Taylor Swift to Act in The Giver Adaptation

Written by Jon Williams

Country-pop starlet Taylor Swift is taking her talents to the silver screen once again. It was recently announced that the singer would join the adaptation of Lois Lowry’s young adult novel The Giver. The cast already includes such notable names as Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes, and Alexander Skarsgard.

The Giver was originally published in 1993, to much acclaim. Set in a society in which emotion has been removed, it tells the story of Jonas, the “Receiver of Memory,” a young boy who holds the memories of a time when emotion still held sway, in case that experience is ever needed. The book won the coveted Newbery Medal in 1994. It was Lowry’s second time receiving the award; she won it first for 1989’s Number the Stars. She has since followed up The Giver with three loosely related novels: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Although it seems like she’s been around forever, Swift is still just 23 years old. She broke out in a big way in 2006, when she was sixteen. Her first single “Tim McGraw” touched a chord with teenagers all over the world, and her eponymous debut album spent 24 weeks atop Billboard’s country chart and went platinum many times over. Since then she’s become a bona fide sensation, scoring similar success with each following album: Fearless, Speak Now, and Red.

Obviously, though, music isn’t Swift’s only artistic interest. After appearing in an episode of CSI and hosting Saturday Night Live in 2009, she made her full-fledged acting debut in 2010’s ensemble romcom Valentine’s Day (and also contributed two songs to the soundtrack). In 2012, she voiced the character Audrey in the animated feature The Lorax. Most recently she guest starred in an episode of New Girl that aired in May. The Giver will be her first acting work since then.

The Giver is a popular book for young adults, and Taylor Swift’s involvement in the movie is sure to drive them into a frenzy. Be sure to have the audiobook on hand for those who can’t wait until August of next year, when the movie is scheduled to be released.