Guillermo Del Toro is just a producing machine. The latest film to be added to his list of upcoming productions is an adaptation of the popular 1911 novel THE SECRET GARDEN written by Frances-Hodgson Burnett. The story has of course been adapted a numerous amount of times, with my personal favourite being the 1993 version starring Maggie Smith. Del Toro will produce along side his DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK collaborator Mark Johnson. Universal has recently picked up the rights to the children’s classic and hired Oscar nominated screenwriter Lucy Alibar, who has found recent success with BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD.
The story sees a recently orphaned girl sent to live on her uncle’s estate, only to find a magnificent garden that nobody knows about. One could even call it a secret. If anyone can give a fresh and original voice to such a familiar tale, it’s Del Toro and Alibar, who have both dealt with coming of age films set against a fantasy backdrop.
Source: Deadline
