‘Heathers’ Pilot Ordered From ‘Bachelorette’ Director Leslye Headland
TV Land is moving forward with itsHeathersanthology series. Today, the network ordered a pilot based on the 1988 cult film. For years, a remake and sequel were talked about or rumored, but back in 2009, it wasdecided televisionwas where the modern update ofHeatherswould go. Directing the pilot isLeslye Headland(Bachelorette,Sleeping with Other People), whose name raises our expectations for this particular film to TV adaptation.
Below, learn more about theHeatherspilot.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Headland will shoot the black comedy’s pilot this Fall. Set in present day, the outcasts of the past have become the new Heathers. Heather McNamara, for example, is now a black lesbian; screenwriterJason Micallef(Butter) has written Heather Duke as a male who identifies as gender-queer whose birth name is Heath; and THR compares Heather Chandler to Martha Dumptruck from the original film. If all goes according to plan, each season will follow a new group of Heathers.
TheHeathersTV show was originally going to be about Veronica (played byWinona Ryderin the film) moving back to Sherwood with her teenage daughter. Veronica’s daughter would then have to deal with the “Ashley’s,” the daughters of the surviving “Heathers.” The plot must’ve undergone some changes over the years because there’s no mention of Veronica or her daughter in The Hollywood Reporter’s story. It’s unclear if there’s still a notable connection toMichael Lehmann’s film, which was about Veronica and the rebel of the school, JD (Christian Slater), who’s far worse than a High School’s typical bad boy, killing the Heathers.
THR’s insiders compare the series' anthology approach toFargo— which has become a go-to reference for TV to film adaptations. The news of aHeathersTV show likely puts a bad taste in some fans' mouths, but it’s worth nothing more than a few people also thought FX remakingFargowas a terrible idea, and handing the pilot off to Leslye Headland was a step in the right direction for TV Land’s series. In a statement, the director expressed her enthusiasm for the original film and this television remake:
I related with it so much. I can’t believe they got away with so much. The movie was a huge influence on an entire generation and it’ll be nice to introduce this to a new generation. The idea that I get to bring his vision to light is a dream come true.
Headland wrote theAbout Last Nightremake, helmed an episode ofTerriers, and wrote and directedBacheloretteandSleeping with Other People.Bacheloretteisn’t a comedy without its moments, but the quality ofSleeping with Other People– a funny, sexy, and honest romantic comedy — should be enough to make one interested in whatever she directs next, including theHeatherspilot.
