A Christmas Carol is the definition of the sort of timeless Christmas classic that folks love to enjoy during the holiday season. So naturally, this means that the Charles Dickens source material is ripe for reinterpretation over the almost two centuries that the story has existed. The latest version to take a swing will be a new Bennett Miller directed / Tom Stoppard written interpretation.
The film was recently announced by The Hollywood Reporter, as Annapurna Pictures is developing A Christmas Carol as a sort of reunion with Bennett Miller, who previously directed Foxcatcher for the production shingle. As if that wasn't prestigious enough, bringing Oscar-winning writer Tom Stoppard into the mix lends an air of authenticity, as the award-winning playwright won his moment of golden glory for his screenplay to Shakespeare In Love.
So what's supposed to make this version of A Christmas Carol any better or different from the many that have come before it? Well, hypothetically, this version of the 1843 novella could be one of the most serious versions of the story. Considering the last major studio version we can think of was the vastly entertaining, yet obviously family oriented Robert Zemeckis version release by Disney in 2009, the Dickens story has mostly occupied a realm for all to enjoy. But with Bennett Miller and Tom Stoppard behind this brand new retelling of Ebenezer Scrooge's night to remember, we're kind of hoping that both collaborators see the opportunity to take the classic story onto a more serious, darker path.
While the lessons that Scrooge learns during the course of his legendary visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future are meant to ultimately leave him a changed, uplifted man, that doesn't mean that any film-maker adapting A Christmas Carol should skimp on the horrors of humanity. After all, Ebenezer Scrooge's story is of intense greed and a severe case of misanthropic behavior, so the harder the lessons, the more likely that the audience will believe that Scrooge will stay a changed man after all is said and done. Though with all of this talk about a rich misanthrope, we can't help but wonder if Foxcatcher actor Steve Carell might reunite with Bennett Miller for this new project.
Another version of A Christmas Carol may seem like the cynic's idea of overkill, but with the fresh talents of Bennett Miller and Tom Stoppard being on board with this latest version, there's a chance that this could be a groundbreaking interpretation of the source material. There's no information as to when production may start, or what sort of release date window A Christmas Carol will be looking to aim for. But as soon as we have any further information, you'll be the first to know!
