Miss Peregrine”s Home for Peculiar Children was a peculiar book. Utilizing forced perspective and other spooky vintage photos as the backbone, author Ransom Riggs created a unique YA picture book. Spending 63 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, it was inevitable the book would be snapped up by a film studio. It was also inevitable that changes would be made, as Miss Peregrine”s spends a significant chunk of the novel exploring and explaining the world of Peculiars. Great reading. Not so great watching.
The latest trailer shows just how far the film is straying from the source material. Any suspicions that Olive was aged up to replace Emma as Jacob”s (Asa Butterfield) love interest seems confirmed*.
*UPDATE: The air-bending character is still Emma, but her powers have been swapped with Olive's (who is STILL aged up for some reason), as per author Ransom Riggs.
I”m really curious as to why this particular change came about. Considering the (drastically more action-oriented) climax revolves around water, maybe the film needed a co-star that could manipulate it in some way. Or perhaps water and air are just easier to manipulate with practical effects and VFX than fire. Whatever the reason, Olive is definitely no longer seven going on 75 1/2.
Miss Peregrine”s Home for Peculiar Children arrives in theaters on September 30, 2016.