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Neil Patrick Harris Spotted Filming As Count Olaf For Netflix’s ‘A Series Of Unfortunate Events’

By Jean Mendoza
Published on: 21:56 PST, Apr 25, 2016

Neil Patrick Harris was unrecognizable when he was spotted in Vancouver filming for Netflix’s upcoming series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The How I Met Your Mother star will be playing the role of Count Olaf, a murderous criminal who is the main antagonist of the series.

In March, USA Today officially confirmed that Neil Patrick Harris will be joining the cast of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Harris’ role, Olaf, was previously portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 2004 movie adaptation.

Count Olaf is described as a greedy, old man who is willing to do anything to get what he wants — even murder. He is a tall, lanky man with gleaming eyes and a unibrow, and he also has a tattoo of an eye on his left ankle.

Neil Patrick Harris was seen wearing his costume, complete with graying hair, a receding hairline, and bushy eyebrows. Harris donned a filthy long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and brown Oxford shoes. To complete the look, he had a scowl on his face. He was spotted exiting a vehicle and entering a store, reportedly filming a scene where Count Olaf purchases a new disguise. Together with Neil Patrick Harris were other actors and actresses in costume as well. More pictures can be viewed on Vancity Buzz.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on a series of 13 children’s novels penned by Lemony Snicket. The story follows the lives of the three Baudelaire children — Violet, Klaus, and Sunny — who end up living with their distant relative, Count Olaf, after their parents perish in a fire. It is not known which parent is related to Count Olaf, but as the Lemony Snicket Wiki says, Count Olaf is the children’s “third cousin four times removed or their fourth cousin three times removed.”

Throughout the series, Count Olaf will do everything he can to get his hands on the fortune of the Baudelaire children. Count Olaf is said to be a member of the VFD (Volunteer Fire Department), a secret organization. The Baudelaire children repeatedly try to escape from Count Olaf, but the old man is always orchestrating disasters and unfortunate events to prevent the children from leaving. As the story progresses, the children uncover a dark family secret as they try to discover the mystery behind their parents’ death.

A Series of Unfortunate Events will be directed by Barry Sonnenfield. Other stars who will star alongside Neil Patrick Harris are Malina Weissman as Violet, Louis Hynes as Klaus, Aasif Mandvi as Uncle Monty, and Patrick Warburton as the narrator, Lemony Snicket.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is Neil Patrick Harris’ first scripted TV project following his long stint as Barney Stinson on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother which ran from 2005 to 2014. In 2014, Harris starred as Hedwig in Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won him a Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Last year, Neil Patrick Harris hosted his own variety show entitled Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, but the show was canceled after just one season.

According to Just Jared, A Series of Unfortunate Events has 13 episodes and is scheduled to premiere in August this year.

[Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP]

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