A Conversation with James Ponsoldt, director of "The Spectacular Now"

James Ponsoldt walks the red carpet at the
Atlanta Film Festival for his film,
"The Spectacular Now"

In the past two years, James Ponsoldt has not only seen two of his films show at Sundance, but both have competed for the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. The Athens native now lives in Los Angeles, but when it came time for his latest feature, Georgia beckoned him back.

Proclaiming himself as a writer first and foremost, "The Spectacular Now" marks the first of Ponsoldt's six films (three shorts and three features) where he doesn't have a writing credit. Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter, the screenwriters behind hipster mega-hit "(500) Days of Summer," adapted Tim Tharpe's award-winning novel. Upon reading the script, Ponsoldt approached the two with both enthusiasm and his own plans in mind.

"'I want to set it in Athens, Georgia and I want to film it on anamorphic 35mm.' And they said, 'alright.'" Tharpe's novel takes place in Oklahoma, a setting that the first version of the screenplay kept. Luckily, the story's ties to the Sooner state are loose enough. But what else made Ponsoldt want to film in his hometown?

Georgia filmed "The Spectacular Now" to premiere at Sundance

Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller star in "The Spectacular Now"

Last summer, as James Ponsoldt was still riding the wave of acclaim he received for his Sundance hit, "Smashed," he began work on a new film in his hometown of Athens, Georgia. "The Spectacular Now" is adapted from Tim Tharp's much beloved novel by screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ("500 Days of Summer"). Upon reading the book and being reminded of his own hometown, Ponsoldt set out to change the setting from Oklahoma to Georgia. Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Kyle Chandler, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mary Elizabeth Winstead all star in this promising teen romance. The world premiere is Friday, January 18th. I'd love to see this film come back to Georgia for the Atlanta Film Festival in March.

Check out some images (courtesy of The Playlist) and a brief word from Ponsoldt after the jump.