Modern take on ‘Little Women’ to be filmed in Utah

Filmmakers, some with Utah roots, are set to bring a modern spin on the March sisters.

Filming will start in June in the Salt Lake City area on a modern version of "Little Women," Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel about four sisters growing up during the Civil War.

Producers announced Thursday they have cast Lea Thompson to play Marmee, the kind-hearted matriarch of the dutiful Meg, rebellious Jo, shy Beth and spoiled Amy.

Thompson recently finished a five-season run on the Freeform series "Switched at Birth" and is known for roles in the "Back to the Future" trilogy, "Red Dawn," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and the '90s sitcom "Caroline in the City."

Thompson's "Switched at Birth" co-star Lucas Grabeel will play the boy next door, Laurie. Grabeel made regular visits to Utah a decade ago, when he played theater geek Ryan Evans in the "High School Musical" trilogy.

"Little Women" will be the directorial debut of Clare Niederpruem, who has acted in Utah-made films such as "Once I Was a Beehive" and the "Mythica" films. Niederpruem is writing the script with Kristi Shimek, who was editor on "Once I Was a Beehive," among other films.

Producers are Stephen Shimek, Kristi Shimek and Maclain Nelson. Nelson (who is Niederpruem's husband) directed "Once I Was a Beehive," the 2015 comedy-drama about Mormon girls camp, and starred as a kidnapped LDS missionary in the 2013 drama "The Saratov Approach."

The movie is scheduled to be released in 2018, in time for the 150th anniversary of the book's publication.

It's only the latest movie rendition of the classic story. The best-known versions were released in 1933 (with Katharine Hepburn as Jo and Joan Bennett as Amy), 1949 (with June Allyson as Jo, Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, Janet Leigh as Meg and Margaret O'Brien as Beth), and 1994 (with Winona Ryder as Jo, Trini Alvarado as Meg, Claire Danes as Beth, Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis as Amy, Christian Bale as Laurie and Susan Sarandon as Marmee).