© Paramount Pictures
One major reason to hold out hope for a decent film adaptation is because Gaiman himself was actively involved in bringing Stardust to the big screen, something that can't be said for most films based on novels. Gaiman was in on the casting process and even worked with writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) and screenwriter Jane Goldman on the script. Gaiman was in fact in on everything through pre-production and then once the film began shooting, he left it all up to Vaughn and his cast to adequately bring the story to life. After being shown bits of the movie, Gaiman said he was so happy with Stardust that he walked out of the screening room with a grin on his face that, in his words, "you couldn't have removed with an ax."
The Story - Tristan (Charlie Cox) is in love with the beautiful Victoria (Sienna Miller) but she won't give him the time of day unless he travels outside their village to retrieve a fallen star. Not many people ever leave their town, but Tristan's determined to wander the fairy lands beyond the border in order to find that which will help him win over the love of his life.
Once outside the city's walls, Tristan discovers that the star isn't merely a star. Instead she's a lovely young woman (Claire Danes) who is also being hunted down by a witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the sons of a King who need her in order to take over the throne.
Stardust has Gaiman's stamp of approval but will it satisfy audiences hungry for a good fantasy film? Only time will tell...
Stardust will sprinkle fairy dust on audiences beginning August 10, 2007.
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