The next time I read it, maybe a decade later, I couldn’t believe how much my 10 year old self had missed, glossed over and reworked into some Victorian steampunk version of a space opera. It had so much color, so much modernity. It was a fantasy. And it looked … like this:
Ava DuVernay premiered the trailer at Disney’s D23 Expo last week to much applause. The expository narration under beautiful shots of Uriel and Camazotz and Meg’s mundane Earth are worthy fantasy epic material. “Be a warrior!” from OPRAH of all people is enough to get all of us out of our seats to save the world from darkness.
Storm Reid as Meg Murry
The cast* looks amazing. I am especially intrigued by Mindy Kaling’s Mrs. Who, even though she doesn’t speak in the trailer, readers know that Mrs. Who speaks in philosophical quotes, and I hear this iteration even quotes Jay-Z. Chris Pine is proving himself the best of the Chrises with his stellar project-picking. I’m beyond intrigued by Storm Reid and Levi Miller. Watching young actors bring iconic characters to life is one of the reasons the movies are so magical.
*I say cast with a caveat because if you know me at all, you MUST know that I really, really, really, really don’t like Reese Witherspoon. We all have our irrational hate-ons for some actress or another, but this … is not that strange peccadillo that makes you think Krysten Ritter talks funny. No, this hatred is totally justifiable, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. But this is not the place to get into why Reese is the woooooorst. I only mention here because I have easily evaded all Reese-helmed projects post-Election, but my love for this particular book, and how amazing the movie looks, is going to force me to support her. BLERGH.
But here is good news. OPRAH. In the novel, Mrs. Whatsit (Reese’s role) is the one who explains things to the children over and over. She’s the first one to appear and the one who helps them the most. She’s also the one who appears to them as a winged creature, and from what I can tell from the trailer, it looks like Oprah’s character (billed as Mrs. Which) might be getting ready to take flight. Or at the very least save us from having to listen to Reese.
The trailer also has only Mr. Murry and Oprah’s character narrating; we don’t even hear from Reese or Mindy. So I’m hopeful that even though she’s billed as Mrs. Which, Oprah will be taking the more predominate role as Mrs. Whatsit (instead of RW). YAY optimism in the face of adversity! I AM a warrior, Oprah! I AM!
Are you excited for A Wrinkle In Time?
