Fannie Flagg’s The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is headed to the big screen, with Reba McEntire set to star, Deadline reports.
Flagg’s novel, published in 2013 by Random House, follows Sookie Poole, an Alabama woman looking forward to a life of relaxation after her four children have all grown. Then she receives some unexpected information about her overbearing mother, Lenore Simmons Krackenberry, which throws her life into disarray. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Flagg flies high, and her fans will enjoy the ride.”
McEntire, the country singer known for her roles in television series including Reba, Malibu Country, and Big Sky, will star in the film and produce. Callie Khouri, known for writing the film Thelma & Louise, will direct from a screenplay written by Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us, Maid).
Flagg’s 1987 novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, was adapted into the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, directed by Jon Avnet and starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, and Mary Stuart Masterson. The film earned Oscar nominations for Tandy as well as for Flagg and Carol Sobieski, who co-wrote the screenplay.
“I’ve always been a fan of Fannie Flagg and her writing, and it’s been an honor to call her my friend for the past decade,” McEntire told Deadline. “I cannot wait to work with this incredible team to bring another one of her special stories to life on the big screen.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
