UPDATE 12-28-2017: New Developments Regarding the New A Wrinkle in Time Movie!
A Wrinkle in Time has just released it’s first official US trailer, and it is stunning! Also, with a release date of March 9, 2018, we don’t have too long to wait, especially if you can just fold space-time and get there instantly via tesseract.
Some Background on A Wrinkle in Time, the Novel
Written in 1962 by Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time quickly became a science fiction classic, motivating young people to get more involved in the sciences, as well as empowering young women to break into areas of study that were primarily male-dominated fields during this time period.
The 1960’s were an era of change for women and science, as well as science fiction. In 1963, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to an American woman (Maria Goeppert Mayer).
I’m not saying that this is because of Madeleine L’Engle published her amazing novel the year before… Buuuuut I’m not saying it’s not.
Anyway, enough about female empowerment, you’ll feel plenty empowered after watching this awesome trailer!
First Impressions on the A Wrinkle in Time Trailer
Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who. Property of Walt Disney Pictures.
First off, the little girl is waaaayyy too adorable to play Meg, who describes herself physically as a monster compared to her beautiful mother because of her “mouse-brown, unruly hair, braces and glasses.” But, it’s Hollywood, so whatever. Everyone is always beautiful in movies.
That being said, I could totally nitpick every little discrepancy between the book I grew up reading and the movie that’s being made 56 years after the fact, but I’m honestly just super excited to see the adventures of Meg and Charles Wallace on film!
Let me rephrase: I have already seen their adventures on film in the 2003 TV movie version of A Wrinkle in Time, which was also created and produced by Disney. In fact, they did a pretty good job sticking to the novel with
Chris Pine as Dr. Alex Murray. Photo taken from the trailer, property of Walt Disney Pictures.
regard to the appearance of the characters, the three witches (Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit), Camaztoz, and the creepy brain thing. Actually, now that I think about it, it was pretty darn good for a TV movie! That gives me even more hope for this big-budget reboot, coming out early next year.
Assuming the rest of the movie looks like the trailer, it’s pretty apparent that Disney is revamping this classic novel into a blockbuster hit with all the bells and whistles you might find in Avatar or Inception, with a little bit of the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland thrown in for fun.
The Cast of the New A Wrinkle in Time Movie Adaptation
And the cast is spectacular!
Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit. Property of Walt Disney Pictures.
Starring young Storm Reid as Meg, the protagonist, Deric McCabe as the brilliant Charles Wallace, and Levi Miller as their companion, Calvin, the trio will be guided on their journey by three powerful women- both on screen and in life. Oprah Winfrey will play Mrs. Which, Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who, and Reese Witherspoon playing Mrs. Whatsit, the three intergalactic powerhouses born from suns or supernovas to become guardians of the galaxy… Er, maybe I should rephrase that. These amazing three women will play three amazing beings who have stood outside of time and space for billions of years to protect the universe and everything in it from the encroaching Black Thing.
Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which. Property of Walt Disney Pictures.
Not to mention other characters played by our favorites Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis, and Michael Peña, as well as Rowan Blanchard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and André Holland.
Final Thoughts on the new A Wrinkle in Time Movie Adaptation
I am personally super jazzed about this upcoming movie, even though it seems like it’s going to be quite different than the novel. I’m very rarely happy with the changes producers make to film adaptations of books I love, but I think, given this novel came out so, so many years ago, I believe Disney would be foolish to create an exact film replica of the original book. What are your thoughts? Do you think film adaptations should always be the exact same (or as close to it as possible) to the original source? Let us know in the comments!
ORIGINAL POST 11-7-2016: Production on the movie adaptation for A Wrinkle in Time kicked off Wednesday, November 2nd.
Ava DuVernay started shooting A Wrinkle in Time a little less than two weeks ago, but we already have a release date for the movie, thanks to her sharing of the latest on-set Mannequin Challenge. What’s that, you ask? Well, take a look:
Late entry! 102 crew members! 27 departments! Release date news! #WrinkleInTime #InclusiveCrew #MannequinChallenge pic.twitter.com/5GfmztP9fI
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 14, 2016
I think I may have seen one person blink, but props to the crew for a pretty incredible job holding still. And for those of you a little pressed for time, the movie adaptation for A Wrinkle in Time will be arriving in theaters on April 6, 2018.
