Disney Attempts to Make Math Romantic, Takes a Tip from 'The Big Bang Theory' with 'The Girlfriend Equation'

Disney has already adapted amusement park rides into four-part movie franchises, so why not a radio story?

"The Girlfriend Equation" has just been picked up by Disney, who will produce a film based on the story. The story originally  ran in an episode of the public radio program "This American Life" back in 2009, and tells the true story of a Harvard mathematician who attempted to find the girl of his dreams by using math.

If there's any landscape that is right for this kind of project, it's the one we're in. Projects like "The Big Bang Theory" have endeared the nerd romance to audiences, so it seems that this kind of story is primed and ready to be successful. Plus, who doesn't want to see a math nerd get the girl?

If you're a "This American Life" fan and you're worried about Disney hijacking this story, don't: "This American Life" host Ira Glass will be executive producing the film, so it should stay true to the story, which is a good one.

However, the fact that the writers on board are the same ones who wrote the Jon Krasinski/Robin Williams/Mandy Moore fiasco "License to Wed" and the fart-joke-heavy "Marmaduke" should give you some pause. Hopefully with a slightly more high-brow tale, these guys can do a better job.