Talk show star and comedian Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to play Mother Nature in an original upcoming comedy produced by Walden Media, to be written by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Jenny Bicks, Creator and Executive Producer of “Men in Trees” and writer and executive producer of “Sex and the City.” DeGeneres said, “I’m so excited to be playing Mother Nature. I’ve always wanted to control the weather. Nothing will stop me from doing this…neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet…I may be thinking of the postal service. But, I’m really excited about the movie.” DeGeneres is a gifted actress and an engaging performer and I am really pleased to see her joining forces with Walden, which has an excellent record of producing quality movies for families.
Walden Media, which has made a specialty of classy adaptations of great books, was recently honored by The Association of American Publishers (AAP) with the 2009 AAP Honors Award. Founded in 1999, Walden Media has brought various children’s titles to the big screen including Hoot, Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie, Bridge to Terabithia, and Charlotte’s Web, and worked with museums, libraries, and teachers creating educational outreach programs for their films. The AAP honors were inaugurated in 1997 to acknowledge the contributions of individuals and organizations outside the book industry who have helped focus public attention on books and the importance on society. Walden, which makes an effort to encourage kids to read the books that inspire their movies, well deserves this recognition.