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Bernadette is, in short, absent from large portions of a novel bearing her name.
When it came to adaptingBernadetteinto a movie, however, writer-director Richard Linklater took a decidedly different approach.
In his movie, the misanthropic former architect (played byCate Blanchett) is almost nevernotonscreen.
Bee doesnt know where Bernadette is.
So its still the story; youre just given more privilege.
To me, her journey is really what its all about.
But according to Linklater who released his 2016 filmEverybody Wants Some!
I was getting a little frustrated because the film had been finished a while, Linklater says.
But I quickly thought,Oh, theyre not kicking the can.Because we didnt have trouble.
We didnt reshoot anything.
We didnt have bad test screenings.
It was a symbol that they really cared about the movie.
My actors were like, Aw, they pushed it again.
Were not the film anyones getting out of the way for.
Were the little film thats trying to find its way in the world.
Like, terrible: This movies a mess.
The plan was for them to fix it.
They were working with Richard.
But nobody could tell Richard what to do.
Bernadette appears mostly in flashback.
At this point (2014), Ellison allegedly had Cameron Crowe in mind as a possible director.
In early 2015, however, Linklater joined the film.
Meanwhile, Neustadter and Weber moved on to other projects.
(They remain uncredited onBernadette.
Holly and Vince do other things on set for Linklater, and now suddenly theyre adapting this for him?
one of our sources notes.
Here you have this beloved, best-selling book, and adapting it is this super-ambitious, complicated thing.
More than one person said something weird is going on there.
Because they dont have a writing background.
They also eliminated portions of Bees experience at boarding school.
But none of that wound up onscreen.
Our track was more the mother-daughter, Linklater says.
Anything that goes too far outside of that, we dont have room.
Were trying to tell a crafted story.
Cate was a full-on creative partner since before I was writing the script, says Linklater.
We were always talking about her character.
Hes very playful in that way, Rick.
He wont lock things down too early.
But when he locks things down, thats it.
But he went through many versions because its a tricky balance.
Youre kind of ruining the feel of the book with the way the movies done.
But that was falling on deaf ears.
There were warning signs that werent heeded, that werent listened to.
Prerelease tracking estimates showBernadettemaking a disappointing start.
And before that,Everybody Wants Some!
!did a mere $3.4 million in North America.
To be honest, that has not been the reaction Ive gotten at all, he says.
A lot of books read like movies.
You read it and you have a movie in your head.
You read Marias book, its so unconventional, so quirky, so weird.
I dont think anyone comes out with the movie.
Whats the movie that you get from the book?
A bunch of emails?
