For myself and many other twenty-somethings, our childhood love for literature was sparked by none other than Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. The mysterious tales of the Baudelaire orphans haunted us, thrilled us, and sometimes made us want to tie our hair in a ribbon and solve an impossible problem. So when Netflix announced the live-action reboot of the series, we dusted off all 13 books and reminisced about the miserable lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny.
But now, an even better announcement has arrived. Beloved Neil Patrick Harris will be playing Count Olaf! While Jim Carry’s performance was perfectly eerie, NPH is sure to master the mannerisms of the villain. For those who missed out on the cult-classic, Count Olaf is the conniving adoptive father of the three orphans who follows them to the end of…well, we’re rarely ever sure where they are. Known for some key characteristics and unwavering determination, Olaf transforms from book to book trying to get his hands on the children’s fortune. We all know how much Harris, in his previous role as Barney Stinson, enjoyed a costume or two, so he won’t be a stranger to Olaf’s changing personas.
NPH seems like a no-brainer for this part. Word on the street is that unlike the more humorous 2004 film, the Netflix original will be taking on the darker tone of the books. With the mock-Gothic setting and style, the show is bound to creep us out and keep us on our toes. As kids, the macabre scenes were kept safely on the pages; but the live-action show might make us too scared to sleep. Obviously inspired by some great authors (nudge nudge, the annoying yet dim-witted “Mr. Poe” just might be referring to a significant Gothic icon), the books only darkened as the show progressed. By the end of the Grim Grotto, many of us would have gladly traded in for a day at the Prufrock Prep. Hopefully the series will get picked up for multiple seasons so we can see the many adventures and miseries of the Baudelaire orphans from The Bad Beginning to The End. The show is expected to be released at some point this year, hopefully with a few teasers along the way. My excitement might only be relevant to some, but if you’re new to A Series of Unfortunate Events, trust me, you’ll want to stick around.
Bring it on, NPH! We can’t wait to see you bring Count Olaf to life.
*Disclaimer: the teaser was not released by Netflix and does not reflect any actual footage from the 2016 show.