Yes, you read that right. The uplifting self-help series Chicken Soup For The Soul is getting a big screen adaptation, courtesy of Alcon Entertainment (the same people behind The Blind Side). The company also has plans for a TV series, though that seems further in the future.
Chicken Soup For The Soul takes the form of uplifting stories for those in need of some solace, some motivation or just some good feels. The original bestseller was published back 1993 and shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Now books continue to roll out, many of them dedicated to particular demographics (Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul, Chicken Soup For The Preteen Soul, Chicken Soup For The Grandparent’s Soul, etc.) The series remains wildly popular, so really it’s surprising that there hasn’t been a big screen adaptation until now.
Writer Brandon Camp (Love Happens) has been hired to pen the screenplay for the Chicken Soup For The Soul film, which will take on various stories from the original books, presumably interweaving characters and tales a la Love Actually or – ahem – New Year’s Eve.
Self-help books have been fodder for films for a while now. Remember He’s Just Not That Into You and What To Expect When You’re Expecting? No? Yeah, that’s because those movies should not exist.
Maybe Chicken Soup For The Soul will be different, though. The books typically consist of motivational essays and short stories which can be easily interwoven. With a good screenwriter and good director, the film could turn into something like Love Actually, which made us all feel warm and fuzzy. On the other hand, it could also be hokey and exploitative like New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day. I can see this going either way.
We’ll keep an eye on Chicken Soup For The Soul and let you know how it all pans out.
