Disney's “A Wrinkle in Time” has found its leadSeptember 14, 2016 - 13:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In a potentially career-altering move, rising actress Storm Reid has nabbed the lead role in Ava DuVernay's and Disney’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic children’s book, A Wrinkle in Time, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. DuVernay is directing the project, which has a script by Frozen writer and co-director Jennifer Lee. Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling are the A-listers in various stages of negotiations to board the high-profile project. The Newbery Medal-winning book centers on Meg Murry, a young girl traumatized by the disappearance of her scientist father years before. She finds herself on an interplanetary journey with a schoolmate and her younger brother to find her father. They are aided by a trio of supernatural beings, Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Kaling) and Mrs. Which (Winfrey). In a nod to the diversity of the modern world, Disney has made L’Engle’s main characters black or mixed race, making the Murry family a mixed-race one. The studio is looking for a nonwhite actor to play the schoolmate, Calvin O’Keefe. And the Mrs. characters already showcase a range of races. With the casting of Reid, Disney continues to be the studio to beat when it comes to nonwhite leads. The company has the African chess drama Queen of Katwe, starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, opening in September, and has Polynesian characters in the animated feature Moana, which releases in November. DuVernay is hoping to break ground with the movie, making a big tentpole with a cast that is multicultural, or as some have put it, "mono-cultural," something rarely reflected in the Hollywood studio world. Reid, 13, made her film debut in the Oscar-winning Twelve Years a Slave, in which she appeared with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor. She booked some television gigs and nabbed a leading role in American Girl: Lea to the Rescue. She followed that up with a role in Sleight, a sci-fi drama that generated strong buzz at Sundance. She most recently wrapped a role in A Happening of Monumental Proportions, an indie that serves as the directorial debut of actress Judy Greer. Top stories Ara Aivazian said Azerbaijan continues the traditions of Turkey after seizing territories and forced Armenians out. The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |