News > Panettiere Goes to Daydream Nation

Written by David Morgan

Hayden Panettiere of Heroes will play the lead in Daydream Nation a so-called "intellectual comedy a la Juno and Election." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Goldbach wrote the screenplay and will make his directorial debut. Panettiere will play "an acerbic teen," and Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down) will be her oblivious boyfriend. Michael Besman (About Schmidt), Sam Maydew,  Lesley Vogel and Panettiere's manager, Emily Gerson Saines are producing.

Is this officially the first Juno knock-off? I know, I know, Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman didn't invent the witty teen comedy, but "an acerbic teen" and her "oblivious boyfriend" coming of age in a movie named after a Sonic Youth album/song (Juno: "I bought a Sonic Youth album, and it was just a bunch of noise!") is close enough, with or without teen pregnancy being a factor.