The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
- The incredible score for The Fault in Our Stars was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Josh Boone originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Shailene Woodley was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Josh Boone, based on John Green's bestselling 2012 novel. Shailene Woodley stars as Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old cancer patient whose terminal thyroid cancer has spread to her lungs, requiring her to carry an oxygen tank at all times. At a cancer support group, Hazel meets Augustus "Gus" Waters, played by Ansel Elgort, a charismatic, philosophical amputee in remission from osteosarcoma, and the two fall deeply in love while bonding over their shared love of books โ particularly a fictional novel called "An Imperial Affliction" by a reclusive author living in Amsterdam.
The Fault in Our Stars was a phenomenon that transcended its young adult target audience, with John Green's witty, philosophically engaged teenagers rejecting the condescension that typically characterized stories about sick kids. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort's chemistry was authentic and moving, and their performances avoided the sentimentality trap by playing Hazel and Gus as intelligent, funny people who happen to be dying rather than as objects of pity. The film earned $307 million worldwide on a $12 million budget, an extraordinary return that demonstrated the commercial power of the young adult book-to-film pipeline.
The Amsterdam bench where Hazel and Gus share a kiss became a real-world tourist attraction, with fans leaving notes and tributes.
