Netflix is adding another live-action series to its original television roster: The streaming company will adapt Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books into a TV series. According to Deadline, Netflix will be teaming up with Paramount Television; Paramount was the company behind the 2004 film adaptation starring Jim Carrey, which didn’t garner any sequels.
Cindy Holland, Netflix’s VP Original Content, said:
On the search for fantastic material that appeals to both parents and kids, the first stop for generations of readers is A Series of Unfortunate Events. The world created by Lemony Snicket is unique, darkly funny and relatable. We can’t wait to bring it to life for Netflix members.
Netflix is currently searching for a director to adapt the first of the 13 books. When asked how much his involvement would be, author Daniel Handler told BuzzFeed, “Right now we’re all working closely to find the right director so that it might be developed accordingly.”
It will be interesting to see the format for this – will it be one episode per book? One season per book? Or somewhere in the middle? (2 or 3 episodes per book seems best to me). And how faithful will it be to episodic nature of the plot, being a Netflix/Paramount production? And will they be distracted by a big-name guest cast like the movie was?
Emily Browning was the best thing about the movie, I wouldn’t mind her reprising her role.
Wow. I’m so excited! The Nickelodeon/Paramount adaptation left me ultiamtely disappointed.
@Haldered. It think that 2 episodes per book would be sufficient for their length, and would make a 26-episode season.
I can’t help but wonder if the translation to television will make for a more cohesive whole, tonally and plot-wise.
My feeling is that the later books will require more episodes apiece than the earlier ones.
The film, of course, projected some elements from the later books back into the early ones, in the hope of achieving greater coherence – rather pointlessly, in the end, since the later ones were never filmed – and it seems likely that this will do the same.