Young thesps Emma Watson and Logan Lerman will star opposite one another in the adaptation of the coming-of-age tale "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower," to be helmed by the novel's author Stephen Chbosky.The project is being set up at John Malkovich's Mr. Mudd shingle with the actor also producing, along side Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith, and is the story of a shy, unpopular teenager who, through a series of letters to an anonymous person, explores his awkward adolescence including drug use, abuse and sexuality, in 1991 Pittsburgh. Due to its touchy subjects, the novel placed sixth on the American Library Association's list of the top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008.
Interestingly, the role will be Watson's first acting role outside the popular 'Harry Potter' franchise having only starred in the telemovie "Ballet Shoes" and the animated feature, "The Tale Of Despereaux" before. Lerman, meanwhile, is starting to find his feet, having lead the recent 'Percy Jackson,' — originally touted as a potential heir to 'Harry Potter' — being cast in Paul W.S. Anderson's 3D adaptation of the "The Three Musketeers" and consistently linked to the lead role in the Marc Webb's teenage 'Spiderman' reboot (though that seems less and less an option these days with all these competing projects and potential schedule conflicts).
