Op-Ed: Talks in place for 'Little House on the Prairie' movie

Sony Pictures is negotiating the Little House on the Prairie stories into a feature film. The popular children's novel series by Laura Ingalls Wilder about 19th century American westward expansion was also adapted as a TV series airing from 1974 to 1983.

During the 1970's Little House on the Prairie was a popular television series starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert as the title character running for nine seasons. More recently Melissa Gilbert starred as Ma in a musical about the stories. The current plans are for David Gordon Green, known for Pineapple Express and Your Highness, to direct the feature film. Also on tap to be part of the project are producer Scott Rudin and screenwriter Abi Morgan. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her childhood detailing her family's travels from Kansas, Minnesota, and South Dakota. During the series of child novels she ages from a 5-year-old to a young mother. Growing up I was a fan of the novels traveling the prairies of yesterday as each page turned. Laura, a feisty tomboy, and her sister, the saintly Mary, along with Pa, Ma and little Carrie were favorite characters. While the stories are from a time when electricity was not a part of a house they still rang fresh. It showed that children are much the same throughout the ages, their dreams and basic ideals remaining the same today as they did yesterday. Those stories helped to foster a love of history which exists to this day. There is no word as to who will play the roles or which parts of the series will be featured for the big screen.