It’s difficult to begin to describe the book-to-film translation of one of the most seminal YA books, well, ever. The transition from film to screen has been long-gestating and a complicated ride. The book, by virtue of the subject matter, was well ahead of its time in terms of storytelling and wasn’t hugely on trend until films like The Hunger Games and Divergent have just exploded onto the scene.

Lois Lowery has always been of two minds about the adaptation – it’s such a particular story that only a certain caliber of filmmakers, actors and storytellers would do it justice. It had been optioned repeatedly and scripts for several studios had been written, all to little avail. Finally the pieces came together when brilliant actor Jeff Bridges optioned the title and shepherded it to completion. Philip Noyce directs an all-star cast – the brilliance of these actors cannot be overstated. Stars include Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites (whom we’ve profiled!), Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift and more. The Giver hits theaters 8/15/14 – don’t miss it!