After taking on the role of real-life mom two years ago, Rachel McAdams will be exercising her parenting muscles onscreen in a new film adaptation of a hit Judy Blume book.
The actress, 42, has signed on to star in the upcoming movie "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" as the main character's mother, Barbara Simon.
Since it was published in 1970, the book has become one of Blume's most popular titles and chronicles the story of Margaret Simon, a sixth-grader who has a lot of questions as she navigates early adolescence.
This is hardly the first book-to-film project McAdams has been a part of in her lengthy career. The actor famously starred in "The Notebook," which was adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, and also played one of the leading roles in "Mean Girls," a film that was based in part on Rosalind Wiseman's self-help book "Queen Bees and Wannabees."
Entertainment Weekly was first to announce the casting decision and also revealed that film producers have cast Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon. The 12-year-old is best known for her role as Paul Rudd's daughter in the "Ant-Man" film series and has also starred in the HBO series "Togetherness."
After Lionsgate tweeted about the casting news, Blume expressed her excitement, writing "It’s really happening! Exciting to see the cast come together. Off to a great start with Abby and Rachel."
Production on the film is set to begin in April and Blume, 83, is confident that the project will stay true to the book that so many readers adore. The author had resisted turning her hit book into a film for almost 50 years but signed over the rights to producer James L. Brooks' production company Gracie Films and Kelly Fremon Craig in 2018. Since then, the team has been working on a screenplay and has now just announced a few casting decisions.
Blume told EW she's pretty pleased to have McAdams and Fortson on board, but revealed that she's never really given much thought to who would play the book's characters if it were ever turned into a movie.
"My readers are always fantasy-casting my books, but I've never done that," she said. "But you know it when you see it, and Abby is a natural. And I'm so excited that Margaret got a funny, sexy, sassy mom in Rachel."
This is the first leading role for the 12-year-old actor, and she told EW that she sees similarities between herself and her character.
"I love her. She's so goofy and awesome. She's all heart and love and just wants to have friends and figure out who she is."