We've known for a long time that Netflix has been working on a serialized adaptation of Lemony Snicket's (the pen name of author Daniel Handler) bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events. But until now, they've kept the project moderately under wraps, not even confirming a release date or showing off any production stills.
We got some glimpses from the set of Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, though, and he looks glorious.
Now, though, Netflix has released the first teaser trailer and has announced the release date: Friday, the 13th of January. How dreadful.
The teaser reveals very little, but it does show off Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket. As in the books, Snicket more or less breaks the fourth wall in talking directly to the audience. He also pulls a classic "a phrase which here means ..." moment in explaining the definition of low morale.
Oh, and we hear Harris, as Olaf, singing to himself off-camera.
"Don't make the same mistake that Netflix has and look away before this dire tale is even filmed," Snicket says. Too late for that, though. Filming reportedly wrapped in August.
Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes will play Violet and Klaus Baudelaire, respectfully. No word on baby orphan Sunny, but presumably she'll be a new actress. Because she's a baby.
Based on the meager cast listing on IMDB, the eight episodes of the show's first season will include Justice Strauss (Joan Cusack), Uncle Monty (Aasif Mandvi) and Aunt Josephine (Bernadette Peters), which implies that the series will cover the first three books of the 13-book Unfortunate Events series. This is the same content that the 2004 movie (starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf) covered.
But there have also been set photos posted of the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill, which is the location of the fourth book (The Miserable Mill), so Netflix could be splitting the series up into two episodes per book.
In any case, I'm anxiously waiting to see how this potentially dreadful series turns out.
