John Green’s global bestseller struck a chord not only with young adults, but with readers of all ages, when it came out in 2012. The film, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort is equally compelling, bringing Green’s indelible characters to life on screen. It tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster (Woodley) and Gus Waters (Elgort), who are immediately drawn to each other when they meet at a cancer support group. Friendship and a shared sense of humor turn into something much deeper for the pair and we are swept along on their extraordinary journey as they embark on a quest that takes them thousands of miles away from home, to Amsterdam.
Ostensibly centered on two teenagers with cancer, at its heart “The Fault In Our Stars” is moving, funny and upbeat, about the joys and heartache of first love. In short, the film is an insightful celebration of life. There is powerful chemistry between the two stars of the film. Directed by Josh Boone (“Stuck In Love”), the consummate supporting cast includes Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff and Willem Dafoe.
The British musician Ed Sheeran whose music videos in YouTube and songs are widely followed and anticipated, watched an early version of “The Fault In Our Stars” and was immediately inspired and affected by the remarkable movie. Sheeran signed on to write a song for the film: ‘All Of The Stars’.
“Julie Greenwald, who runs Atlantic Records, my record label, kept saying: ‘have you read this book, “The Fault In Our Stars”? You need to read this book, it’s amazing. They’ve made a movie of it.’ She just kept saying it and then eventually I watched the film and it is amazing! I had a bit of an emotional breakdown and tweeted about it, and I saw the huge reaction just from one tweet. I cracked! I was like, ‘cool, let’s do it.’ I realized there was a pretty sizeable fan base for the book and the upcoming film. I was so excited that I was asked to write a song for the film. I wrote ‘All of the Stars’ and I’m very glad to be involved,” shares Sheeran on how his song for the movie came to be.
When he was only 20 years old, Ed Sheeran’s highly praised EP ‘No. 5 Collaborations Project’, reached number 2 on the iTunes chart. His multi-platinum debut album called ‘+’ (plus) established him as a global presence. In 2011, Sheeran won two Brit Awards, [one for British Breakthrough Act and another for British Male Solo Artist]. He performed with Elton John at the 2013 Grammys, toured with Taylor Swift on The Red Tour and played at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. He was nominated for a Grammy for ‘The A Team’ in 2013. This year he was nominated for another Grammy, for Best New Artist. Sheeran has contributed to many film and television soundtracks. He wrote the original song ‘I See Fire’ for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” He wrote two songs for the popular group One Direction, which were in the film “One Direction: This Is Us.” His songs have been featured in TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
Sheeran continues to share that, “I wanted to make a very emotive song that would make people cry, I guess. For people who love the book and love the movie, I hope this song makes them cry. That’s the goal. You wouldn’t watch the film if you didn’t want to cry and have a good release. So I hope the song gives people a release. I wanted something very anthemic and euphoric to lead the audience out of the film and to give it emotion.”
“The Fault In Our Stars” opens June 5 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.