Juno (film)
Diablo Cody was first approached to write a screenplay by film producer Mason Novick, who had previously landed her a book deal for her memoir, "", after discovering her blog about stripping. He persuaded her to adapt the book for the screen, but suggested that she first write a screenwriting sample to show studios; that sample became "Juno". After deciding on an adoption storyline, Cody collected the stories of adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents, including that of her then-husband, an adoptee who reunited with his birth parents after she wrote the film. She also found inspiration in the story of a close friend who had become pregnant in high school and used some details from her friend's experience in the film, such as mistreatment from an ultrasound technician. Much of "Juno", however, was based on Cody's own high school experiences: She dated a tic-tac-loving boy similar to Paulie, she was best friends with a cheerleader like Leah, and she used a hamburger phone identical to the one that appears in the film. After writing the screenplay over seven weeks in the Starbucks section of a Target store in Crystal, Minnesota, Cody compared writing to breathing, seeing Juno as an extension of herself.
Make A Film Foundation
Written by Rina Goldberg, whose dream was to see her script turned into a short film, and who died due to Mitochondrial disease in December 2010. Her final words to her mother were, "Promise you'll take care of my film." Her script was then adapted into a short film by Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody (JUNO). Jon Poll (Dir. Charlie Bartlett/Co-Prod. Meet the Fockers) directed. The film stars: Bailee Maidson (Parental Guidance/Just Go With it); Hailee Steinfeld (Academy Award nominated-True Grit); Jackson Rathbone (Twilight Film Franchise); JK Simmons (Juno/Spider-Man); James Van Der Beek (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23/Dawson's Creek). The film's red carpet premiere was in Los Angeles in May 2013 and Philadelphia in June 2013. It is currently being requested by festivals all over the US.