Article!Films! Waiting for you - Adaptations in process

Versión en castellano aquí.

As you know this year we talked about known adaptations of those unknown and even some that were never produced. In is article we will talk about the latest adaptations of Pride and Prejudice that are about to be shown or to some extent, are surely scheduled for possible production.

1. Death Comes to Pemberley

Es una serie de la BBC que se estrena el próximo día 26 de diciembre. Consta de 3 episodios y está protagonizada por Matthew Rhys como Mr Darcy, Anna Maxwell Martin como Elizabeth y Matthew Goode (Mr Wickham). La serie está basada en la obra original de la escritora P.D. James. Sobre el libro, sólo podemos decir desde aquí, que resulta bastante aburrido. Si alguien se decide a cambiar Orgullo y Prejuicio en una novela de crímenes, tiene que resultar emocionante. La eliminación de personajes la obra original, unido al excesivo ñoñismo de los protagonistas y la falta de emoción del misterio, hacen que no miremos con buenos ojos esta adaptación. En este caso, esperamos que los productores de la BBC, que han rodado en lugares emblemáticos de otras adaptaciones y han patrocinado la serie como una producto de gran categoría, hayan indicado al director, Daniel Percial (Strike Back) y a la guionista, Juliette Towhidi (Calendar Girls, Love Rosie), que sean infieles en esta versión, y ya puestos a alejarnos de Austen, resulte una emocionante serie criminal.

It is a BBC series that is shown on December 26 . It has 3 episodes and it stars Matthew Rhys as Mr Darcy, Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth and Matthew Goode (Mr Wickham). The series is based on the original work of the writer PD James. About the book, we can only say from here, which is quite boring. If someone decides to change Pride and Prejudice into a crime novel, it has to be exciting. Removing characters original work, attaching to excessive sappiness of the main characters and lacking of emotion from the mystery, do not look kindly on this adaptation. In this case, we hope that the producers of the BBC, who have shot in emblematic locations from other adaptations and have sponsored the series as a product of great class, have indicated the director, Daniel Percial (Strike Back) and writer , Juliette Towhidi (Calendar Girls , Love Rosie) that are not faithful in this version, and if it is made ​​away from Austen, criminal must be exciting in a series.

However, what we really wonder is whether the BBC should invest in products like the sequels, so having original work which has not been adaptated.

2. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies

The book by Seth Grahame-Greene seems one of the most cursed Hollywood projects, but comes to life occasionally. As many know, the novel, which only eliminated paragraphs of the original work and changed them by zombies battles, was a surprise bestseller. Soon, producer Natalie Portman, saw it as a great gem, with her as the protagonist. David O'Russell (The Fighter, American Hustle) was directing. The year was 2009.

A year later, at Comic Con, Portman confirmed that O'Russell had given them a script. But it happens that O'Russell was too busy to handle and Natalie began to believe she was too old to be Elizabeth Bennet. Thus, the role was vacant and the names of Scarlett Johansson and Mia Wasikow were shuffled, Bradley Cooper as Darcy and and Tilda Swinton and Catherine O'Hara as Lady Catherine.

Pero el baile de nombres sigue por todos lados. En este caso, en la dirección, de Mike White (School of Rock) tras considerar a Neil Marshall (Centurion) o Jeffrey Blitz (The Office-US). Pero White abandona el proyecto en enero de 2011 y es reemplazado por Craig Gillespie, que incluso piensa en cameos con Colin Firth o Keira Knightley. Además, hay nuevos nombres para los protagonistas, Anne Hathaway y James MacAvoy (pareja austeniana en Becoming Jane). Al cabo de unos meses, Marti Noxon, es contratada para retocar el guión. Al mes siguiente, junio de 2011, por la red recorre el bulo de que Emma Stone (The Help), será la nueva Elizabeth...pero no pasa de bulo.

But the dance name was everywhere. In this case, the director was going to be Mike White (School of Rock) after thinking about Neil Marshall (Centurion) and Jeffrey Blitz (The Office-US). But White left the project in January 2011 and he was replaced by Craig Gillespie, who even thought of cameos with Colin Firth and Keira Knightley. In addition, there were new names for the protagonists, Anne Hathaway and James MacAvoy (janeite couple in Becoming Jane). After a few months, Marti Noxon, was hired to rework the script. The next month, June 2011, internet was in flames with the possible attachment of Emma Stone (The Help), as the new Elizabeth ... but nothing more than an hoax.

