An abandoned, crumbling orphanage? Oddball and potentially dangerous children? And an adventure to uncover a mystery? No wonder Tim Burton wants to direct this thing.
Deadline report that 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment are chatting with Tim Burton to develop and direct an adaptation of "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," in what is a no-brainer match between source material and director. The studio picked up the rights last year for the story about a sixteen-year-old named Jacob who, following a family tragedy, sets off to an abandoned orphanage in Wales that his grandfather told him tall tales about, claiming it housed children who levitate, hold fire and communicate via telekinesis. Not only does he discover the stories were true, but these kids may have been dangerous and, moreover, they may still be present.
So yeah, this is right up Burton's alley, to such a degree that he could probably do this thing in his sleep. It's very, very early days as a writer still needs to be found. This is an interesting move by Fox, who haven't worked with Burton on a directorial vehicle since the failed franchise reboot "Planet Of The Apes" a decade ago. They are releasing the Burton-produced "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" however, so perhaps time has healed all wounds. Anyway, 'Peregrine' sounds interesting, though potentially kind of dull, too. As we said, Burton knows this kind of material like the back of his hand, and maybe that's the problem for a director who has been pretty readily phoning it in for the past little while.
Next year, Burton returns with a TV adaptation and remake of his own movie in "Dark Shadows" and "Frankenweenie." See what we mean?