Ava DuVernay brought “A Wrinkle in Time” to the big screen with a twist of her own. The director ensured that her adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic 1963 fantasy novel reflected the real world.
“One of the first things that Ava brought to this vision is that she wanted to have diverse cast,” recalls producer Catherine Hand in a bonus feature for the film. Oprah adds, “The diversity of the cast came out of Ava’s imagination.” Oprah, Mindy Kaling, and Reese Witherspoon were cast as Mrs. characters despite the fact that they’re described as looking like “little Mrs. Doubtfires” in the book, to use the mogul’s words.
“The real world is made up of all kinds of people,” DuVernay explains. “We all play a part. We tried to populate our film like the real world.”
“A Wrinkle in Time” made history as the first live-action film with a budget over $100 million directed by a woman of color. The pic follows a girl’s (Storm Reid) epic journey through time and space to find her missing scientist father (Chris Pine).
Check out the clip to see DuVernay discuss the significance of casting a biracial actress, Reid, in the film’s lead role.
“A Wrinkle in Time” comes out digitally and on Movies Anywhere May 29 and on DVD and Blu-ray June 5.