That summer, it seems that Blake Lively had signed the contract, following the rejection of Mila Kunis (Black Swan), Olivia Wilde (Rush) and Rooney Mara (The Social Network). Dominic Cooper, who was already Mr Willoughby in 2008, was Mr Darcy. But at the end of that summer, Craig Gillespie, had also fled the project.

 

As the zombie it speask about, P&P&Z seems to not want to die. After a year, in January 2013, Lily Collins agrees to be the new Elizabeth. No, we would have not been surprised to see the well-known Jennifer Lawrence being the protagonist, as she worships David O'Russell, but we were left a "starlet"m much lower. Burr Steers (17 Again), is assigned the new principal. It's almost been a year since the last announcement, and producers, Natalie Portman, Annette Savitch (Handsomecharlie films), Sean McKittrick (Darko Entertainment) and Allison Shearmur (Allison Shearmur Productions), do not want to let it die.

3. Pride and Prejudice - Chata Pictures

In the summer of 2012, Jonathan Sothcott and Simon Phillips, the producers from Chata Pictures, decided to produce 5 million dollars new version of Pride and Prejudice, which they defined as "sexy" and "fresh", written by Stephen Reynolds. It was supposed to start shooting last Christmas ... but a year later we still know nothing. Can we consider it still in production?

4. Lost in Austen - film version

Following the success of the television version, the director of American Beauty, Sam Mendes, decided to buy the script for a film adaptation. At the same time, he was also thinking about Middlemarch adapted for cinema, but it seems that none of these projects have survived, but still are in production.

In 2011, it was announced that screenwriter Nora Ephron was working on the script, but in June 2012, she dies. In August, the producer of the project, Pippa Harris says that the script that Ephron left, was brilliant, and that despite of her death, they thought they should make the film as a tribute to her. We're still waiting, fingers crossed to remedy some shortcomings of the original series, in our opinion (the lack of Elizabeth and smart humor).

Conclusions

So, these four films based on Austen's work, are currently in production, although it seems that only one has come to grow and we will see the result this week.

The truth is that, in our opinion, Pride and Prejudice, like story, is an argument that needs a break. Although this year, The Lizzy Bennet Diaries proved that they could take it for a nice plot, the truth is that other things in the world of Austen are more needed, even if it hurts us to say this.

Whit Stillman is said to be working with Love and Friendship, and via the Internet, the guys from The Lizzy Bennet Diaries are having luck with your Emma Approved, after the small fall which led, Welcome to Sanditon.

But the truth is that we still  love adaptations from Austen, as long as the result is good, true, or provide enough entertainment. If someone who works for film industry reads us, before a Pride, Prejudice and Zombies film it is better to make the trilogy of Michael Thomas Ford, "Jane Bites Back", because it is much more fun. And if we forget the monsters, and do good versions, Mansfield Park is crying out for someone to do it justice and more in 2014, which is its bicentennial. And we would not mind to see on big screen Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, faithfully done (some would say with Richard Armitage, although some like us would stay with Christian Bale).

Mientras algunos proyectos duremen el sueño de los justos, y cruzamos los dedos para que sigan así, como F*cking Jane Austen (en el top ten de la Black List de 2010), aun soñamos con que alguien nos saque a Lady Susan, pues la gran dama, aún no ha sido adaptada. Quizá su mala baba no impresiona a los productores, pero haría las delicias de los austenitas y aquellos que no lo son. Antes de adaptar secuelas, por muy conocidos que sean los autores, Austen aún tiene obras sin adaptar. Y por supuesto, no olvidemos, que puestos a hacer modernizaciones, Northanger Abbey y su adolescente soñadora Catherine, es muy extrapolable al mundo juvenil actual, obsesionado con la literatura juvenil-adolescente, las películas de terror sobrenatural y crímenes y las redes sociales. O podríamos ver adaptaciones desde otro punto de vista cultural...me encantaría ver una película argentina adaptando a Austen :).

While some projects sleep the dreams of the justs, and we keep fingers crossed so they keep F*cking Jane Austen out of the screen (it was in the top ten of the Black List scripts in 2010), we even dream about someone adapts Lady Susan, for the great lady has not yet been adapted. Maybe her bad ideas does not impress the producers, but would delight the janeites and those who are not. Before adapting sequels, which are well known by the authors, Austen still has not adapted works. And of course, do not forget, a modern version of Northanger Abbey, with Catherine as a teenage dreamer, who is extrapolated to the current world of youth, obsessed with young-adolescent literature, supernatural horror movies and crime and social networks. Or we could see adaptations from other point of view...culturally ... We'd love to see an Argetinian movie adapting Austen :).

In short, there is plenty of Austen to adapt, just take a little imagination :).