<em>A Wrinkle in Time</em> Defies Disney’s Sequel-Filled Future
The colorful, dreamlike imagery of Ava DuVernay’s upcoming adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time was the highlight of this year’s D23 conference, a semi-annual celebration of Disney that included a look at the studio’s upcoming film slate. The Wrinkle trailer was a visual feast, light on plot and heavy on shots of Oprah Winfrey’s outrageously splendid wig, Chris Pine trapped in a surreal orange prison, and some sort of suburban nightmare-verse populated by children bouncing balls in eerie unison.
DuVernay has not made a narrative film since her acclaimed 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. biopic , due for release in March 2018, seems like an exciting to be directed by a womanof color. But it was also a rare standout in a Disney lineup littered with remakes and sequels, a roster that leans heavily on its “existing intellectual property” (, Marvel Comics, and Disney animated classics). Amid all those titles, looks like an original, even though it’s based on a well-known book. But Disney’s sequel-heavy approach, depressing as it might sound, is the most successful in Hollywood right now.
