Richard Adams’ Watership Down (released in 1972) is one of the best-selling books of all-time, and it’s inspired quite a few different adaptations over the years. The critically acclaimed version from 1978 is brilliant, but dark enough that it’s making headlines for scaring children to this very day, while a kid friendly series followed that in 1999.
Now, a new CGI version is in the works from writer Tom Bidwell (My Mad Fat Diary), while those all important special effects are being worked on by Fantastic Mr Fox’s Pete Dodd.
This new take on Watership Down will be told over four episodes which air on BBC One in the UK and on Netflix across the rest of the world. It’s currently set to be released next year.
It’s been confirmed that the stars lending their voice talents to the project will be James McAvoy (X-Men) as Hazel, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Fiver, Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) as General Woundwort, John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) as Bigwig, Gemma Arterton (Hansel and Gretel) as Clover, Miles Jupp (The Thick of It) as Blackberry, Freddie Fox (Pride) as Captain Holly, Olivia Colman (The Night Manager) as Strawberry, and Anne-Marie Duff (Suffragette) as Hyzenthlay. That’s quite the lineup, eh?
More details will no doubt be released over the coming months, but this take on Watership Down should be well worth keeping an eye on, especially with the BBC and Netflix involved.
