As we all know, Pippi Longstocking is the prototype for Punky Brewster, except Punky didn’t suffer from the rare affliction that made her pigtails stick straight out. Longstocking, on the other hand, has that affliction, and super powers, and a vicious witty retort factory living in her head. She also has a monkey for some reason.
Now, Debra Granik wants to direct Pippi Longstocking, using the classic tale as the basis for a coming of age story, and she hopes it’s a new direction than the normal coming of age tales aimed at young women.
“What a person in the business can get from that is, ‘Hey, a young female protagonist doesn’t need to have a boyfriend, get pregnant, cut herself or be naked to attract an audience.’ “
That will remain to be seen (as will the film), but Granik is using her well-deserved spotlight for Winter’s Bone and taking on a task of importance (if nothing else, personal importance), and that’s commendable.
My one question is, didn’t the Coen Brothers sort of just make this film and call it True Grit?
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