Netflix to adapt Ole Miss master's student's novel into series backed by Kim Kardashian
From a California Catholic school to a rich Los Angeles high school to the Ole Miss campus, Via Bleidner has woven her experiences into her writing. Now, her debut novel has scored a Netflix deal.
The upcoming Netflix series, titled "Calabasas," is based on Bleidner's 2021 novel "If You Lived Here You'd Be Famous By Now."
Bleidner, a current student the University of Mississippi pursing a master's degree in creative writing, wrote the novel when she was 19. Through a collection of essays, the novel follows Bleidner's journey navigating the transition from attending a Catholic school to Calabasas High School in Los Angeles.
Calabasas, a city in close proximity to Hollywood both in location and in culture, is home to fame seekers and wealthy families, including the Kardashians. Bleidner recalls the majority of her fellow classmates wanted to be famous when they grew up.
"It wasn't like, 'Oh, I want to be famous for 'blank,'" Bleidner said. "It was 'I want to be famous.'"
The novel published when she was 21 and studying at the University of California. Bleidner said she wrote the book, a series of short stories, as a humorous coming-of-age account.
Calabasas resident Kim Kardashian is set to produce the scripted Netflix series. Along with Kardashian, Emma Roberts will join as a producer.
Bleidner will join the production team as a consultant and an executive producer. With two years left in her MFA, it's unclear how much of this work Bleidner will do from Oxford.
Throughout pre-production, Bleidner was kept closely in the loop through Zoom calls.
"I got a call from Circle of Confusion, my film rep, and he let me know that there was all this newfound interest," Bleidner said. "Then, for the next month we were kind of just all talking about what the show would look like, and then it was pitched, and the rest is history."
Bleidner said the production will most likely ramp up in the fall, and she doesn't know yet how involved she will be in the actual writing and filming.
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The series is still in early production, and the exact details of the content remain to be seen, including how closely the adaptation will follow Bleidner's book.
Bleidner said she's sure the production team will make changes during the adaptation from page to screen, but she isn't worried.
"I really trust everyone involved," Bleidner said. "It think it's such a great group and a great team, so I have a lot of faith in them that whatever they'll do will be the right decision."
Bleidner noted the differences between Calabasas and Oxford, saying the latter is much more quiet. She said she chose to come to Oxford to continue her education because of the University of Mississippi's MFA program and because she wanted to write in an environment different to that of California.
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Beyond "If You Lived Here You'd Be Famous By Now," Bleidner plans to complete her master's degree and continue writing fiction about her hometown.
"The fiction I'm writing now is still about Los Angeles, and I felt like I needed to step away to see it clearer," Bleidner said. "I just think (Oxford) is a great place to write because it's very quiet and I like to be in nature."
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss masters student's novel in production for Netflix adaptation
