Diablo Cody on Sweet Valley High Film
ETonline: What excited you about the stories you could tell with Sweet Valley High?
Cody: It's about the polarity of the good girl versus the bad girl, which is something I played with a bit in Jennifer's Body. I'm just fascinated by the way women are put into boxes in our culture. The Sweet Valley High books are about Jessica and Elizabeth, these identical twins; one is the perfect straight-A, ambitious good-goody and the other is this really selfish bitch who tends to have a lot more fun. In the books, they frequently switch places and adopt the other's identity. I thought that was a fun idea -- especially, like, in a big, fun, pop-y movie with songs that people can enjoy as hilarious eye candy on a superficial level or on a deeper level exploring some more of those themes.
ETonline: >The books were published over the span of 20 years; did you have a hard time deciding which time period to set your movie in?
Cody: No, I knew it had to be 80's because, hello, I love the 80's. Also, I had read all of the books, but one stuck with me. There was a book [Dear Sister, published in 1984] I loved and read the most that involved Elizabeth going into a coma and waking up from her coma and acting like Jessica. I thought we could have a lot of fun with that. Cuz, what happens when you establish which twin you are and then your twin decides, "No I'm going to be that twin." It made for a great screenwriting experience.
ETonline: In terms of casting, are you looking for twins or are you going to pull a Social Network with one actor and face replacement surgery?
Cody: It’s funny, we bring up Armie Hammer all the time. In a way, it would be easier to find the one perfect girl and pull the Winklevoss technique on her. On the other hand, there's something really fun about searching for the perfect twins. The decision hasn't been made yet.
-- From Entertainment Tonight Online
Cody: It's about the polarity of the good girl versus the bad girl, which is something I played with a bit in Jennifer's Body. I'm just fascinated by the way women are put into boxes in our culture. The Sweet Valley High books are about Jessica and Elizabeth, these identical twins; one is the perfect straight-A, ambitious good-goody and the other is this really selfish bitch who tends to have a lot more fun. In the books, they frequently switch places and adopt the other's identity. I thought that was a fun idea -- especially, like, in a big, fun, pop-y movie with songs that people can enjoy as hilarious eye candy on a superficial level or on a deeper level exploring some more of those themes.
ETonline: >The books were published over the span of 20 years; did you have a hard time deciding which time period to set your movie in?
Cody: No, I knew it had to be 80's because, hello, I love the 80's. Also, I had read all of the books, but one stuck with me. There was a book [Dear Sister, published in 1984] I loved and read the most that involved Elizabeth going into a coma and waking up from her coma and acting like Jessica. I thought we could have a lot of fun with that. Cuz, what happens when you establish which twin you are and then your twin decides, "No I'm going to be that twin." It made for a great screenwriting experience.
ETonline: In terms of casting, are you looking for twins or are you going to pull a Social Network with one actor and face replacement surgery?
Cody: It’s funny, we bring up Armie Hammer all the time. In a way, it would be easier to find the one perfect girl and pull the Winklevoss technique on her. On the other hand, there's something really fun about searching for the perfect twins. The decision hasn't been made yet.
-- From Entertainment Tonight Online