FAMOUS IN LOVE

GONDAL spins the kernel of a real life literary legend (in this case the imaginary world constructed jointly by Emily and Anne Bronte) into a riveting contemporary story, but this time the stakes are ratcheted up because our heroine isn’t just finding her way through high school—she’s doing so with the eyes of the world on her.

This is the story of Paige Townsen, a young wanna-be actress plucked from obscurity and cast in the next big teen feature film franchise based on a book. It’s real-life Twilight and The Hunger Games except this time we’re going inside the head of Bella, AND Kristen Stewart. What’s it like to get to live out two fantasies simultaneously? To get to be Bella, Edward’s beloved, and the girl who dates Robert Pattinson? The fascination with young celebrity is everywhere, but never has it reached such dizzying heights as now. TMZ videos of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgensleaving an ATM vestibule get 1,000,000 hits on youtube. Photos of Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder picking out a Christmas tree land on every gossip website. Why? Because we want to know. We want every detail. We care about whether or not he put his hand on her cheek when he looked at her, how they hold hands, whether they have nicknames for each other. We imagine their love story playing out on film sets--- stolen kisses in trailers, flirting in front of the crew. It’s illicit, it’s exciting, and it’s everywhere. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield. Penn Badgley and Blake Lively. And, of course, our paradigm--- Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Would Twilight have had the same rabid fandom if it weren’t for their real-life romance? Maybe. But it’s the behind the scenes drama that really drives the romantic machine. Fans go crazy for it. We’re jealous. We’re fascinated. We want to consume them. What’s it really like to get the guy everyone wants? It’s high school on cocaine--- you’re dating the head of the football team but instead of two-hundred girls dreaming about your boyfriend, there are 50 million. In GONDAL we get to explore this fantasy through the eyes of a young girl. She starts off just like us – normal, pedestrian, the classic girl next-door – until she is discovered, and given an opportunity that will change her life forever. We see her rise to fame, fall in love; we experience the wish fulfillment through her, and watch with wide eyed wonder as she goes on the ride of a lifetime… One many of us imagine, but few get to board.