Paramount has decided to push its adaptation of John Green‘s “Looking for Alaska” from this fall to January 2016 after struggling to find the perfect actress to play Alaska Young, a studio spokesperson has confirmed to TheWrap.
Anya Taylor-Joy and newcomer Autry Haydon-Wilson (a 17-year-old model) were considered the frontrunners to play Alaska, but it appears that Paramount, director Rebecca Thomas and producer Wyck Godfrey will go back to the drawing board after being unable to agree on a choice.
The movie hinges on whether audiences connects with the Alaska character and the filmmakers wanted to make sure they took the time to find the right actress rather than rush a decision to make a fall start date.
Nicola Peltz (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”), Courtney Eaton (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) and model Imogen Waterhouse were also in the mix to play Alaska, but it’s possible that Paramount will seek out a more established actress now that production has been pushed to the start of next year.
Spider-Man finalist Charlie Rowe (“Red Band Society”) and Logan Miller (“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”) were the clear-cut choices to play Miles and Colonel, respectively, but it’s unclear whether they’ll still be available early next year.
Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber adapted “Looking for Alaska” after tackling Green’s later novels “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Paper Towns.”
Paramount has high hopes for “Alaska” and while some may read the delayed production start as a bad sign, others interpret it as a studio making the smart choice to take the time to get things right.