Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical Ladybird was one of the most touching and nuanced coming-of-age stories to hit cinemas in decades – so it’s only natural that he next project is adapting a classic bildungsroman: Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, Little Women. Helping her bring the March girls and their many suitors to life? A ridiculously star-studded cast, including Emma Watson as Meg, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Eliza Scalen as Beth, and Florence Pugh as Amy. Even more exciting than the four sisters, however, are the more peripheral characters: Meryl Streep as the grouchy, wealthy Aunt March; Laura Dern as beloved matriarch Marmee; and Timothée Chalamet as the charming, wayward Theodore “Laurie” Laurence.
Now, Vanity Fair has released the first stills from the upcoming film, and they do not disappoint. There are the sisters arm-in-arm on the beach in Civil War-era dresses; Ronan and Chalamet staring longingly at each other; and Streep looking disapprovingly down her nose at Gerwig. To lend the film veracity, the 35-year-old notably shot on location in Massachusetts where Alcott lived with her family, even going so far as to visit the actual schoolhouse where the novelist’s father taught. Among her key references while working on the script and cinematography? Alcott’s own letters and diaries as well as a number of late 19th-century paintings such as Winslow Homer’s “High Tide” from 1970. Stay tuned for the film to hit cinemas on January 17, 2020.
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
Editor
Hayley Maitland