Channing Tatum is writing a “Dear John” letter. No, it’s not the typical breakup letter that you’d expect. The Step Up star is slated to star in Dear John, an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best selling novel. The picture is being developed by New Line Cinema, who has hired Jamie Linden (We Are Marshall) to write.
Tatum will play a soldier who falls for a girl while he’s home on leave. After the September 11th attacks, John reenlists. The novel explores the trials their relationship goes through over time with him in such a dangerous environment. Think about it like the Green Day for “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, only two hours long.
This isn’t the first Sparks novel adaptation for New Line. They also produced The Notebook, which went on to win audiences over as a surprise hit. If Dear John can do the same, Tatum might finally prove himself as a solid, serious actor to mainstream audiences instead of just being a pretty boy to the masses and a serious actor to the select, cultish few who say A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
