Ramona Quimby Gets Prettified
Posted by: Amelia McDonell-Parry
Filed in:
news
8:00AM, Sunday February 8th 2009
Before I got obsessed with the Little House On The Prairie series or the Anne of Green Gables series, and well before I tackled Sweet Valley High or V.C. Andrews, I was obsessed with Ramona Quimby, the protagonist in Beverly Cleary’s AMAZING series of books. To this day, there are two scenes I remember vividly—when Ramona squeezed and entire fresh tube of toothpaste into the sink, because she just couldn’t resist, and when Ramona’s mom served tongue for dinner. Those books were freaking awesome and in 1988, there was even a shortlived, Canadian-produced TV series based on the series, starring Sarah Polley as Ramona.
Well now Ramona is headed to the big screen, which would be exciting, if not for the casting. In the forthcoming “Beezus & Ramona” (also the title of the first book in the series), Ramona will be played by “up-and-coming” actress Joey King, while, Beezus, Ramona’s older sister, will be played by…wait for it…Disney pop star Selena Gomez. Say WHAT?
Problem #1: Beezus is just turning 10 in the book, and Selena Gomez is 16, while Ramona is four in the book, and King is nine in real life.
Problem #2: Whatever, so they’re making the characters older, I can get with that. But Beezus is the sensible, well-behaved sister and is a bit of a nerd—she’s not some little tart! Selena Gomez is far too much of a glamour girl to play Beezus—Abigail Breslin would be better suited to play her. Or, hell, even Dakota Fanning!
Problem #3: Rambunctious little Ramona was always adorable, but she wasn’t supposed to look like some obnoxiously pretty and doe-eyed child model. Joey King, who I’m sure is lovely, just seems too girlish to play Ramona. Ramona is a trouble maker. She gets dirty. She misbehaves.
Problem #4: Back to Gomez. Seriously, is Beezus gonna have a boyfriend too, played by Nick Jonas?
Problem #5: I swear to God, if Henry Huggins is 18 in this movie and played by Shia LeBoeuf, I will cry.
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KellyJean
wrote on February 8 2009 @ 10:02 am: [report]
I still have my Ramona Journal (KEEP OUT!) that I got from the book fair in 1986. I also got a little misty when I saw Beverly Cleary in Portland 2 years ago. She is such an amazing woman!
Anyway, YES, the casting is screwed up.
I vote for a real 10 year old Beezus and a real 4, maybe 6 year old Ramona. Aren’t there “normal” child actors anymore? Heck, doesn’t Dakota Fanning have a little sister? Come on! Keep this book diva-free, eh?
Save the prissy girls for the Judy Blume movies. Cast Selena Gomez as Sheila the Great.
kissmyhinE
wrote on February 8 2009 @ 02:23 pm: [report]
Maybe they’ll do a Charlize in “Monster” on Selena and give her a make-under?
Eva
wrote on February 8 2009 @ 03:46 pm: [report]
I always imagined Beezus and Ramona as a little homely. Selena is far from homely. Beezus was a little depressed and a whiney preteen. Selenas way too pretty and bubbly.
carol v.a.
wrote on February 8 2009 @ 10:49 pm: [report]
this is a definite sign of the apocolypse. the end is near.
sunrise
wrote on February 9 2009 @ 12:14 am: [report]
Ooo, my favorite part of the Ramona books was when she thought the line “Dawn’s early light” was “Donzerly light”... I STILL think that when I hear the star spangled banner.
bookworm
wrote on February 9 2009 @ 01:58 pm: [report]
Girls who get dirty and misbehave can also be pretty. That isn’t mutually exclusive.
lindssaurus
wrote on February 9 2009 @ 09:00 pm: [report]
they should actually pick actors that fit the roles of the movie.
Lyz
wrote on February 10 2009 @ 07:49 am: [report]
WHAT?! This is sacrilege. The holiness of my childhood is being violated.
Isn’t the point of Ramona that she was dirty, awkward and had shoes that farted?! Not that she was bodacious and had knockers but was really like the rest of us…really…REALLY?!
littlebit21
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 08:39 pm: [report]
Let’s think about this: if they got an actual 4-year old to act in the role of Ramona, how difficult would it be to create this big movie around a very young child? And I wasn’t 4 when I read the books so I basically projected my age onto Ramona. I am nervous about how they will convert it to the big screen though.
washwords
wrote on July 20 2009 @ 02:44 pm: [report]
le sigh. a friend’s facebook post about who excited her daughter was going to be about this turned me on to the big news but uhhh, yah, must everything we loved be vamped up for the modern era. nothing says ramona/beezus should be ugly and i don’t even care if they’re a few years older than “real life” (hey worked for andrea zuckerman) but seriously, there have to be tons of cute child stars out there. I dunno… lindsay was cute in the remake of the parent trap and maybe people said the same thing then. anyway, i’m with the author… if beezus has a hot bf, i’m outtie!
and ha! re: donzer lee light. I knew someone who really did sing “all the quaintents” for auld aquaintance.
my best ramona memory: getting the hardcover of “ramona quimby, age 8 on my 8th birthday!!!!” wow.