Ava DuVernay and Disney’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic children’s book A Wrinkle in Time have found their lead. This comes after various news sources reported that top A-listers Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling are in negotiations to come aboard this high-priority project.
Storm Reid is set to portray Meg Murry, a young school girl on an epic adventure through space and time with her younger brother and a school friend. The adolescent adventurers desperately search for Meg’s father, a scientist who mysteriously disappeared years before. While on their journey they are aided by the three W’s. The three are supernatural beings that go by Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Kaling) and Mrs. Which (Winfrey).
The Newbery Medal-winning book adaptation will be directed by Duvernay and scripted by Frozen’s writer and co-director Jennifer Lee.
Out of respect to the modern world that we live in today, Disney and DuVernay have taken the initiative to cast the story’s family as mixed race. The studio is currently searching for a nonwhite actor to portray Reid’s schoolmate, Calvin O’Keefe, who accompanies her on her big adventure. DuVernay and Disney plan to make A Wrinkle in Time a film where multicultural leads will stand out and set an example for other studios to embrace. Disney continues to be a frontrunner when it comes to casting nonwhite leads. Disney’s upcoming slate is filled with multicultural talent. This September the studio will release an African chess drama titled, Queen of Katwe, starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, and their animated feature Moana set to release in November will feature Polynesian characters.
The 13-year-old actress is no stranger to big budget films or working with A-List talent. Reid’s films credits include her work on the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, where she appeared with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. She also booked lead role in the movie American Girl: Lea to the Rescue and stirred up talk at Sundance when she appeared in the sci-fi drama Sleight. Most recently she wrapped filming Judy Greer’s indie directorial debut, A Happening of Monumental Proportions.
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