Nancy Drew (2002 film)

Nancy Drew is a 2002 American television film directed by James Frawley and written by Ami Canaan Mann. It stars Maggie Lawson as teen sleuth Nancy Drew, who heads off to college and finds yet another mystery to solve.[2] The film first aired on December 15, 2002, on ABC.[3][4]

Nancy Drew
GenreMystery
Drama
Crime
Based onNancy Drew
by Carolyn Keene
Written byAmi Canaan Mann
Directed byJames Frawley
Starring
Theme music composerRichard Marvin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersLawrence Bender
Kevin Kelly Brown
James Frawley
ProducersHans Proppe
Ami Canaan Mann
CinematographyJames Chressanthis
EditorsMicky Blythe
Scott Vickrey
Running time87 minutes
Production companiesTouchstone Television
Bender Brown Productions[1]
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseDecember 15, 2002 (2002-12-15)

Plot

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Nancy Drew begins college with her two best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, at River Heights University. After the star football player goes into a coma, Nancy investigates, finding a campus-wide conspiracy and a fraternity's drug use.[4]

Cast

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Production

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The pilot was ordered by ABC in January 2002, in contention for the 2002-03 television season. Production for the pilot began in Los Angeles on March 11, and was finished within the month.[5] In May, ABC announced it wouldn't include Nancy Drew on the fall 2002 schedule, instead deciding to air it as a part of The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, to see how it would do for a possible mid-season replacement. In anticipation of a pickup, ABC ordered six additional scripts, and put the actors under contract for a Spring 2003 premiere. Despite this, ABC decided in January 2003 to not pick it up.[6][7]

Lawson was the first to be cast in early February 2002.[8] Actresses Christine Lakin and Rachel McAdams also auditioned for the title role. The pilot was the first audition for McAdams, who later stated losing the role helped get her a leading role in The Hot Chick.[9][10] Ritchie, Birkell, Delfino, Finn, Freeman, and Cullen were all cast in late February, while Avery was not cast until March.[5][11] The film was dedicated to the original author of the Nancy Drew books, Mildred Wirt Benson. Wirt ghostwrote the series under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, from 1930 to 1953; she wrote 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew books. Wirt had died in May 2002.[3][4]

The songs "Analyze", "Fade into You", and "I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll" were used in the film.[12]

Broadcast

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Originally scheduled to air Sunday, October 20, 2002,[13] the film aired on ABC on Sunday, December 15, 2002, as a part of The Wonderful World of Disney.[3][4] It was watched by 7.5 million people, placing in third for its time slot.[1]

Reception

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Laura Fries, of Variety, states, "Nancy Drew is off her game. The plucky heroine from the books of Mildred Wirt Benson, aka Caroline Keene, just doesn't have the same relevance she once did, and while ABC's updated version for the Wonderful World of Disney is a slick, earnest effort, it's way out of place."[14]

Nancy Drew was nominated for a 2003 Prism Award in the category "Movie or Miniseries for Television."[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "TV Listings for - December 15, 2002". T.TV. Luxembourg. December 15, 2002. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "Nancy Drew". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Harris, Beth (December 13, 2002). "No mystery: Actress detects similarity with Nancy Drew". Associated Press.
  4. ^ a b c d Erickson, Rovi (2015). "Nancy Drew (2002)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on 2015-07-19.
  5. ^ a b Grego, Melissa (February 25, 2002). "Casting their lots". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Unofficial Nancy Drew TV Show Website". www.nancydrewsleuth.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  7. ^ "The Unofficial Nancy Drew TV Show Website: On the Case". www.nancydrewsleuth.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  8. ^ Grego, Melissa (February 12, 2002). "Harris and Moreno board pilots for Peacock, Eye". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  9. ^ Agard, Chancellor (February 19, 2016). "Why Rachel McAdams Owes Her Career to Rob Schneider". People. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rachel McAdams Online". Fansite Host. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Grego, Melissa (March 18, 2002). "Pilots land passengers". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "Nancy Drew: TV Show sightings". Nancy Drew Sleuth. United States. Archived from the original on March 12, 2003. Retrieved July 11, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Nancy Drew (2002)". Brett Cullen. United States. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  14. ^ Fries, Laura (December 11, 2002). "Review: 'Nancy Drew'". Variety. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Nancy Drew" (2002) Awards
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