Hollywood Entertainment Breaking News - Nikki Finke on Deadline.com/hollywood: "Chorion, the company which owns the rights to Agatha Christie, has told the BBC that the deal for Disney to remake Miss Marple has not closed. The Brit rights company and its reps were unavailable to elaborate.
There has been general scorn over here since Deadline revealed Disney’s idea of reinventing Miss Marple as a younger, sassier amateur sleuth, with Jennifer Garner attached to play Marple. Her Vandalia Films label will produce. Disney confirmed the deal had gone down. Agatha Christie’s biographer Laura Thompson said that the author would not have been happy with Disney’s desire to mess with tradition.
MGM cast Margaret Rutherford as Marple after it bought the rights in the late 50s. But Christie even disliked Rutherford’s interpretation of Marple. She complained in one letter: “Why don’t they just invent a new character? Then they can have their cheap fun and leave me and my creations alone.”"
Hat Tip: Bill Crider
I think they should leave her creations alone if they have no intention of ever reading the books or getting to know the characters. Why mess with perfection? Garner as Jane Marple? I don't think so, and I'm spreading the word.
ReplyDeleteI'm spreading the word as well. The whole idea boggles the mind.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that no one at Disney has read the original books or they would not have come up with this absurdity. Jeez.
Garner is a fine actress, and I like her as a sleuth, but casting such a young woman goes against the entire point of the character: http://morningquickie.com/2011/03/31/popping-culture-jennifer-garner-miss-marpole-ageism/
ReplyDeleteIf they wanted to make such a drastic change they could have just started from scratch!
Love your site.. interesting compilation of ages.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly Christie said Rutherford looked like a bulldog and nothing like Jane Marple.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 70s I remember a series of updated Christies on American TV with Helen Hayes as Marple but everything set in modern day America. They stunk. The only one that was remotely entertaining was EASY TO KILL because of Olivia de Havilland's performance as the madwoman.
I think the problem is that we all have our own image of Marple - I know I have mind - soft,fuzzy, and highly intelligent. But young and sassy, no! Seems counter to Christie's concept.
ReplyDeleteMiss Marple is who she is because of her age and experience, and Jennifer Garner seems all wrong, even for a young Miss Marple. If Disney wants to create a young Miss Marple-type character- tehy should look at Alan Bradley's Falvia deLuce novels.
ReplyDeleteOh, bite your toungue, texaskcr! ;0) Not Flavia! Disney would never understand her and would ruin her, as well. No, no, no... because they might choose the lovely Jennifer Garner again, remembering that she's already played a pre-teen as an adult in another movie.
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