Legends supporting legends.
Netflix has announced that starting in August, it will be offering the 1995 coming-of-age film Now and Then, which stars a roster of famous women including Christina Ricci, Rosie O’Donnell, and Demi Moore. Although the movie debuted to middling reviews, it has garnered a cult following over the years for its portrayal of adolescence and female friendships.
In the film, four childhood friends reunite and reflect on their adventures, including the memories of the unforgettable summer of 1970. Ricci, Gaby Hoffmann, Thora Birch, and Ashleigh Aston Moore star as the young girls, while O’Donnell, Moore, Melanie Griffith, and Rita Wilson play the characters as adults. Lesli Linka Glatter directed.
I. Marlene King, who wrote the film, went on to develop the series Pretty Little Liars. Back in 2015, King spoke to EW for the 20th anniversary of Now and Then, and revealed that there was a TV adaptation of the film in development at one point that was ultimately scrapped.
“It was on ABC Family but they wanted to change it so the ‘now’ was present day and the ‘then’ would be the ‘90s,” King said. “I didn’t want to do that — I felt that kind of ruins how special the movie is.… To me, there will never be a 1970s again, so to try to set it in the ‘90s when we had cell phones and things like that, I don’t think it would work.”
She also said she loves when fans approach her about the film, to this day.
“Mothers are now sending me notes saying they’re showing it to their daughters,” she said. “I feel like it’s become this timeless movie, and unfortunately more movies like this aren’t out there, so people I think have latched on to Now and Then as an example of what we were just talking about: positive girl friendships. And I think it’s become this iconic movie, and that’s awesome!”
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