The Giver

[Project862006]

Variety reports that director Philip Noyce (Salt, Patriot Games) is now in early talks to helm the adaptation for The Weinstein Company, Walden Media, and star Jeff Bridges. The book concerns a utopian society where all memories of the past reside with a sage figure known as “The Giver”. When a 12-year-old boy is selected to be the new Giver, he learns of the hypocrisies and hidden truths of his world. Bridges nabbed the rights to the book 20 years ago with the intention of developing it as a starring vehicle for his father, Lloyd, but now he intends to produce and star.

The Giver is a dystopian children's novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness," a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of "Receiver of Memory," the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. When Jonas meets the previous receiver—The "Giver"—he is confused in many ways. The Giver is also able to break some rules, such as turning off the speaker and lying to people of the community. As Jonas receives the memories from the Giver, he discovers the power of knowledge. The people in his community are happy because they do not know of a better life, but the knowledge of what they are missing out on could create major chaos. He faces a dilemma: Should he stay with the community, his family living a shallow life without love, color, choices, and knowledge, or should he run away to where he can live a full life?
Despite controversy and criticism that the book's subject material is inappropriate for young children, The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 8 million copies.[citation needed] In Australia, the United States, and Canada, it is a part of many middle school reading lists, but it is also on many challenged book lists and appeared on the American Library Association's list of most challenged books of the 1990s.
The novel forms a loose quartet with three other books set in the same future era: Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004) and Son (2012).

 

[Gianakin_]

Jeff Bridges? Yay. Philip Noyce? No ticket bought.

 

[Project862006]

something wrong with Phillip so he makes 1 bad film and all good will is gone?

 

[Gianakin_]

He's at best mediocre imo, I never really liked him.

 

[Lencho01]

I still don't know how you could do this as a film as far as the big reveal goes.

 

[Angel_Faerie]

Which one? There are several. Do you mean the color aspect? Because I could easily see it being done like Pleasantville.

 

[Lencho01]

Yeah, that. I mean, when you learn it in the book, it's a surprise. But, if you can just see it from the get-go, it's not so much of a big deal.

 

[The Guard]

I would imagine they'll just

Spoiler

place this in a world where they all wear the same thing, and make "color" part of the concept of choice.

It will be interesting how they handle the discovery of

Spoiler

music. Will there be a score?

 

[Carnotaur3]

Yeah, that. I mean, when you learn it in the book, it's a surprise. But, if you can just see it from the get-go, it's not so much of a big deal.

They could do a very desaturated color pallet, similar to how recent Clint Eastwood movie's look, riding the line of black and white. That way, the audience doesn't catch on until they see some really extravagant color.

 

[Lencho01]

Maybe. Should be interesting to see how they deal with it.

 

[Project862006]

The Wrap reports that a number of young actors have been invited to test for the role of Jonas in The Giver. The adaptation of Lois Lowry’s award-winning story sees Jonas become the Community’s new “Receiver of Memories” on his twelfth birthday. Spending his time with the man who holds the current position (Bridges), Jonas is granted all the memories from the distant past, before his people adopted the concept of “Sameness.” Though many of these memories are happy ones, there are of course the realities of war, death and hypocrisy to deal with as well, and Jonas must decide whether he will shoulder these burdens himself or escape into the freedom of Elsewhere.
Testing for the role of Jonas were Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer), Tye Sheridan (Mud), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), Dylan Minnette (Let Me In) and Brenton Thwaites (Blue Lagoon: The Awakening). Miles Heizer (Parenthood) and Dylan Sprayberry (Man of Steel)

 

[Ultimatehero]

Type Sheridan would be a great choice.

 

[Octoberist]

'Maleficent' Star Brenton Thwaites Joins Jeff Bridges in 'The Giver'

