Miss Marple rebooted by Disney

Some news travels fast and jaws may drop just as quickly.  Breaking today was the fact that Disney has done a deal and will 'reboot' the Miss Marple franchise.  This involves the casting of Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner in the main role.  And yes, it is the role of Miss Jane Marple to which I refer.

But the casting is not the main issue (as today's Daily Telegraph attests).  It's the concept.  For the Disney rebooted Miss Marple is a Marple revisited and redrawn.

• It's to be her younger self. Well that's OK then; sometimes the younger, formative self works well, see The Young Indiana Jones. (But it's also worth remembering that 'young' versions often follow massively successful originals and are simply made to extend the money-spinning bandwagon journey.)  PLUS
• It's to be modern day. Again, this can work: think the BBC's recent and hugely successful Sherlock.  PLUS
• It's to be set in America.  Sorry, I can't think of one mitigating offering for this.  It's like mangoes turning into olives.  Taking such a big attribute of the stories is to change their nature completely.

And taking all three together is simply a step too far.  It's like taking a step too far and walking over a cliff into the ocean, or stepping from solid ground into quicksand.  It's just not recognisably the same.

Finally, back to that first point; it's to be a younger Marple.  Surely the magic of Marple lies in the fact she's a wise old woman, a keen observer of humankind with many years of quiet practice behind her?

Comments

[Minnie]

And for their next trick: Justin Bieber to play Andy Dalziel (set in Tronno).

You have to laugh, don't you? Don't you?[Trudges away with head in hands, screaming silently]

[Morning Quickie]

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/

If they wanted to make such a drastic change they could have just started from scratch!

[NancyO]

This is just wrong. Where she lives and her age make her Miss Marple! Why ruin a classic?

[Falaise]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. I won't be going to see it.

[Paul D Brazill]

Hanging's too good for them.

[MarDixon]

I quite like the concept of Young Miss Marple - to see why she was such a nosy body and where and how she honed her people reading skills. I can't not, however, see the American twist to it. That is so wrong on so many levels.