Sweet Valley High Movie To Be A Musical?

Sweet Valley High book cover
(Image credit: Random House)

“Look right down any crowded hall, you’ll see there’s a beauty standing - Is she really everywhere or a reflection?...” Will those words be worked into the song lyrics for one of the original songs being written for Sweet Valley High? From what writer Diablo Cody says, it sounds like the film, based on Francine Pascal’s once hugely popular teen novel series will be a musical.

Young Adult writer Diablo Cody's adaptation of Sweet Valley High for a film is a topic that came up between an MTV reporter and Cody at the Critics Choice Movie Awards this week. Cody mentions that Broadway’s Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt are writing original music for the film, prompting the reporter to clarify on whether or not Sweet Valley High is a musical, to which she responds with a smile, “Oh, perhaps it is,” and then laughs. The “Yes” that follows seems to confirm that she’s not just joking around, despite the lack of a definitive confirmation. Cody goes on to say that the film is “a lot of familiar ’80’s awesomeness for fans of the series, and if you’ve never heard of Sweet Valley High, you will want to. Watch the interview below...

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It’ll be interesting to see how the musical aspect affects the film’s rating, if at all. Cody was once quoted as saying that they were hoping for an R-rating for the adaptation. While an R-Rated musical certainly wouldn’t be impossible (see South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut), it would rule out the opportunity to lure in a slightly younger audience with the enticing aroma of teen angst blended with music (see Glee).

?Those who are excited by this news can celebrate by soaking in the sweet melody that was the opening theme song for the TV series Sweet Valley High:

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.