If you grew up reading Francesca Lia Block’s young-adult series Dangerous Angels, you’ll probably be thrilled to hear The Witch star Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as the titular Weetzie Bat in the forthcoming film adaptation of Block’s novel. If you didn’t, well, the 1989 book follows the adventures, so to speak, of a teenage girl living in a dreamy, neon, fantasy version of Los Angeles, mixing magical realism with teen sex, LGBTQ characters, nontraditional families, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and, of course, a magic lamp that grants Weetzie three wishes.
The film, which also stars Love, Simon’s Nick Robinson and Keiynan Lonsdale, American Honey’s Sasha Lane, and Boost’s Théodore Pellerin, will also be written by the author, so if there’s any hope that Shangri-L.A. will be translated successfully for the big screen, it’s in the right hands.