Rosaline is a revisionist take on Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet, a comedic version that has us excited because of the creative team behind it. The fact that it’s moving from one major studio to another has me a bit concerned, though I’m waiting to see if the move is for the better, or if it will cause a delay.
THR reports that Rosaline is negotiating a move from Fox to Universal, where Shawn Levy will produce the project under his 21 Laps shingle. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are handling screenwriting duties, and they're why I'm excited: Neustadter and Weber also penned the indie romantic comedy 500 Days (of Summer) with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as the Sundance hit The Spectacular Now.
The project is being described as a Wicked version of Shakespeare's most famous play, told through the viewpoint of a secondary character – Rosaline. She is Juliet’s cousin who is dumped by Romeo and remains bitter. The story is based on the novel When You Were Mine, by author Rebecca Serle. A while back, we reported that Girls co-star Allison Williams had landed the title role in the comedy and both Dave Franco and Emilia Clarke also were rumored to have roles in the ensemble. But THR's sources close to the production claim that no deals are in place at the moment.
Hollywood is endlessly going to find a new way to tell the Romeo and Juliet story. Recounting the classic tragedy through a fresh set of eyes is a fantastic way to get back into Shakespeare’s world. It worked for Shakespeare In Love and it REALLY worked for Wicked (which also needs to reach the silver screen, and soon). And I still hope it works for Rosaline, with the same creative team in place.
