Today in news that a small subset of internet assholes are almost certainly going to be deeply, loudly, and annoyingly offended by, it looks like Selma director Ava DuVernay is specifically looking for minority kid actors for her big-screen adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time. This comes from NOLA.com—the official website of New Orleans’ Times-Picayune—which says the production held an open casting call last week, and it’s clear from the character descriptions that DuVernay is setting this up to be a more diverse version of the story than Disney’s 2003 made-for-TV adaptation.
Here are the character descriptions that were released:
-A 14-year-old mixed-race girl of African-American and Caucasian descent. “This girl is questioning her life, her place in the world and her family. While troubled, she possesses untapped strength and intelligence which carries her through her search for truth.”
-A 5-year-old mixed-race boy of African-American and Caucasian descent. “This boy is extremely intelligent and articulate. He is strong and loving and hypersensitive.”
-A 16-year-old boy who is an ethnic minority. “He is a handsome, fit, caring young man who becomes a friend to the above two kids.”
It seems safe to assume that these listings are for the three main characters, with the first being Meg, the protagonist, and the other two being her younger brother Charles and their friend Calvin. It’s way too early to tell how this adaptation will turn out, but those simple descriptions seem to imply that this will at least be a reasonably faithful one. In the end, isn’t that the most important thing? (Please?)