It seems somehow weirdly fitting that the adaptation of Gayle Forman’s life-or-death limbo choice romantic novel If I Stay has been spending lots of time hovering between production and development purgatory. Now it appears to be moving towards the light again – a green light, that is, with news that Chloe Moretz is attached to star and RJ Cutler is in talks to direct.
The plot follows 17-year-old Mia, a gifted classical musician with an indie rocker boyfriend. One cold February morning, she and her family are involved in a car accident that leaves her drifting between life and death, and facing a hard choice: give in to her injuries, or fight to return to the love she knows.
Foreman’s book first hit the Holly-radar back in 2009, when Catherine Hardwicke signed on to direct it for Summit, which had the rights. We thought it was a surprising move, as it came after the studio had decided not to have her make the Twilight sequel despite delivering a big hit the first time around. But the usual complimentary PR statements duly arrived.
Then everything went quiet, Hardwicke developed other projects and now Cutler is the man Summit wants. He’s best known for documentaries, including The September Issue and The World According to Dick Cheney, which had its world premiere at Sundance this month. He’s also been working in TV, running the writers’ room of country music drama Nashville. So the blend of music and weepy drama in Stay does sound like something he could handle. And if Moretz signs on, this could become a rather interesting property, as she's historically brought a little edge to everything she's done. We'll keep an eye out for further news.