Shailene Woodley is in negotiations to star in Fox 2000's "The Fault in Our Stars," an adaptation of John Green's best selling young adult novel.
Woodley is not a household name yet, but the studio is getting her while her star is on an upward climb. She turned heads as George Clooney's rebellious daughter in 2011's "The Descendants" before grabbing what could be a career-making role in Lionsgate's "Divergent." That adaptation of Veronica Roth's novel won't hit theaters until 2014, but the studio thinks that it could be a film franchise on the level of "The Hunger Games," which could mean Woodley will see a Jennifer Lawrence-size bump in her profile.
"The Fault in Our Stars" centers on a couple who meet in a cancer support group and fall madly in love. That sounds like a bit of a downer, but it is apparently a romance that is leavened by humor.
It will be directed by Josh Boone ("Stuck in Love") and adapted by "(500) Days of Summer" screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber. Temple Hill Entertainment's Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen will produce the film.
In a statement, Boone said that Woodley was selected from more than 250 young women who auditioned for the role.
"It was like lightning striking," he said of her reading. "I can't wait for the rest of the world to see what I have."
