Lionsgate to Develop World War II Story ‘How the Girl Guides Won the War’

Lionsgate is developing British World War II book “How the Girl Guides Won the War” with “La La Land” producer Marc Platt on board.
The studio is also in talk with Walden Media to come on as a producer. It also hired “Everything, Everything” screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe to adapt the script from Janie Hampton’s book, published in 2011.


The Girl Guides were founded in the early 20th Century by Lord Baden-Powell and his sister in the U.K. shortly after he had founded the Boy Scouts.


Hampton explores how the Guides’ work was crucial to Britain’s victory in the war through keeping up morale in bomb shelters, demonstrating “blitz cooking” with emergency ovens made from the bricks of bombed houses, growing food, knitting, digging shelters, providing First Aid and assisting children who were forced to flee their city homes.


Lionsgate previously teamed with Platt on “La La Land,” which grossed $446 million worldwide on a $30 million budget and won six Academy Awards. The studio collaborated with Walden on “Wonder,” which grossed nearly $300 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.


The project was brought into Marc Platt Productions by Ryan Christians. Goodloe’s writing credits include “The Mountain Between Us” and “Age of Adaline.” He’s repped by ICM Partners and Anonymous Content. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.