The book, co-authored by Gallatin Adjunct Professor Lise Friedman and sister Ceil Friedman, will be developed into a film to be directed by Gary Winick (“Tadpole,” “13 Going on 30,” “Charlotte’s Web”). Daily Variety reported on Oct. 31.
The screen rights to Letters to Juliet, which recounts the story of the thousands of letters written to Juliet Capulet since the 1890s, have been sold to Applehead Pictures and Summit Entertainment. The book, co-authored by sisters Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman, will be developed into a film to be directed by Gary Winick (“Tadpole,” “13 Going on 30,” “Charlotte’s Web”), Daily Variety reported on Oct. 31.
Summit’s Patrick Wachsberger and Eric Feig will produce the work, along with Ellen Barkin and Caroline Kaplan at Applehead Pictures, the production company Barkin runs with her brother, George. Summit will soon tap a writer who will turn the fact-based book into a contemporary romance film.
Letters to Juliet, which will be published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang in November, includes selected letters, the history behind Shakespeare’s tale, and the monuments that fuel the legend. Lise Friedman, an adjunct professor at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, has also written First Lessons in Ballet, Break a Leg! The Kids’ Guide to Acting and Stagecraft, and Alvin Ailey Dance Moves. Ceil Friedman, an art historian and translator, lives in Verona, where she has collaborated for several years with Verona’s museums and other institutions in Italy.
Editor’s Note:
The Gallatin School of Individualized Study is a small innovative college within New York University. Gallatin gives students the opportunity to design a program of study tailored to their own needs and interests. The key to Gallatin’s educational approach is its close supervision of the student’s course of study by its faculty advisers. Students pursue individual interests by taking courses in the various schools of NYU, engaging in self-directed education through independent studies and participating in experiential learning through internships at New York City’s countless institutions, businesses, and arts organizations. Undergraduates experience a thorough grounding in the history of ideas and great books, and graduate students pursue advanced study in interdisciplinary modes of thought.