Mae Whitman is joining MGM’s musical remake of the 1983 romantic comedy “Valley Girl.” The film is toplined by Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse as Julie and Randy — the lead roles originated by Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman. Logan Paul, Jessie Ennis, Ashleigh Murray, and Chloe Bennet are also on board. Whitman will play a punk rock lesbian who is Randy’s best friend and bandmate.
Rachel Lee Goldenberg is directing from a script by Amy Talkington, with revisions by Marti Noxon. Matt Smith is the producer. Martha Coolidge directed the original starring Cage starred with Foreman. The film, which cost only $350,000 to produce, was a solid performer at the box office with $17 million.
The movie was released in the wake of the success of Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl” song, in which his 14-year-old daughter Moon Unit Zappa mocked the unique speech patterns of teenage girls from the San Fernando Valley. The soundtrack for the original “Valley Girl” featured songs from the Plimsouls, Josie Cotton, Bonnie Hayes, Modern English, and the Payolas.
Whitman is best known for her role as the rebellious teen Amber on NB’’s “Parenthood”. She also starred in CBS Films’ “The D.U.F.F” and Universal Pictures’ “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”
