An American film adaptation of What Maisie Knew was produced in 2012. The film, written by Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, is a modern adaptation of the story set in the United States. While the characters and plot differ from James's novel, many of the themes remain the same.
One of the most obvious differences between the film and novel is that the names of many important characters have been changed. Ida Farange's character is named Susanna, Miss Overmore's character is named Margo, and Sir Claude's character is named Lincoln. Perhaps the most important difference with regard to characters is that Mrs. Wix is entirely absent from the story. Her plot line is combined with that of Miss Overmore.
The combination of Mrs. Wix and Miss Overmore's characters lead to a drastically different outcome at the end of the story. Rather than Maisie remaining in the care of Mrs. Wix, she is left by her mother in the care of Margo (Miss Overmore) and Lincoln (Sir Claude).
The themes of what constitutes a family and how children should be raised remain central to the story. These themes were especially important to screenwriter Carroll Cartwright who was, at the time of the script's development, embroiled in a custody battle over the care of his daughter.
The film was relatively well-received by critics, and Onata Aprile, the six-year-old actress who played Maisie, was nominated for a number of awards for her performance.
