AUSTENLAND Impresses Sundance

Stephenie Meyer’s first effort as an independent film producer has paid off. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday night. Yesterday, Sony announced they had picked it up for distribution, expecting to release it this summer.

AustenlandThe movie is based on Shannon Hale’s first adult novel Austenland, (Bloomsbury USA, 2007; a sequel, Midnight in Austenland, was published last year), starring Keri Russell as a obsessive fan who tries to overcome her debilitating infatuation with Mr. Darcy (specifically, Colin Firth’s version in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice) by going to an English resort that caters to the Austen-obsessed.

The AP reports that Meyer explained during an interview at Sundance,

I have seen firsthand fanatic fans, passionate people who want to live in that world so badly, who want to be a part of it. I’ve seen tattoos that scare me to death. I mean, those things are forever. That’s not a joke. And I do think people can definitely take that fan love too far. I think it’s nice actually to see Jane’s journey here, because she realizes this and sort of steps out of it.

The following MTV interview with Meyer offers glimpses of the movie:

Meyer also served as a producer on the adaptation of her book, The Host. It releases March 29.

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