“Queen Sugar” creator Ava DuVernay unveiled the first footage from her upcoming adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” on Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim.
DuVernay was joined by the cast of the film, including Storm Reid, Chris Pine, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey.
The sneak peek trailer shows Storm Reid as Meg Murry, a resourceful teen who, along with her brother Charles (Deric McCabe) and classmate Calvin O’Keefe (Levi Miller), is sent on an intergalactic quest to find her missing father (Pine) and save the universe from an abomination simply known as The Black Thing.
Guiding them on their quest are three wise alien women named Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit, who are played respectively by Kaling, Winfrey, and Witherspoon. The film also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Andre Holland, Michael Peña, and Zach Galifianakis.
DuVernay said she was excited to work on a Disney film, and to fill it with a diverse cast. With this film, she is the first African-American woman to direct a film with a budget of over $100 million.
“We wanted to make a cast that looked like you, looked like the real world,” said an exuberant DuVernay.
Pine was congratulated for the success of his latest film, Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman,” and said that he wanted to join the project because of DuVernay’s creative vision.
“Within five minutes of meeting Ava, I knew I was going to do it,” Pine said. “It had everything to do with Ava’s focus and passion and commitment.”
The adaptation has a script by “Frozen” co-director Jennifer Lee.
“A Wrinkle in Time” hits theaters March 3, 2018.