From Deadline – It’s Miss Marple: The Early Years. That’s right, Disney is reviving Agatha Christie’s classic amateur sleuth, but with a twist – this time around she’ll be a rather younger spinster. Mark Frost (Fantastic Four, The Greatest Game Every Played) has been brought on to pen the adaptation, which will have the famous character being a mere 30-something. Jennifer Garner (of Alias fame) has been tapped to take on the role, and she will also produce, along with her Vandalia Films partner Juliana Janes.
Given my undying love of PBS’ Marple:
I have to say, I think Disney has a very sticky proposition on its hands. I seem to be leaning against the prevailing internet headwinds of outrage in that I don’t mind the idea of a younger Marple. I’ve always liked Jennifer Garner (of Alias fame), and I kind of would like to see what she does with the role – I have no doubt she can pull off that deceptive Miss Marple sweetness, and Garner always plays smart. And after all, Miss Marple wasn’t hatched as an elderly spinster. It’s not beyond belief to think she was at one point in time a young woman before she became an elderly one. No, my unease lies in a different direction – I don’t see how they can be successful in terms of plot. Either they’re going to try and dump a younger version of Miss Marple into the plot of one of Agatha Christie’s classic mysteries – in which so much of Miss Marple’s sleuthing depends on her grandmotherly aura that I don’t see how that could possibly work – or they’re going to have to come up with an entirely original story, and let’s face it, there is no chance they’ll come up with a plot worthy of Agatha Christie. I mean, there is good reason why Christie is still the top selling mystery writer of all time.
So good luck, Disney. You’re going to need it. But still, if you make it, I will most likely come…
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