Adam Shankman is no stranger to a period piece.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your lightbulb moment here?
ADAM SHANKMAN:Im a very nostalgic person.
Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Im a sensitive person, Im a sentimental person.
I grew up watching old movies.
I endlessly know the dialogue.
I remember when AMC used to be old movies.
How did you get involved in writing a book at this point in your career?
And I had always been interested in writing a childrens book.
I didnt want to be ghostwritten, but I dont mind being partnered.
So through a selection process I ended up talking to Laura, and we got along great.
I knew she lived mostly in the romance space.
Thats a strong jump-off point.
How did you rewire the old school setting for the YA space?
I wanted the book to be for young readers what the Hardy Boys were for me.
[My friends 10-year-old daughter] was the first person to read the book.
I wanted to get her take on it.
And she read it apparently, on her phone, in one day.
I was like, youre 10!
But I appreciated that letter.
The fact that the language and the world were appealing to her was very meaningful to me.
The distinction of YA versus adult fiction isnt as cut-and-dry these days.
What kept this in the YA space instead of veering adult?
Some of that was Laura.
She kept me there.
Everybody was sleeping around, living these very chaotic, no-rules lives.
So, since youre a fan of old movies
And biographies of that time.
I got into that super young.
Oh, it just flowed out.
Louella and her husband are much more integral to the second book.
Where will that take place?
Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, theyre all there.
What struck me most was how cinematically the book seemed to be written.
And Ill tell you what, its even less so than the first draft.
In the first draft, I think I wrote every single article of clothing Lulu wore.
I described each place so completely.
It was like my writing a fairy tale.
How did your filmmaking background come into play?
Was it challenging to wrap your head around the idea that youre not directing or producing this?
I mean, not yet, at least.
So who are we talking about?
Who is playing these parts?
It sounds like a CW show, but built for HBO.
Icansee it, but I dont know who would be in it.
What surprised you about the story you ended up with?
I was surprised at how purely it ended up speaking to a young audience.
On the other hand, I made a lot of movies for young audiences.
I come from childrens theater.
It feels very natural for me to do it.
We live in such a scary time.
Theres a global cynicism Ill do anything to help distract from.
What surprised you most about the process of authorship?
The fact that its finished is endlessly surprising to me.
It opened me up to learning so much, and just sort of closing my eyes and jumping.
