Edward Gorey’s classic tale “The Doubtful Guest” to get a big-screen adaptation.
The humorous and macabre world of Edward Gorey will get its first feature with the live-action adaptation of The Doubtful Guest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Jim Henson Company along with Walden Media and Fox 2000, will adapt the illustrator-writer’s classic tale, originally published in 1957, about a mysterious, mischievous creature that wreaks havoc on a quirky, unsuspecting family.
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which has worked on characters in Labyrinth, MirrorMask, and Farscape, will use animatronics augmented by plenty of CGI to create the unwelcomed creature. While the workshop will aim to stay faithful to Gorey’s look, they want to give the creature expression and the ability to articulate.
Lisa Henson, who is producing along with Brian Henson and Jason Lust, had the following to say regarding the creature creation:
It’s hard to come up with a creature that you’ve never seen before in any medium, and he’s a unique little creation who is very appealing without being cute or cloying…. He’s sophisticated yet simple at the same time, but it’s not overly juvenile. Adults can find him cute, too.
Brad Peyton will direct the feature, with a script written by Matthew Huffman.
