Netflix’s ‘Rebecca’ adaptation: Everything you need to know | Sunday Observer

Netflix’s ‘Rebecca’ adaptation: Everything you need to know

18 October, 2020

A new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s beloved literary classic airs on Netflix this autumn. Here’s everything Vogue knows so far about Netflix’s Rebecca adaptation.

In a year when nothing can be predicted, one romantic thriller remake shall shine through. Enter, Netflix’s adaptation of Rebecca, one of Daphne du Maurier’s most famous works and widely considered a literary classic. Due for release this autumn, the original 1938 story has been told on screen before, most famously by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, followed by a television drama starring Emilia Fox and Diana Rigg in 1997. 

What is the plot of Rebecca?

For those unfamiliar with Du Maurier’s best-selling gothic novel, first published in 1938 (and never out of print since), it centres around a story told through flashbacks of a young woman arriving at Manderley, her new husband’s beautiful but imposing family estate on the dramatic English coastline.

The start of her marriage is clouded by the shadow of his enigmatic late first wife, Rebecca, and her devoted housekeeper, the ominous Mrs Danvers.  Who makes up the cast of Netflix’s Rebecca? 

Lily James and Call Me By Your Name star Armie Hammer will appear as the recently-wed couple, Mr and Mrs de Winter, following in the famous footsteps of Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Oscar-winning 1940 version, which won Best Film that year.

The cruel Mrs Danvers, played by Judith Anderson in the original, will be portrayed this time by Kristin Scott Thomas.

Keeley Hawes plays sister Beatrice, with Sam Riley starring as Jack Favell, a suspicious man with links to Rebecca. Other cast members include Ann Dowd, Ben Crompton, and Tom Goodman.  

Is there a trailer for Netflix’s Rebecca?

Netflix released its first official trailer for the film on September 8. Replicating a sense of the haunting dreams that plague the second Mrs de Winter, it shows there’s an air of the inescapable about Manderley. It also sparked more excitement surrounding the cast – notably with a glimpse of Kristin Scott Thomas’s chilling turn as Mrs Danvers. 

Who has directed the Netflix remake of Rebecca? 

Jane Goldman (Kingsman, Stardust) has written the screenplay alongside Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. Meanwhile, Ben Wheatley – best known for his brilliant 2015 adaptation of J G Ballard’s High-Rise – is directing. Working Title has teamed up with Netflix to produce. 

Where was Netflix’s Rebecca filmed?

Sarah Greenwood – who famously realised Stokesay Court in Atonement – handled the production design for Rebecca, starting with the considerable task of bringing Manderley to life. Rather than arranging to film in one particular stately home, Greenwood relied on an amalgamation of locations to stand in for the Cornish estate: including Cranborne Manor in Wiltshire, Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, Mapperton House in Dorset, Loseley House in Surrey, Petworth House in West Sussex, Hartland Quay and Blegberry Farm in Devon, and Osterley House in Isleworth. For the opening scenes in Monte Carlo, on the other hand, filming took place at the Ancien Hotel Regina in Nice, the Villa Eilenroc in Antibes, and the Exotic Garden of Monaco.

Who designed the costumes for Netflix’s Rebecca?

Wheatley turned to costume designer Julian Day for Rebecca following the latter’s brilliant work on both Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody. Day took inspiration from the most glamorous figures of the ’30s when sourcing the clothes for Lily James and Armie Hammer, with the late Duke and Duchess of Windsor among his key inspirations.  

When will Netflix’s Rebecca be  released?

With just enough time to re-read the book in preparation, Netflix has announced that the film will air on  October  21, 2020.

The streaming giant also released an alternative artwork – to serve as a new book cover and poster in conjunction with the film’s release – designed by renowned British graphic designer Julian House.

House is known for his previous work with Primal Scream, which director Wheatley described as having “a big influence” on him.  10 Attachments

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