According to Fisher, Nancy Drew is 16, the same age she was in the original books (her age was changed to 18 in the 1950s). Emma Roberts, the actress who plays Nancy, is also 16.
According to Fisher, there were many politically incorrect stereotypes from the originals that were removed in the revised texts. For example, The Secret of the Old Clock*, the very first Nancy Drew book, featured a minor character who was a black who staggered around drunkenly and spoke in a stereotypical black dialect. In the revised version, he is a white Southerner who speaks plain English.
*Not to be confused with the controversial Clue in the Clock. So many swears…
I dunno…
when I first read the books, I was a little girl. Like… eight? So for one thing, I always pictured Nancy Drew as someone cool and older, who was mature and proper and smart. Like Violet in The Boxcar Children, only without a bunch of siblings.
This seems ridiculously bubblegumfied. I understand that most kids my age and younger only really know Nancy Drew from video games and just by name and having it be a sort of generic forgettable tweenybopper movie is probably the best way to make money, but… it makes me sad.
It might prove to be okay. I guess it’s impossible to tell 100% for sure from the preview, but… I don’t plan on seeing it til… probably til I read on here that it was amazing and didn’t completely ruin everything.
and in regard to faithful adaptations, I think it really could be just as successful (or more) if it were done in a less disney-channel cinematic style. a little more like A Series of Unfortunate Events, color-wise. From the previews, it looks like Hannah Montana solves a mystery (in between trying to fit in in high school and probably some wacky hijinks).
I hope it surprises me.
The thing about the Nancy Drew I remember is that she’s perfect. She doesn’t even get dirty! Also, she’s not some kid - when you’re the age to read them she’s a mystical adult-type with certain teenage attributes.
Also, she has a badass car. And wears pumps. Everywhere.
Pamela Sue Martin was hot.
Didn’t she pose for Playboy back in the day?
about her age, I looked it up (because I thought the same thing)
I always figured she was around 16-17 (because she had her own car, but wasn’t really an adult)
And the actress is 16. But who can say how old the character will be. She does look ridiculously young to be Nancy Drew, though. I thought it was just me stuck on the “she’s supposed to be older than me!” thing.
Without the title Nancy Drew, I would never have realized they were trying to do a Nancy Drew story based on that trailer. The Nancy I remember was well dressed, drove a cool car and was smart and sophisticated. The Nancy they’re portraying reminds me nothing of Nancy from the books.
If I’m remembering correctly, there was at least one of the original books in which Nancy is accosted by “two big Negros” or “two burly Negros” or something like that, with unattractive references to how dark they were or how big-lipped or something equally as offensive to later readers. Those references were all changed, and the “non-PC” original Drews are actually quite valuable becaue they are so rare.
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her is a really interesting history of the Nancy Drew phenomenon, if you like non-fiction social-history books.
And, from what I hear, very happy about being able to drive in the movie.
I went to a pre-screening last weekend, and well, DtC got it in one. But if you’re an 11 year old girl, you’ll love it.
From the trailers alone, it might not be a bad movie in it’s own right, but it doesn’t give me that "Nancy Drew"esque feel. Feels more like they just took the brand name and slapped it on a story they already had. Seems like some combination of Penny from Inspector Gadget, Harriet the Spy, and there also looked like some elements of the supernatural making it part Scooby Doo. Too cutesy, comedic, comic strippy, and the outsider-girl and supernatural elements don’t fit at all. I guess she’s technically the right age, but I always imagined Nancy as if not older, more mature. Taller and skinnier.
Overall, I imagined Nancy a little more serious, and more inspired by curiousity and snooping then by farce and broad comedy.
There is a new generation of Nancy Drew novels out there in the form of Graphic Novels, by papercutz. I have given these as birthday presents to all the little girls in my life. I haven’t seen the Hardy Boys versions of this ,but I haven’t looked, either.
That’s the point.
I think that they mean for the audience to be modern teens. If they don’t come to see the movie it will bomb.
Why do you think there are so many remakes today? Because regardless of their quality, kids today just aren’t interested in seeing twenty and thirty year old movies.
I agree with you on the supernatural bent of the story, I’m hoping the ghost turns out to be a fake.
but
Skinnier than Emma Roberts?
){kind=link}
Exactly! It’s not her age specifically, it’s that she’s always “older than me”. I still think of her as “older than me”, and I’m 27.
Distant cousin of Cindy-Loo Who, of Grinch fame. (little known fact)
It looks kind of cute to me. Not a perfect “Nancy Drew” movie, but then again, I never did like either Nancy or the Hardies much. I’m not much a mystery person (though I do remember a similarly kind-of-cute tween mystery show from the 90’s that I did enjoy). But I like the idea of Nancy having a very 1950’s personality. I want to go to a taffy pull… 
Nope, I am 40 year old Male that learned to like reading, reading Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The movie looks good to me and I feel funny about that. I was happy that my Daughter and Wife both want to see it. Gives me a good excuse.
Jim
I can wait for the DVD, but I’ll see it.
I don’t really like what they’ve done to Nancy, either, but what can you do? She could have been skankified… Check out the covers of some of the newer books–she looks a lot like Brittany or Paris on those.
I wish her chums were in it (or maybe they are?). George and Bess… memories.