First images from the long-awaited adaptation of The Giver with Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The long-awaited adaptation of Lois Lowry‘s THE GIVER is set to hit theaters this year, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, and newcomer Brenton Thwaites. Directed by Phillip Noyce, the famed sci-fi/fantasy novel will touch on the same themes that have captivated readers for decades and today we have our first look at both Bridges and Thwaites in their respective roles as The Giver and Jonas.

“The past is considered to be potentially polluting,” says director Phillip Noyce. “This is a world where complications are eliminated. Jonas himself goes on a journey as he finds out what’s missing. He starts to investigate what’s causing it. And that’s the beauty. That’s what makes the book so popular, it’s an investigation in ways of living.”

Bridges, who will play the titular “Giver” has worked for a long time to help bring the book to the big screen (his late father, Lloyd was once keen on playing the role), but says that there will be some changes, saying, “The movie will not be an exact duplication of the book. It’s taking a lot of licenses.”

One of those changes is an older version of the character Jonas, who will go from 12 to 16 in the film, which opens up more doors for exploration, according to Noyce. “In the book, the younger pubescent Jonas has a flirtation with a young girl of his age. That’s almost a love affair in the film.“ Bridges is optmistic about the changes made from book to screen, saying, “I was happy to hear from Lois that she wasn’t so concerned about all the facts being the same as in the book. The spirit of the story is there.”

With a large following of readers who were forced to read the book in school or read it by choice, THE GIVER is likely to draw in a large built-in audience, however discerning when it comes to the faithfulness of the adaptation.

THE GIVER opens on August 15, 2014.