Lena Dunham will adapt 'Catherine, Called Birdy' as a film
鈥淕irls鈥� creator, star, and writer Lena Dunham has announced she鈥檚 shepherding an adaptation of the novel 鈥淐atherine, Called Birdy鈥� by Karen Cushman to the big screen.聽
Dunham discussed her involvement with the planned movie adaptation of the young adult novel at the New Yorker Festival on Oct. 10.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to adapt it and hopefully direct it,鈥� she said, according to . 鈥淚 just need to find someone who wants to fund a PG-13 medieval movie.鈥�
She said of the narrative, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hyper realistic and really pretty and it鈥檚 full of incest and beatings, but it鈥檚 a child鈥檚 story," according to the . "I鈥檝e been obsessed with it since I was a kid.鈥�
鈥淐atherine鈥� centers on the girl of the title, who is 14 and living in the year 1290. She is the daughter of a knight and tries to avoid getting married. It was first published in 1994 and is a Newbery Honor title. It received many positive reviews upon release, with giving it a starred review and calling the protagonist 鈥渁 delightful, rebellious heroine鈥� and writing that the book is 鈥渟uperb historical fiction,鈥� while wrote that Cushman鈥檚 novel 鈥渋ntroduces an admirable heroine and pungently evokes a largely unfamiliar setting.鈥�
Cushman is also the author of such titles as 聽鈥淢atilda Bone,鈥� 鈥淲ill Sparrow鈥檚 Road,鈥� 鈥淭he Ballad of Lucy Whipple,鈥� and 鈥淭he Midwife鈥檚 Apprentice,鈥� which won the Newbery Medal. 鈥淲hipple鈥� was adapted as a TV movie starring Glenn Close and Jena Malone in 2001.
Dunham herself recently became an author with the publication of her memoir 鈥淣ot That Kind of Girl,鈥� which was published on Sept. 30. It鈥檚 currently ranked at second place on the combined print and e-book nonfiction list for Oct. 19 and called the work 鈥渁s acute and heartfelt as it is funny.鈥�
