Disney has unleashed four new character posters for their adaptation of Madeleine L’Engel‘s twisty OG YA novel ‘A Wrinkle In Time.’ The first poster showcases the film’s main character, Meg Murry, depicted by Storm Reid, a young girl who must embark on a journey across reality in search of her missing scientist father, played by Chris Pine.
About her young star, director Ava DuVernay said:
“She’s a wonder. She’s trained, but she’s also a natural, so here you’ve got this natural ability that’s within a girl who really studies and takes it seriously as well. She cared about this character and she goes so deep in it. I saw a lot of girls, but there was only one Meg and she stood out early. And the world is in for a treat. Get ready. Get your umbrellas out. There’s a storm coming. All the Storm one-liners, I got ‘em all.”
As precocious as Reid appears in the role, costume designer Paco Delgado gets to really cut loose when it comes to the mystical guides that accompany Meg on her journey. All three, embodied by Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon, diverge greatly from their descriptions in the original novel, but are so dazzling that I think most people will overlook that. (If you were wondering what every drag queen would be dressing as for Halloween next year, wonder no more!)
The Queen of Everything, Oprah Winfrey appears as the white-haired Mrs. Which:
In the novel, Mrs. Which generally has no physical appearance, other than that of a shimmering light, although at times, she appears as a traditional witch with a pointed hat and broom. Clearly, Delgado and DuVernay took some liberties here.
Mrs. Which is the wisest of the three guides and the leader. She is a master of the tesseract, the folding of time and space, which allows Meg and her companions to travel on their journey.
Sitcom star Mindy Kaling joins as Mrs. Who:
In the book, Mrs. Who is described as a plump woman with glasses. She speaks in various languages and her dialogue mainly consists of quotations from famous works of literature.
Of the three “witches,” Mrs. Whatsit, played by Reese Witherspoon, may have the largest role in the actual story:
In the book, she is described as being extremely elderly and lives in a “haunted house” that the locals whisper about. But among the three, Mrs. Whatsit is actually the youngest (although they are all several thousand years old) and the one that finds it easiest to interact with children.
In regard to the variations in appearances, DuVernay said:
“My whole process with this film was, what if? What if it was different? The book is written very openly. It’s not nailed down, the way everything looks or even when it [takes place]. I feel like working with Madeleine’s work, with her source material, it was an invitation for interpretation within it and we really went for that.”
It’s too early to really know how well DuVernay will do adapting L’Engle’s labyrinthine novel. But so far, the trailers and promotional images are simply stunning! But as some films (*cough* ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ *cough*) prove, being pretty isn’t really enough. Here’s hoping that this adaptation can live up to the glitz we’ve seen so far!
Sources: Looper, Entertainment Weekly
