God has heard your prayers, and now the film adaptation of the hugely popular “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has found its eponymous Margaret, as “Ant-Man and the Wasp” star Abby Ryder Fortson has joined the cast, and she will be joined by Rachel McAdams in the role of Margaret’s mother.
READ MORE: ‘The Dropout’: Kate McKinnon Drops Out Of Elizabeth Holmes Series
Entertainment Weekly broke the casting news, reporting that Fortson will play the literary icon Margaret, a sixth-grader going through puberty and looking up to the skies for answers to the many questions brought by adolescence. Margaret has guided millions of girls through puberty and religion since Judy Blume‘s beloved coming-of-age novel was first published in 1970. This will be the first starring role for Fortson, who played the daughter of Paul Rudd‘s Scott Lang in “Ant-Man.”
“Margaret and I are really similar,” Fortson told EW. “I love her. She’s so goofy and awesome. She’s all heart and love and just wants to have friends and figure out who she is.”
McAdams joins the cast in the role of Margaret’s mother and guide, Barbara, and not as God herself, unfortunately. According to EW, casting announcements for the rest of Margaret’s family are imminent.
READ MORE: ‘Shiva Baby’ Trailer: Emma Seligman’s Festival Standout Comedy Arrives In April
“My readers are always fantasy-casting my books, but I’ve never done that,” Blume said. “But you know it when you see it, and Abby is a natural. And I’m so excited that Margaret got a funny, sexy, sassy mom in Rachel.”
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is set to start production in April, with Blume very involved in the entire process. The author had long been resistant against offers to adapt her books, until she was persuaded by “The Edge of Seventeen” director Kelly Fremon Craig and her producing partner James L. Brooks.