On the one hand, maybe not, since members of the generation who had nightmares about bloody rabbit-on-rabbit slaughter thanks to the 1978 adaptation of Richard Adams’ novel will know what to expect. On the other hand, the BBC/Netflix collaboration will be animated in CG, which may make for some uncomfortable uncanny valley viewing. At least John Boyega and James McAvoy will be there to help make this remake (hopefully) a little less disturbing!
The four-part miniseries will air on BBC One in the UK and Netflix in the rest of the world, and is expected to be completed sometime in 2017. It boasts an impressive pedigree, with Tom Bidwell (BAFTA-nominated for the delightful My Mad Fat Diary) writing the screenplay and Pete Dodd (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Frankenweenie) co-directing. McAvoy and Nicholas Hoult will star as (respectively) brother rabbits Hazel and Fiver, leading their fellow rabbits through danger and lurking predators in order to escape the devastation coming to their warren and searching for a promised land. Boyega will play Bigwig, one of the former Owsla (or military) rabbits from the warren, while Ben Kingsley is lending his voice talents as the fearsome General Woundwort. Gemma Arterton rounds out the group as Clover.
Matthew Read, BBC drama commissioning editor, said:
Before there was Harry Potter there was Watership Down, Richard Adams’ novel is one of the most successful books of all time and one of the biggest-selling books in history. It is fantastic to have the opportunity to bring a modern-classic to a mainstream BBC One audience with such an incredible roster of actors alongside the talented team overseeing the animation. This fantastic take on the novel will unite the whole family, and bring this classic story to a new generation.
It remains to be seen whether the new Watership Down will “unite the whole family” in fear, or if parents won’t warn their kids what they’re getting into—the true passing on of a cinematic tradition.
Yeah!! I’m excited. But it will be a challenge. With his heartwarming but nicely understated tones and lovely British accent, Ralph Cosham gave a virtuoso performance narrating the audiobook. I hope the narrator in the film will sound like Cosham. Sadly, he died in 2014.
Capturing the splendor and pathos of Watership Down on film won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, it’s BBC. They’ve done so many good miniseries. I expect these fine actors have all read (or listened to) the book numerous times. For extra homework, I suggest the writers and actors also read the sequels — only the ones written by Adams (Tales of Watership Down). Even though the tales aren’t as wonderful as the novel, some of them really hit home.
I wonder who will play the lagomorph’s god, Lord Frith, and their heroic folk legend, El-ahrairah, “Prince with a Thousand Enemies” (some fun mythology in those legends). And who will play brave loyal little Pipkin? We also need someone to play Kehaar the sea gull. In the audiobook, Cosham gave him a German accent.
It will be a challenge to remain true to the novel yet keep the content soft enough for kids. Vicious crows try to pick at eyeballs. Rats, dogs, and cats attack them, and then there is the big bad — all the horrors of General Woundwort and his totalitarian control. Some beloved rabbits die.
But for me, despite all the bloody battles, I get a good feeling from the book. The characters develop into a variety of heroes and leaders as they journey, odyssey-like, to find a new home (oh the joy of finally reaching those distant downs). Under Bigwig and Hazel-rah, they bond into a believable A-Team, together bringing down the beast (la sigh).
Slightly wondering what there is to add in a remake, as opposed to just watching a DVD of the Martin Rosen film version. I suppose my best idea would be to greatly expand the depiction of the mythological and supernatural elements of the novel. . .but then the adaptation might run the risk of falling squarely into “Why aren’t I just reading the novel again instead?” territory. Good casting, but I’m just not seeing this when there are so many stories that have never been adapted well.
Jumping up and down! I loved this book and read it several times when I was young.
@1 Kehaar’s dialogue in the novel is rendered phonetically in a “German” accent, so that would be appropriate. As I recall, that’s how Zero Mostel voice-acted the character in the movie (I think it was Mostel’s last role).
I also remember in the novel that the rabbits encounter a mouse who speaks with an “Italian” accent, which was especially amusing for those of us old enough to remember Topo Gigio, the Italian mouse puppet that regularly appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
@@.-@. Yes, right you are. Very good memory!
@2. Yes, Martin Rosen made an animated film, but that was nearly 30 years ago, and it was dubbed more for adults, not family. I felt ambivalent about his film due to the savagery in some scenes, even though it is true to the plot. And due to time limits, he couldn’t play out the gradual character growth as Adams wrote it, nor the gradual acceptance of Hazel’s leadership. Hazel-rah. He also glossed over Cowslip’s warren, probably due to time limits. BBC has more hours to play with, given that it’s a mini-series. Plus, animation techniques have advanced much since 1978, so maybe the new film will look more realistic.
Most likely, a movie just cannot do the book justice.
The director’s credits do not fill me with optimism.
“This…is…EFRAFA!”
John Hurt cameo? Maybe the old chief rabbit at the beginning?
@1 – Can’t say whether the actors will have read the books, but I’d be willing to bet at least some of them were traumatised by the film as children, which could create interesting interpretations…
My main concern about a new version – will it be possible to use it to make disturbing edits of the 2013 John Lewis Christmas Advert? And if not, then frankly why are they bothering?
I’ve never read the book. I found the movie disturbing when I watched it as a kid around 12 years old. We had no idea what we picked out at the video store neither did the adults. It was a cartoon with rabbits in it. Rabbits dying a horrible bloody death. No one dies in cartoons except this one. I don’t know if I’ll watch the re-make even with an awesome cast.
@9 and 10,
A grim-dark John Lewis Christmas. Bunny out for blood?
The movie was dubbed for adults. I wouldn’t want to see kids soaking up that one. I agree the film got ugly and would traumatize kids. It is true to the plot, which includes bloody battles, but somehow, the book didn’t feel nearly as disturbing as the movie.
I love the book. And Adams knows (knew?) about rabbit behavior in the wild. Silflay! Read the original, or listen to the audiobook. Heartwarming.
I don’t think they are going to downplay the savagery; this is not 1972 anymore. The real question is whether the lopsided gender relations will play well with a modern audience. Or will the show change their motivations for abducting the does?
@12
That’s a good point. Those gender issues have been controversial. I hope the movie reflects the story, even though the bulk of it is male dominant, with the does joining later, after the bucks find a safe home. The motivation to make a home and have a family isn’t all bad. ;
@12
By the way, if the writers pull some parts from the sequel (Tales of Watership Down) they will have more females in interesting scenes and roles.
My question is, if some of you Brits are concerned with the story’s violence, then why in the world did you give the original movie a ‘U’ rating in the first place? : ) I think the BBFC should own up & confess – someone was asleep on the job at the time & just gave WD a ‘U’ without even bothering to see it.
Not that I should throw stones: even though we in the states gave WD a well-earned PG rating, that still didn’t keep a lot of parents from using it as a baby-sitter, not knowing what they were plonking their kids in front of.
@15 The current head of the BBFC has admitted this, but is powerless to change it unless there is a re-submission by the rights holder due to the way classification legislation works in the UK. There was a radio interview a few months back ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35924936 ) where it was discussed. Long story short is that back in 1978 the then BBFC were more concerned about sex than violenc;e and while the rabbits in Watership Down fight like rabbits do, they don’t do the other “f” thing that rabbits are famous for so it got the U.
These days, with people being more disconnected from rural life and the natural world, and the changing social mores of the day, if it were to be re-submitted for classification it would get a PG or maybe even a 12A. It doesn’t need to be resubmitted for classification unless there is a substantive change in the material though, so we’re stuck with the original classification.