BBC's 'Watership Down' Gets 'X-Men,' 'Star Wars' Stars
by EG
The BBC and Netflix will work together to produce a new animated version of Richard Adams' novel about life and death in a rabbit colony. Adams' novel, although ostensibly targeted at young readers, is famously dark and violent in its depiction of rabbit politics, and previous film versions of the story have had a decidedly adult tone. The producers of this new version say that it will be true to the novel's dark tone but will "tone down" the violence and may not be as frightening to children as previous versions.
The most notable news about the new project is its voice cast, which will include Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens star John Boyega, X-Men: Days of Future Past star James McAvoy and Ben Kingsley. Other cast members include Olivia Colman, Nicholas Hoult, Miles Jupp, Freddie Fox, Anne-Marie Duff and Gemma Arterton.
The four-part series will also be the first joint venture between the BBC and Netflix. The series will air first on the BBC in 2017 and then will move to its international debut on Netflix.