“Magic is on our side.”
The first trailer for the latest adaptation of The Secret Garden lives up to that promise. The beloved novel from 1911 has been adapted before (most notably in 1993), and is now updated to a 1947 setting with flourishes of VFX magic not present in the original story.
The premise remains the same, however, as it follows the precocious and rebellious 10-year-old orphan Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx, a relative newcomer in her first starring role) who’s sent to live with her dour English uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (Colin Firth). There she meets her cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst), a boy bedridden by a spinal disease. Sadness and despair loom throughout the house, until Mary discovers magic in the garden on the estate’s palatial grounds.
From producer David Heyman (the Harry Potter and Paddington films) and written by Jack Thorne (playwright of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), this adaptation looks to hold true to its literary substance while also utilizing modern visual effects, making for a grounded yet spectacular family film from British director Marc Munden.
Co-starring Julie Walters and Amir Wilson, The Secret Garden is expected to be released sometime in 2020.
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