MovieChat Forums > The Princess Diaries (2001) Discussion > Meg Cabot Theory

Meg Cabot Theory

posted 17 years ago by christiannafriedman
4 replies | jump to latest

Okay so I have this theory...

On Meg Cabot's official myspace. She wrote a blog about the rumors that some of her books were going to be turned into movies and then went onto say that they were all false. She said she still had all the rights to her books to be turned into movies for those books mentioned.

Now i think that the reason she hasn't sold them is based on the princess diaries movies. I know she had partial rights to it but the movie was nothing like the book. The second one was like an entirely different story. It only carried the same characters and I think she's afraid that it'll happen again to her and they'll demolish the book's meaning in a sense.

As a writer, I totally see where she would be coming from. Granted i'm no meg cabot or even close but as i am in the process of my first novel. I can relate. When you write a book. You put your soul into it and to see it unfold in an settling way that can bring about insecurities.

I really did love the cast for the Princess Diaries.. I just didn't care for the way they changed the story and I wonder if Meg felt the same and that's why she's a tad hesitant to offer the plotline. Hopefully if she does offer it to movie executives she'll have final word.

There's my theory.. lol

[–] thenYES 17 years ago

i liked the cast of the movie, but the plot and how the characters were played annoyed me.

mostly i think the books were for teenage girls, and the movie was for preteens, and that's why it was so different and dissapointing.

"So, from time to time, I send Dwight faxes. From himself. From the future."

[–] lexinator22 17 years ago

i agree thenYES. I LOVED this movie when it came out and i was 9, but now as a teenager the books are so much better

anyway, op, i think the reason that meg hasn't tried to make any of her other books movies is she doesn't need to, she's already has as much success as she could need.

Plus i heard her speak at a book signing when how to be popular came out, and she talked about the princess diaries being made into a movie. She didn't seem bitter at all about how they changed it. For example, someone who was working on the movie called her up when they were still casting and (because i guess since she wrote the original material, they have to get her input on process) told her that they had found a big name star who was interested in playing the role of Grandmere, but that this star was only willing to do it if they changed the script so that mia's father was killed off, in order to make her part bigger. Meg said that when they told her that she was hesitant, but when she learned julie andrews was the "big name star" she was like "done" (or some story of that nature).

She also said that when she saw the premiere of the movie, she couldn't stop laughing the whole time, and afterwards declared it was the best thing she ever saw. As for princess diaries two, she wasn't involved with making that movie, since the storyline wasn't based off one of her books.

Anyway, the princess diaries movies really increased the popularity of her books, so she probably is great full for them. If more of her books aren't being made into movies, it's probably just becuase she doesn't really care about them being made into movies or need them to be turned into movies to help her career.

[–] bh110027 16 years ago

There will never be a movie that faithfully follows a book, even the harry potter series seen drastic changes. but its Cabot's choice whether or not to give up rights to her books, but personally after reading 3 of the books so far, the movie still has my vote because things get done in the movie, whereas the books have their funny moments but had the director kept the movie exactly like the first book, there never would have been a sequel and they would never have made close to $100 million.

[–] 16 years ago

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