In high school, Leo plays trumpet in the marching band and helps his friend Kevin Singh, a member of the A.V.

On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Catherine Hardwicke was set to direct an adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's novel Stargirl for Walt Disney Pictures.

[4] On February 8, 2018, it was announced that a new iteration of the screenplay had been developed, Hardwicke would be replaced by Julia Hart as director, and the film would be produced by Walt Disney Pictures.

[5] The following month, it was confirmed that the production was in the late stages of development, that Hahn's screenplay was still being used, and that she would continue to produce alongside Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman.

[7] In 2015, it was announced that the film would star Joey King as Stargirl and Charlie Plummer as Leo, the boy who narrates the story.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Stargirl's feel-good story hits familiar coming-of-age beats, but self-assured performances and an earnest mission worn proudly make it a tune worth listening to.

"[21] Courtney Howard, in Variety, praised the principal performances: "[VanderWaal] ropes us into the mystery of her character reveal with heaping amounts of magnetism and grounded authenticity.

... She and Verchere, who's a genuinely sweet cross between Jessie [sic] Eisenberg and Michael Cera sharing the physicality and vocal tonalities of each, are a remarkable pairing."

She also commented that "Hart and her collaborators adeptly utilize the textural language of cinema to heighten and underline thematic ties.

[23] Jude Dry of IndieWire gave the movie a B rating; praised the adaptation, direction and VanderWaal and the rest of the performances, as well as the costume and production designs.

She criticized VanderWaal's performance and complained that numerous aspects of the film, mostly centering around Leo's and Stargirl's relationship, did not make sense.

Judy Greer replaced Arrington as Ana, Stargirl's mother, and Elijah Richardson played Evan, the romantic lead.

[30] Uma Thurman portrayed Roxanne Martel, a musician that Stargirl admires; Hart and Horowitz wrote the screenplay.

[31] Judd Hirsch and Tyrel Jackson Williams played, respectively, Mr. Mitchell, Stargirl's new neighbor, and Terrell, Evan's older brother, an aspiring filmmaker.