A 'Little Women' Remake Is Happening: Here's What You Need to Know
In the murky sea of Hollywood remakes, there are a few that actually deserve our attention. One of them is Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved 1868 novel of the same name about an aspiring writer and her three sisters in Massachusetts during the Civil War. The 2019 movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, will be the eighth film adaptation of the novel. Here’s what we know about the remake so far:
1. Greta Gerwig wasn’t always attached to the project. Writer, actress, and director Sarah Polley (Away from Her, Stories We Tell, Alias Grace) originally wrote the screenplay for the Little Women remake under Amy Pascal at Sony in 2015. In 2016, Gerwig took over screenwriting duties and officially signed on as director two years later.
2. A different “Emma” was also involved. Along with Gerwig, Sony originally announced that Emma Stone would be part of the remake’s main cast. In August 2018, she was replaced by Emma Watson. According to Variety sources, Stone left the project due to promotional obligations for her period film The Favourite, an award season contender.
3. The complete cast is a dream come true. It’s since been confirmed that Emma Watson is Meg (the oldest sister), with Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects) as Beth (the pianist who gets sick), Florence Pugh as Amy (the youngest), and Saoirse Ronan as Jo (the writer, who was played by Winona Ryder in the 1994 film). Timothée Chalamet will be Laurie (who was played by Christian Bale in 1994), which means, yes, this is a wonderful Ladybird reunion. Meryl Streep will play Aunt March while Laura Dern is the March girls’ mother Marmee. Bob Odenkirk and Chris Cooper also have roles.
4. Timothée Chalamet only recently read Little Women for the first time. In an interview with Variety in October 2018, Chalamet admitted, “I knew Little Women; I hadn’t read it. But I’ve read it since. I understood it to be a literary classic, but it’s crazy, day by day in the rehearsals, I get more imbued in the legend of it all.”
5. Filming commenced in October 2018 in Massachusetts and lasted for just over two months. The wrap date is according to Laura Dern, who wrote on Instagram, “What an incredible family. What an amazing time! Thank you Louisa. And thank you Massachusetts.”
6. The film will open on Christmas Day 2019. Thank you, Greta Gerwig and company, for already giving the world the best gift of all.
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