Occasionally you run into a novel that's been beloved and popular for so long that you wonder why it's never been made into a theatrical movie. A Wrinkle in Time is one example. Oh sure, there was that television movie from 2003, but this is a story that's been begging to be represented on the big screen for decades. Now it's finally getting its chance to shine under director Ava DuVernay, and although the movie has been building a solid cast over the last couple months, the addition of Star Trek Beyond star Chris Pine and Free State of Jones actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw makes it even better.
Following reports of her involvement, Ava DuVernay confirmed that Gugu Mbatha-Raw will appear in A Wrinkle in Time as Dr. Kate Murry, a "brilliant" microbiologist and mother of the main protagonist, Meg Murry. Meanwhile, Deadline is reporting that Chris Pine will play Kate Murry's husband, Alex, a physicist. They join a cast that consists of Storm Reid as Meg Murry, Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which, Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit and Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who.
As most of you reading already know, Chris Pine is no stranger to the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy. Since 2009, he's been playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot films, and next year he'll be seen as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman. His other notable credits include Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Rise of the Guardians, Into the Woods and Hell or High Water. As for Gugu Mbatha-Raw, she is best known for playing Tish Jones in Doctor Who, Clea Hopkins in Touch and Rachel in Free State of Jones. Her upcoming movies include Miss Sloane and Beauty and the Beast. Both should be great additions to A Wrinkle in Time's group of main players.
Written by Madeleine L'Engle and published in 1963, A Wrinkle in Time follows the young Meg Murry, who acts up in school, but her family knows she is capable of great things. Her father is a government scientist working on a mysterious project called a tesseract, but one night, he disappears. Meg soon starts searching for her father with her brother Charles Wallace and her classmate Calvin O'Keefe, and they eventually end up in another dimension filled with strange creatures and planets. A Wrinkle in Time was the first entry in L'Engle's Time Quinet, but Disney will likely wait to see how their movie adaptation performs before they announce any sequels. Then again, considering how studios often jump the gun with franchises nowadays, maybe the House of Mouse is already formulating plans to extend the series.
Although production is reportedly beginning before this year is over, A Wrinkle in Time hasn't been assigned a release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates regarding that and the rest of the production.
