America Ferrera to adapt I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter novel to big screen

America Ferrera's directorial debut, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, based on Erika Sánchez’s bestselling novel of the same name, is in development at Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures. The film was previously set up at Netflix, which is no longer attached to the project.

According to Deadline, the story follows Julia Reyes, a teen with a sharp tongue, a fierce wit and big dreams of becoming a famous writer, somewhere far, far away from Chicago and her traditional Mexican immigrant parents who just can’t understand her love for Whitman, Dickinson and the Ramones. They wish she was more like Olga, Julia’s sister, now eternally perfect since her tragic death. As Julia seeks to break free of her oppressive home, she tries to uncover her sister’s truth, and in the process gains a deep understanding of the wounds her family carries.

The film will be produced by Doreen Wilcox Little, MACRO Film Studio’s Charles D. King and Poppy Hanks, Aevitas Creative Management’s David Kuhn and Anonymous Content while Sánchez and Greta Talia Fuentes serve as executive producers.

Her previous directorial works include a few episodes of the comedy-drama web series Superstore, which she also produced and starred in.

Ferrera, who has still been receiving tremendous praise for her role in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, recently received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. 

She also co-starred in last year’s movie Dumb Money and has a voice role in the forthcoming Pixar title Elio.