Beloved Gets Daring

March 7, 2011

Beloved Gets Daring

LOS ANGELES - Beloved Pictures has secured the film rights to The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.  Published in 2007, the encyclopedia of stories, facts, and projects for adventure-seeking girls spent fourteen weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List and was the number seven bestselling book of 2007.  The book has sold over 1.4 million copies, and has enjoyed successful follow-on products, Things To Do and Wisdom and Wonders, and a sequel, The Double-Daring Book for Girls. 

Beloved first took an interest in the project while chatting with rising screenwriters Amy Garcia and Cecilia Contreras (2007 Nichol Fellows, currently scripting a project for veteran producer Fred Roos).   “Over lunch a few months ago, Amy and Cecilia revealed an ingenious and original way to adapt Daring for the screen,” said Beloved CEO Michael Ludlum.  “Caleb [Applegate, President] and I were enchanted, and as is usual with Amy’s and Cecilia’s ideas, we saw the prospects for a phenomenal film.” 

Discussions with Buchanan’s and Peskowitz’s representatives led to a formal pitch to the Daring authors.  Buchanan and Peskowitz warmed to the idea, and gave their blessing to further develop the screenplay. 

“We are thrilled that Andi and Miriam found the vision as epic and charming as we did, and look forward to shaping the project into a classic film that all can enjoy,” Ludlum said.  Beloved will co-develop the screenplay with Disney-based Panay Films, Beloved’s co-producer on the N.D. Wilson fantasy trilogy, 100 Cupboards. 

In addition to the 100 Cupboards franchise, Beloved Pictures is currently developing C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce with Steve McEveety’s Mpower Pictures, Messiah, a thriller in the vein of Taken and Die Hard, and an original TV series entitled The Spiritual with U.K. based Antix Productions. 

Garcia and Contreras are represented by Marti Blumenthal at Ampersand Management Group.  Andrea J. Buchanan is represented by Laura Gross at LGLA.  Miriam Peskowitz is represented by Kim Schefler at Levine, Plotkin, and Menin.