The adaptation of Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ will hit Netflix later this year, but for now we have an exclusive look at the book’s movie tie-in edition!
Dumplin’ made waves when it hit store shelves in 2015, and it’s bound to make the circuit again as a new audience sees the story come to life thanks to Netflix.
Although we don’t have a trailer for the film just yet, we do have the movie tie-in edition book cover. And it is gorgeous:
Author Julie Murphy was kind enough to answer a few questions about the cover and her experience having her book adapted by Netflix.
What was your first reaction when you saw this was going to be the cover for the movie tie-in edition?
I was absolutely giddy! I’ve looked forward to this part of the process for a really long time now and it’s just been so thrilling to see this new incarnation of Dumplin’ take flight. I loved the ways it embraced things that have taken on greater meaning in the book, like the little bee in the title treatment.
Do you feel that it channels the original cover in any way, or does it give a different vibe to the book?
I think what’s great about this cover is how different it is while still feeling very reminiscent of the original. The original cover was hugely successful and truly striking in an undeniable way, but above all the original cover felt triumphant. And I think this one does too. It’s something both covers share: triumph!
What has been your experience as the movie was being made and the lead-up to its release on December 7?
This process is not for the faint of heart! I think what’s been so special to me, though, about this whole thing is the fact that this project had so many opportunities to fail. As an author, we’re constantly told of all the different hoops a movie has to jump through to make it this far. A movie requires so many moving parts, and at every single turn when most projects probably would have been left to die, the people behind this movie just kept pushing onward and didn’t take no for an answer. I think that’s really the spirit of the book and it seemed to carry on into the filmmaking process. I was really fortunate to work with lots of people who refused to give up on this project. And like the covers of the book, that was a triumph.
What are you most excited for fans of the book to see in the movie?
There are so many scenes and moments that stand out to me and I can’t wait for people to see just how funny this movie is, because it’s just as heartwarming as it is hilarious. But above all, I’m ready for fans to see a fat girl on film. A fat girl who doesn’t have to lose weight or hate her body to have a fulfilling character arc! That’s what I’m most excited for.
Dumplin’ premieres on Netflix on December 7. The synopsis for the book is below:
Soon to be a Netflix film — featuring Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, and Dove Cameron, as well as a soundtrack from Dolly Parton!
The movie tie-in edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller and feel-good YA of the year –about Willowdean Dixon, the fearless, funny, and totally unforgettable heroine who takes on her small town’s beauty pageant.
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body.
With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant — along with several other unlikely candidates — to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does.
Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City — and maybe herself most of all.