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Kristen Stewart Going 'On the Road' for Kerouac Adaptation
by Ethan Anderton
May 6, 2010
In the midst of all the craziness surrounding the Twilight Saga, Kristen Stewart still found some time to take on a more grounded role in the rock music biopic The Runaways. Now it looks like she'll be doing the same with a role miles away from sparkly vampires as Variety says that she has signed on to star in Walter Salles' (The Motorcycle Diaries) forthcoming adaptation of On the Road, Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel, which tells the story through Sal Paradise, an autobiographical character, who sets off on a cross country journey thereby expressing the restless energy and desire for freedom that makes people rush out to see the world.
This adaptation has been gestating as far back as the late 70's when none other than Francis Ford Coppola (who is still producing via American Zoetrope) had optioned the book. Last month the first real development on Salles' incarnation of the adaptation arrived with the casting of Garrett Hedlund (from Tron Legacy). Hedlund will be playing Paradise's friend Dean Moriarity who inspires him to see America, while Stewart will play his on-again-off-again wife Marylou. taking on the lead role of Kerouac's alter ego Sal Paradise will be Sam Riley (Franklyn). It's interesting that Stewart has taken on another role in a film which prominently features a cross country vagabond after her role in 2007's Into the Wild. Maybe she has a thing for travelers?
On an interesting note, Salles, who has been developing this project for years as well, traveled across the US in Kerouac's footsteps and gathered enough material for a documentary, In Search of On the Road, which is a work in progress and should see release sometime, um, down the road (probably around the release of the film). Apparently he showed an hour of footage, including interviews with beat poets and characters from the book, at the San Francisco Film Festival last month. Both the adaptation and this documentary sound quite intriguing, so we'll be on the lookout for more details. Is Stewart a good addition to this cast?
9 Comments
1
Wasn't she in that other movie about a kid wanting to explore the world and he ends up dying in a bus? I fell in love with her when I saw that movie.
Dan W on May 6, 2010
2
@1 "It's interesting that Stewart has taken on another role in a film which prominently features a cross country vagabond after her role in 2007's Into the Wild. Maybe she has a thing for travelers?" Way to fail at reading the article.
Ken on May 6, 2010
3
No, no she is not a good choice. Mary Lou was a stacked little blonde. Her, not so much.
Jamie on May 6, 2010
4
Salles tapped Kristen over a year and a half ago- obviously there's a reason she's the only one to have stayed attached this long. And I hear there's a little thing called hair dye that could fix the whole hair color issue. She was a hot blonde in Land of Women.
Rick on May 6, 2010
5
@3 How dumb are you? Did you see Benjamin Button or Monster. Hollywood makeup can change your whole appearance. Plus Kristen's already been a blonde in a movie. I prefer her brunette hair but if she has to change it for a part, that's all good. I've heard that so many starlets wanted this part because the books is so popular and it's a chance to work with Coppola. Kristen will make a great Marylou. I just wonder about filming. They are planning to start this in August and then she has to do Breaking Dawn in October. She'd going to be quite the busy bee.
Vanessa on May 7, 2010
6
This will be interesting. As a fan of the book I'm apprehensive, but the story is great and Stewart is much better IMO when she's not in love with vampires. There is a whole slew of characters in the book, I wonder how many they will cut out. Apparently this Hedlund kid made the right impression on a lot of people. I've never seen him in anything, but he'll have his hands full with Dean/Neal Cassidy. I don't know Riley either, but I thought JGL would've made a great Sal/Jack.
Theotherbluth on May 7, 2010
7
Why? Why? Why? This chick is about as talented as as my bunghole on taco night. Kerouac is rolling over in his grave over this cheapsh*t monstrosity to put his book to film. A total borefest
smackyou on May 7, 2010
8
as a fan of the book I too am apprehensive...given that most every project of this nature has been totally screwed by the no-talent kids in Hwood...fi they are going to start carving out characters to shorten the story then it is doomed to failure before it ever starts....I will be watching to see what developes...thank god JJ the Hack Abrams isnt getting in on this..all the male characters would wind up 20's something pretty boy losers....
blasphemer on May 7, 2010
9
Stewart is a very talented actress and I'm glad she's removing herself from the Twilight world and challenging herself with more dramatic roles (rather than hiding crappy acting behind visual effects like that werewolf is doing for Stretch Armstrong).
peloquin on May 7, 2010
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