Brenton Thwaites has been cast opposite Jeff Bridges in The Weinstein Company‘s The Giver. Thwaites will play Jonas in the Philip Noyce-directed adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 dystopian children’s novel. Aged up from the book, the Jonas character is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory in the heavily ordered and seemingly perfect society. He bonds with the previous Receiver (Bridges) and discovers the lies that dominate their society and a more independent way of living. Scheduled to start filming in South Africa in the fall, The Giver is produced by Bridges and Nicky Silver with TWC’s Harvey Weinstein, Dylan Sellers and Julie Rapaport. The pic was adapted by Vadim Perelman with a rewrite by Michael Mitnick. Along with Liam Hemsworth, Noyce and Thwaites were both attached to Relativity Media’s Timeless project a couple of years ago. That film never went into production, but the Australian actor starred in the TV series Home And Away back home and then the Lifetime Channel film Blue Lagoon: The Awakening last June. Thwaites also landed the role of the Prince in Disney’s Maleficent with Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning last May. Additionally was in the upcoming indie Son of a Gun directed by Julius Avery and co-starring Ewan McGregor. He also he just finished shooting William Eubank’s The Signal starring opposite Bates Motel’s Olivia Cook. Thwaites is repped by WME and by Dan Spilo at Industry Entertainment.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/weinstein-companys-the-giver-adds-maleficents-brenton-thwaites/

 

[Ultimatehero]

I'm really unsure how I feel about that, the guy is practically my age - guessing he's 24. Isn't Jonas supposed to be 12 or something? I can see the studio reason for raising the age, Hollywood believes that you can't have a huge box office success tied to a child actor. But the book's core is kind of an end to childhood not a teen moving into becoming an adult.

 

[Octoberist]

Even if he plays younger, he look like he can only pull off 18...or 17 minimum.

 

[jacobed]

Plus there aren't very many if any good actors at 12. He looks young, that's all that matters

 

[Ultimatehero]

Even if he plays younger, he look like he can only pull off 18...or 17 minimum.

He's likely going to be that age. A senior in high school kind of age before moving into college to become a man. That seems to be the route they're taking. Which really doesn't align with what the book is or what I remember it as being - the end of childhood as you begin to see more of the world around you.

 

[Octoberist]

I think he's gonna play a teen who's like 16/17. Still a coming of age.

I do think that..from a child to a pre-teen, or pre-teen to teen is the age of loss of innocence, which is rarely depicted in movies these days. Except for the excellent movie 'Mud' or 'Kings of Summer'. I'm thinking that it's easier for those films because they're indie while 'The Giver' is a bit more mainstream with a higher budget, and longer hours to deal with. Minors can only work so many hours a day according to law.

 

[Ultimatehero]

I think he's gonna play a teen who's like 16/17. Still a coming of age.

Coming of age, but here I don't know how that wouldn't change the overall feel of the story as well. It seems to come more from the Hollywood level thinking that you can't have kids as protagonists. Some see past this, not many do. It just reeks of that level of thinking.

 

[Octoberist]

I updated my comment. I do think the '17 year becoming 18' is played out. Like what I stated prior, kid to preteen/preteen to teen is rarely explored in modern film.

 

[Ultimatehero]

'Mud' was a great movie showing this. And yeah you can look at it that way as being box office driven - but growing up in the 90s one thing I miss is films with child protagonists. During that time you had kids as the protagonists in films. And I'm pretty sure those films were successful. I just really wish they would have waited off on this until seeing how 'Ender's Game' does because I'm thinking/hoping that ends that level of thinking. Kids were protagonists before and I think those films were successful so I don't see merit to Hollywood's level of thinking that they can't be again.

 

[Octoberist]

Again I think it's due to the hours being put in. You have a minor in a role, along with the restrictions and laws, it's harder to shoot.

Once in a while you'll have 'Hugo' however, that brakes that type of logic.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Did that change since the 90s though? Or maybe my memory is messed up so that it only seems like there were tons of movies (and TV shows) back then with kids being kids and it was as scattered as it is today. In memory, I just remember it being a lot more prevalent than it is today.

 

[Lencho01]

I've seen Thwaites' work before.... In that Blue Lagoon remake on Lifetime.

 

[Project862006]

'Mud' was a great movie showing this. And yeah you can look at it that way as being box office driven - but growing up in the 90s one thing I miss is films with child protagonists. During that time you had kids as the protagonists in films. And I'm pretty sure those films were successful. I just really wish they would have waited off on this until seeing how 'Ender's Game' does because I'm thinking/hoping that ends that level of thinking. Kids were protagonists before and I think those films were successful so I don't see merit to Hollywood's level of thinking that they can't be again.

well why didn't they cast Tye Sheridan who was in Mud as well as Tree Of Life he was on the short list and he is 8 years younger than the guy they cast

also btw the guy they cast is also 6'2 LOL he is taller than bridges