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Julia Roberts joins Javier Bardem and Billy Crudup in the film adaptation of the blockbuster memoir. (Photo: EPA)

Julia Roberts in Bali Next Month for 'Eat, Pray, Love'

Denpasar. It’s confirmed: The Pretty Woman herself, Hollywood actress Julia Roberts, will begin filming in Bali next month for the film adaptation of the best-selling book “Eat, Pray, Love.”

The Balinese provincial government confirmed on Friday it had issued the permits needed to shoot the film, with Roberts being scheduled to appear on set from Oct. 16 to Nov. 6.

“We have issued the permit to shoot in Gianyar. Their preparation is complete,” said Ida Bagus Puruvita, the Gianyar cultural office’s chief of permits and films.

The shoot is planned to take place at the traditional markets and Monkey Forest in Ubud, along with the nearby villages of Demayu and Tegalalang, and in Badung, Uluwatu and Nusa Dua.

Permits for these locations were obtained by the official representative of the production crew, Tino Taroengallo.

Puruvita said the government would supervise the shoot to ensure the crew did not take any unnecessary pictures related to local traditions or religion.

The screenplay will be written by American television writer Ryan Murphy, and produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment production company.

Roberts is an Academy Award-winning actress who has starred in many Hollywood films, including “Notting Hill” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

“Eat, Pray, Love” is the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. It tells her story of overcoming a deep depression after a painful divorce during a journey of soul-searching and self-discovery. In her search for peace, she spends a year traveling in Italy, India and Indonesia.

While in Bali, the author learns how to balance earthly delights with spirituality and discovers the meaning of love.

The book has been the subject of much controversy in Bali because of passages about a Balinese medicine man the author met in Ubud. The man reportedly helped Balinese housewives with infertile husbands get pregnant by arranging sexual trysts with drivers and gigolos.

But Puruvita said he hoped the movie would promote Bali to the world. “Why impede it? After all, it will also promote [tourism] in Bali,” he said.

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