Original Post 11-7-16: A Wrinkle In Time: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Movie
Sometimes, it takes years from when a movie project is announced to when it actually starts production. But I suppose having an entertainment behemoth like Disney behind you means that things move quickly. Back in February this year, we started hearing the first talk of A Wrinkle in Time being adapted, with director Ava DuVernay attached. Then, last month, we started hearing the first solid details about the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time movie adaptation, with new casting details coming out seemingly every few days. And now, just this past Wednesday, the movie has started production. So, what do we know about what the Mouse-House has in store for us? Well, before we get into that, let’s take a brief moment for those who haven’t spent time with Madeleine L’Engle’s science fiction / fantasy novel.
A Very Quick Plot Summary for A Wrinkle in Time
Teenager Meg Murray, her classmate and friend Calvin O’Keefe, and genius younger brother Charles Wallace journey through space and time on an adventure to find Meg and Charle’s missing father, a scientist. They are helped by Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, three supernatural beings who reveal the universe is under attack by The Black Thing, a personification of evil.
The Cast and Crew Behind the A Wrinkle in Time Movie Adaptation
OK, with that very loose plot in mind, let’s talk about who’s involved. Disney is producing the adaptation, and they brought on Ava DuVernay as the director. She’s most well-known for directing the recent Oscar Winning civil rights movie Selma, but she’s enjoyed a long career as writer/director and as a movie publicist and marketer. Jennifer Lee wrote the screenplay adaptation, and she’s a Disney veteran, having written on Wreck-It Ralph and written and co-directed smash hit Frozen. Tobias A. Schliessler (Dreamgirls, the upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast remake) will be the cinematographer, and DuVernay’s collaborator from Selma, Spencer Averick, will be the editor.
In the announcement for the project, DuVernay said, “Since day one, this experience has shimmered with the promise and possibility, the passion and power that only great stories offer. And Madeline L’Engle’s book is a great story indeed. A cool, quirky tale of an imperfect girl on an otherworldly expedition that has been praised and banned, dissected and celebrated the world over for more than 50 years.”
So who will be filling the various roles in the movie? It’s Disney, so quite an impressive cast.
- Storm Reid as Meg Murray
- Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which
- Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit
- Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who
- Chris Pine as Mr. Murry
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mrs. Murry
- Zach Galifianakis as The Happy Medium
- André Holland as Principal Jenkins
- Levi Miller as Calvin
- Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace
- Michael Pena as Red (assumed to be The Man with Red Eyes, a being whom IT, a bodiless telepathic brain, acts through.)
Any Other Details?
Well, the budget is reportedly set around $100 million, so expect it to have the incredible polish of most Disney projects. Though the movie will be primarily shot in California, it will feature two weeks of location shooting in New Zealand as well (the go-to land for fantastical settings, apparently.) And no release date has been set yet, though most people are expecting it to show up sometime in 2018.
Feeling brave and strong and ready!Appreciate all the love + light! First shot up in 30. Here we go! #WRINKLEINTIME pic.twitter.com/LsF1Pbo2pQ
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 2, 2016
A behind the scenes look from the first day of production on #WrinkleinTime with director @AVAETC! pic.twitter.com/0JNxVUQxj8
— Wrinkle In Time (@WrinkleInTime) November 3, 2016
That’s a wrap for Week One of #WRINKLEINTIME! Incredible crew. Scarily talented cast. A magical time. Thanks to all! #TeamWrinkle pic.twitter.com/YZCGfdL0nd
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 5, 2016
Though it would make sense, there’s also no word on if further novels L’Engle wrote featuring the Murray family, A Wind in the Door (1973), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978), Many Waters (1986) and An Acceptable Time (1989) will also be adapted. As I understand it, the novels can be read independently of each other, though they do tie together.
So, are you excited for the A Wrinkle in Time movie adaptation? So far, it seems to be shaping up almost perfectly, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for more news, including a release date and trailers, as soon as it comes out.
