Tim Burton’s pending adaptation for 20th Century Fox, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, may have found its lead in Ender’s Game star, Asa Butterfield. According to The Wrap, the actor is being strongly considered for the lead role:
While Butterfield has not received an official offer yet, insiders say one is expected to materialize soon, as he’s Burton’s choice for the coveted role.
Based on the novel by Ransom Riggs, the film has already snagged Eva Green (Sin City: A Dame To Kill For) for the titular role. If Butterfield bags the part, he’ll play 16-year old Jacob Portman, “who seeks the truth about his grandfather’s past after he’s murdered by a “hollow,” a vicious creature that Jacob had thought to be imaginary. He quickly meets a young girl named Emma who can control fire, and via a time loop, she introduces him to Miss Peregrine and a group of peculiar children with special abilities, including super strength and invisibility.”
Butterfield is no stranger to tackling the weird tribulations of childhood onscreen. His most recent success was last year’s sci-fi adaptation, Ender’s Game, in which he played the titular character tasked with saving mankind from an alien invasion. Similarly, in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, he amped up the adventure in the Parisian-set tale. His other notable credits include The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Nanny McPhee Returns. He’s got the chops to pull off emotionally heavy fare, so expect imminent confirmation of his involvement.
Fox will be handling the financing and distribution of the adaptation, which will be produced by Chernin Entertainment, who’ve had considerable success reinventing previously-existing material with the Planet Of The Apes franchise. Should the film be a hit, there’s built-in potential to turn it into a franchise as Riggs’ sequel, Hollow City, landed on bookshelves earlier this year.
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children will arrive in theatres on March 4th, 2016.