Ava DuVernay is confirmed to direct an adaptation of 1962 fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time.
According to Deadline, the Selma director has been hired by Disney to take on the adaptation, which will be scripted by the Frozen screenwriter and co-director Jennifer Lee. The first draft was written by Jeff Stockwell, who was also behind the script for Bridge to Terabithia.
The book, written by Madeleine L’Engle, follows the story of a young girl whose government scientist father goes missing. She must then go on a journey to find him, involving other dimensions and fantastical creatures.
Disney had been courting DuVernay for some time to make the film. It is the second big project she has been attached to in recent weeks, the first being the sci-fi thriller Intelligent Life, which is set to star Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. There is no confirmation about which film she will make first.
DuVernay declined the opportunity to direct a screen adaptation of Marvel’s Black Panther, which will now be directed by Creed’s Ryan Coogler.
Since breaking into the mainstream with the Martin Luther King biopic Selma, DuVernay has been involved with a number of projects that have yet to come to fruition. She is also working on a new show called Queen Sugar, for Oprah’s OWN network, and is involved in a Hurricane Katrina-set mystery with David Oyelowo.
A Wrinkle in Time was previously made into a film in 2003, starring Alfre Woodard. It received poor reviews and author Madeleine L’Engle was also unimpressed: “I have glimpsed it … I expected it to be bad, and it is.”