Little Women being made for the big screen is hardly news — after so many film and TV versions, it’s safe to assume someone somewhere is adapting it — but a new film announced over the weekend has our attention.
Variety reports the classic 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott will be adapted for the big screen by director Greta Gerwig, whose recent film Lady Bird put her firmly on the map as one of our favorite filmmakers.
Her Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalet — a.k.a. the hottest young stars on the planet right now — are also reportedly on board. They will presumably play the respective roles of Jo and Laurie, played by Winona Ryder and Christian Bale in the popular 1994 film adaptation. (This is just a guess, but it hasn’t stopped us running this whole scene from start to finish in our heads, anyway.)
And if Saoirse and Timothée weren’t enough of a draw, then the film will also star Meryl Streep (what?), soon-to-be-everywhere Florence Pugh (get outta here), and Oscar winner Emma Stone (no bloomin’ way).
Okay, they’ve really got our attention now. Our money is on Meryl as Marmie, Florence as Amy, and Emma as Meg. But who will play Beth, the third March daughter played by Homeland’s Claire Danes in the 1994 movie? Variety says they’re currently screen testing actors, so expect another big name announced any day now.
Greta’s take on the March women marks the seventh time Little Women has been adapted for the big screen, 150 years after the book was first published. In that time it’s inspired numerous versions, from last year’s Masterpiece serial, written by Call the Midwife’s Heidi Thomas, to three earlier BBC adaptations, two Japanese anime series, a Lifetime movie, a brief Broadway musical, numerous plays, an opera, and a modern-day Indian web series called Haq Se.
Another adaptation could have risked overkill, but with a cast this epic, we might just let them have this one.
What do you think of the sound of this?