Disney have been pretty on the ball when it comes to film adaptations of various novels. 'A Wrinkle in Time' marks the studio's latest attempt to flood the box-office, and considering that the eponymous novel is loved by many, we've got great expectations. The story, written by Madeleine L'Engle is made up of five different novels and the first was released back in 1962.
'A Wrinkle in Time' focuses on Meg Murray, the teenaged daughter to two world renowned physicists. Meg's life is flipped upside down when her father goes missing and, in order to find him, she has to enlist the help of three celestial beings.
Live-action Disney
Disney seems to be doing pretty well of late (you can't deny the successes of the 'Marvel' and 'Star Wars' universes), but that hasn't always been the case. 'John Carter' and 'Tomorrowland' were a shot in the dark for the studio and so it's thought they're trying to correct their mistakes with the upcoming 'A Wrinkle in Time'.
Here's all you need to know about the film. Don't forget to take a look at the trailer.
1.
Ava DuVernay ('Selma') is set to direct the film, making her the first African-American woman to take charge of a film with a budget of more than $100 million.2.
Despite its popularity Stateside, finding the right production company for the film has been no easy feat. There was a small, Canadian TV film adapted from the first novel a few years back, but not much since. Following the success of Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland', the studio set its sights on 'A Wrinkle in Time', initially offering a budget of $35 million. The budget has since more than doubled to a total of $103 million.
3.
'A Wrinkle in Time' has not only been championed for its diversity but also for its advocation for equality, being a film that has a predominantly female cast. We've witnessed, over the past year or so, a huge equality movement taking over Hollywood and so it's nice to see a big studio like Disney play a part in it. In the film Meg Murry (Storm Reid) is set to encounter Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) and Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon). Speaking to TeenVogue, Reid mentioned, "Diversity should be forever; it should be a normal thing... I feel like we're breaking barriers slowly but surely".4.
Some of the film's most striking features will be its set production, wardrobe and makeup. Paco Delgado is the man working on the costumes behind the scenes and alongside Disney, who are no strangers to costume creation for various fantasy and sci-fi productions, we've no doubt they'll do a fantastic job.
5.
Storm Reid is most definitely 'A Wrinkle in Time''s leading lady and despite being just 14, she's had a pretty intensive acting career. Reid's appeared in various TV films, but is perhaps most well known for her role as Emily in '12 Years a Slave'. Since then, the actress has worked on half a dozen other projects, none of which have had the same reach that 'A Wrinkle in Time' is sure to.
6.
Aside from Reid, and the three celestial beings (Kaling, Winfrey & Witherspoon), 'A Wrinkle in Time' will feature Chris Pine ('Wonder Woman'), Gugu Mbatha-Raw ('Beauty and the Beast'), Zach Galifianakis ('The Hangover'), Levi Miller ('Pan') and André Holland ('Moonlight').
7.
'A Wrinkle in Time' won't be 100% faithful to the novels, at least that's what director, DuVernay had to say. There won't be any dramatic changes, but certain parts of the story will have been changed in order for better portrayal on screen. One of the announced changes is that Meg's father will have been missing for 4 years (instead of 2). Some of the aspects of the story have been modernised too in order to appeal to a new generation of viewers.
8.
Disney's pretty well versed in film production, so the studio knows not to start thinking about a sequel until they see how well the first film is received. Madeleine L'Engle wrote five novels in the series, but so far, only one has been adapted for the big screen. Any news of a sequel is sure to come following the release of 'A Wrinkle in Time'.
Catch the film in UK cinemas from 23rd March.
