'The Giver': How will the movie adaptation be different from the book?
Actor Jeff Bridges, who is starring in the film adaptation of Lois Lowry鈥檚 novel 鈥淭he Giver,鈥� recently gave some insight into exactly how the movie will be different from Lowry鈥檚 work.
Bridges is playing the title role in the film and 鈥淢aleficent鈥� actor Brenton Thwaites is playing Jonas, the young adult who is sent to study under the Giver, while Meryl Streep is portraying the community鈥檚 Chief Elder and singer Taylor Swift, who has previously acted in 鈥淰alentine鈥檚 Day鈥� and supplied voice work for the movie 鈥淭he Lorax,鈥� is playing Rosemary, a young girl living in the same community as Jonas.
Some fans had already expressed displeasure over the decision to make Jonas older in the film than he is in the novel. According to Bridges, Jonas is now 16 rather than 12, a decision the actor said 鈥淚 originally kind of balked at鈥� in an interview with .
What else will be different about the film? Bridges cautioned fans who want a word-for-word adaptation of Lowry鈥檚 work.
鈥淭he movie will not be an exact duplication of the book,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 taking a lot of licenses.鈥�
Streep鈥檚 character will play more of a part in the story than the Chief Elder does in the novel, said Bridges, and director Phillip Noyce said there鈥檚 more romance.
鈥淚n the book, the younger pubescent Jonas has a flirtation with a young girl of his age,鈥� he told EW. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 almost a love affair in the film.鈥�
Bridges reassured readers that Lowry worked with the film鈥檚 crew to make sure aspects were as she pictured them.
鈥淚 was happy to hear from Lois that she wasn鈥檛 so concerned about all the facts being the same as in the book,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he spirit of the story is there.鈥�
