'Heathers' remake showrunner explains that bold bully makeover: Why the mean girls are now all from marginalized groups https://t.co/IXWbMjZSLrpic.twitter.com/g1aWAbRza4
— James Hibberd (@JamesHibberd) January 18, 2018
Jason Micallef, who essentially has a very bare IMDB with his most notable credit being the Jennifer Garner film "Butter", gave an interview on his reasons for switching up the titular Heathers.
“The main thing to really take away is I don’t view the Heathers as the villains. The three Heathers are incredibly powerful and ruling the school; they’re the people you would want to be. In the original film, the Heathers were the ones I always loved, and it’s the same with the series. The Heathers are the aspirational characters. [That the Heathers are the villains is] the underlying thesis of the small segment of people that have an issue with it. The villain is J.D. — and that’s the same in the movie and same in our show.
“The reason I changed the Heathers surface identities is I think today rings true. Today, all different types of people are more aspirational. People that wouldn’t have necessarily been considered the most popular kids in school in 1988 could very well be — and probably most likely are — the more popular kids today. And also because it’s a TV show, we have so much more time to explore their characters and get behind it. Of course, no one’s seen the show yet. Once they see it, I think they’ll get what we’re talking about.”
Shannen Doherty will guest star in several episodes along with Selma Blair and Casey Wilson.
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