John Boyega, James McAvoy, and Nicholas Hoult to Star in Netflix/BBC Adaptation of Watership Down

John Boyega is about to steal our hearts as a cute widdle bunny.

The BBC and Netflix are teaming up to bring us an animated (though seriously, could you imagine some trained bunnies acting in a film?!) adaptation of the classic Richard Adams novel, Watership Down. The adaptation will be a four-part miniseries that’s being produced by UK production company 42. It’ll be broadcast on BBC One in the UK, and available on Netflix for viewing internationally.

For those who are unfamiliar, Deadline Hollywood describes the novel:

Richard Adams’ novel was first published in 1972 and has since gone to sell millions of copies. Set in the idyllic rural landscape of southern England, the tale of adventure, courage, and survival follows a band of rabbits on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of brothers, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, towards a promised land and a more perfect society.

The exceptional voice cast includes John Boyega, James McAvoy, and Nicholas Hoult, as well as Ben Kingsley and Gemma Arterton. The production has a pretty amazing team, led by Pete Dodd of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, handling the CG animation. Meanwhile, the miniseries is written by Tom Bidwell (My Mad Fat Diary) and directed by Noam Murro (300: Rise Of The Empire).

The only other adaptation of this novel was the 1978 feature-length film written and directed by Martin Rosen and starring John Hurt, so it’s pretty exciting that they’re doing it this time as a miniseries. “Adapting this much-loved novel in a fresh and innovative way is a truly exciting opportunity,” 42 Co-Founder and Executive Producer Rory Aitken told Deadline. “Telling the story over four hours of CG animation allows us to explore the characters from the novel and their adventure in a way not previously achievable on screen.”

Personally, I’ve never read the novel, and only realized how ubiquitous it was when I saw Sawyer reading it on Lost. Now, I think I need to do myself a favor and pick it up before this BBC/Netflix co-production arrives in the States. Will you be watching?

(image via screengrab)

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