A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film)

A Wrinkle in Time is an upcoming live-action science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film will be written by Jennifer Lee and will be directed by Ava DuVernay. The film will be based on the science fantasy novel of the same name and is effectively a remake and also a reboot of the previous Disney film of the same name. Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand will produce the film. The film stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Pine. Principal photography on the film began on November 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

The film was originally pitched following the success of Alice in Wonderland in 2010. Disney wanted to move forward with the project, but would only lend the film's production company Bedrock Studios $30 million for a budget. Due to the film's special effect heavy source material, and such a low budget, the film never materialized until the idea was re-pitched by Jennifer Lee. The film was green-lit for the strong female narrative and unique approach to science fiction.

Cast

 * Storm Reid as Margaret "Meg" Murry
 * Levi Miller as Calvin O'Keefe
 * Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace Murry
 * Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which
 * Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit
 * Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who
 * Chris Pine as Dr. Alexander "Alex" Murry
 * Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dr. Katherine "Kate" Murry
 * Michael Peña as Red
 * Zach Galifianakis as The Happy Medium
 * André Holland as Principal Jenkins
 * Rowan Blanchard as Veronica
 * Bellamy Young
 * Will McCormack

Production
In October 2010, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures had retained film rights to remake the live-action adaptation of the 1962 novel A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Following the success of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Disney announced that they had hired Jeff Stockwell to write the screenplay for Cary Granat and his new Bedrock Studios. Cary Granat had previously worked with Disney on the Chronicles of Narnia and Bridge to Terabithia films. The project's budget was supposed to be $35 million, which the company compared to District 9 and Bridge to Terabithia, both of which were made for less than $30 million. On August 5, 2014, Jennifer Lee was announced as the screenwriter taking over from Stockwell, who wrote the first draft. On February 8, 2016, it was reported that Ava DuVernay had been offered the job of directing the film, and she was confirmed to direct later that same month. Directing this film, DuVernay would be the "first woman of color" to direct a live-action with a production budget over $100 million.

On July 26, 2016, Variety reported that Oprah Winfrey began final negotiations to join the film to play Mrs. Which, one of the three Mrs. who helps guide the children along their journey. Winfrey who accepted the role of Mrs. Which said that while they we're shooting the film, she felt that she's "making the new Wizard of Oz for another generation." On September 7, 2016, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling were in talks to join the film, where Witherspoon would play Mrs. Whatsit, a former celestial being who looks like a grandmotherly hobo, while Kaling would play Mrs. Who, the literature-quoting supernatural being. On September 13, 2016, Storm Reid was cast as lead role of Meg Murry, a young girl traumatized by the disappearance of her scientist father years before. In October 2016, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Chris Pine were cast as the parents of Meg, Dr. Kate Murry and Mr. Murry, respectively. On November 1, 2016, more cast was announced, which included Zach Galifianakis as the Happy Medium, André Holland as Principal Jenkins, Levi Miller as Calvin, and Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace, along with Bellamy Young, Rowan Blanchard, and Will McCormack. The producers on the film would be James Whitaker and Catherine Hand. Michael Peña also joined the cast to play the character Red.

Filming
Principal photography on the film began on November 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. After filming in Los Angeles, production will move to New Zealand for two weeks. Tobias A. Schliessler was confirmed to be working on the film as cinematographer, along with other production team members including production designer Naomi Shohan, costume designer Paco Delgado, and visual effects supervisor Rich McBride.

Trivia

 * This is the first major motion picture adaptation of the classic novel written by Madeleine L'Engle since the 2003 Disney television film adaptation, 15 years prior.
 * With this film, Ava Duvernay will be the first female African-American director (the second overall African-American director after Ryan Coogler for Black Panther; second overall female director after Patty Jenkins for Wonder Woman and next to Niki Caro for Mulan) to helm a movie which has a budget exceeding 100 million dollars.
 * A Wrinkle in Time marks the live action filmmaking debut of Jennifer Lee, who is best known for writing and/or directing films for Walt Disney Animation Studios: Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Frozen Fever, and Zootopia.
 * This will be the first live action Disney movie for Mindy Kaling and her third Disney role overall, after playing Taffyta Muttonfudge in Wreck-It Ralph and Disgust in Inside Out.
 * This will be Gugu Mbatha-Raw's second role in a Disney movie after she portrayed Plumette in the live action version of Beauty and the Beast.
 * Both Chris Pine and Michael Peña have played comic book characters, respectively: Pine as Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman, while Peña portrays Luis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Ant-Man and its sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
 * Zach Galifianakis and Michael Peña worked on a Lego movie released in 2017. Galifianakis voiced Joker in The LEGO Batman Movie while Peña voiced Kai in The LEGO Ninjago Movie.
 * Just like Pete's Dragon, this is a remake of a Disney live action movie (as opposed to recent Disney remakes, which are live action remakes of Disney Animated Canon movies).