Irons and VIOLA DAVIS when they **** ** *** *****!

Is it difficult letting go of your words and trusting them with a screenplay writer?

The novel is the world we created and the film is Richard LaGravenese’s interpretation and extension of that universe. Richard is an incredibly gifted and well-respected screenwriter, with an eye for the details that breathe life into a story. He has managed to create a script that both honors the novel and expands upon it.

Stephenie Meyer was a producer on the final Twilight films, would you like to play a role in the making of any of the future Beautiful Creatures films?

In addition to my career as a novelist, I’m also a film producer, and one of my roles is to work with novelists, screenwriters, and directors to strike that balance. Richard LaGravenese, our screenwriter/director, and the team at Alcon and Warner Brothers bringing Beautiful Creatures to the big screen is amazing. If they need me to play a bigger role on future films (the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise), I will do whatever I can to make it happen.

Ok I tried so hard so VERY HARD to love this book.  I wanted to read it before the movie comes out next month. Well with over 200 pages left I just had to call it quits.  It was so long and so boring.  This book had so much promise but it just turned out to be another overhyped ya book.  UGH.  It was nice to have a book written by the male POV.  It was a very good story but it just wasn't told very well.  They could have cut the length down to around 300 pages and sped it up just a little.  There was a lot of humor in the book but that just wasn't enough to keep me interested. This will be one series that I will not read anymore.  But I will go watch the movie.  Hopefully its better than the book for a change.   

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Posted in: 2 Stars, Interview, Young Adult