‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events’ Trailer Released Today: Netflix Is At It Again

Well, it looks like Netflix is at it again, crafting another sure-fire hit for its in-house studio and releasing the first Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events trailer online today. This is, of course, an adaptation of the beloved series of books simply titled A Series of Unfortunate Events, written by Lemony Snicket, the pen name of American author Daniel Handler.

The 13-book series follows the lives of Klaus, Violet, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents perish in a fire. They are placed in the care of Count Olaf, here played by Neil Patrick Harris, who seeks to steal the enormous fortune that Violet is set to inherit when she turns 18. Through the course of the books, the three children are subjected to numerous schemes by Count Olaf to swindle them out of their inheritance, from a marriage plot concealed in a play rehearsal to being almost taken away to deepest darkest Peru. Of course, the children are smart enough and brave enough to outwit Olaf in each of his attempts. Along the way, the children discover that their parents were involved in a secret organization, called V.F.D., which of course intertwines with Count Olaf and virtually everyone else they run into.

While the book series ends leaving many questions about certain characters unanswered, it’s unclear how much the series will pull from the books and how much will be fudged. And when we say fudged, we mean rewritten, of course, because Daniel Handler, the author, is serving as one of the executive producers.

The Netflix series has gained a lot of anticipation since its announcement in 2014. The anticipation only grew when it was announced in January 2016 that Neil Patrick Harris was cast as Count Olaf. People agreed that his acting style was a near-perfect fit for Count Olaf’s manic energy. The series wrapped filming in August 2016, with stars taking to Instagram to celebrate.

No matter what you think of the books, certainly one of the best parts of the upcoming series will be seeing how Neil Patrick Harris looks in each of Count Olaf’s many disguises. The trailer shows us Shirley T. Sinoit-Pecer, a receptionist for an optometrist. (Spoiler: T. Sinoit-Pecer is receptionist spelled backwards). There are also shots of Olaf as Stephano (the bald fellow with the full beard), Captain Julio Sham (the sea captain with the eye patch), and Detective Dupin (the guy with the glasses and scarf) in turn. With Neil Patrick Harris’ comedic chops, the series should be a lot of fun.

The trailer also showcases many stars who are lending their names to this project, showing just how much Netflix’s stock in Hollywood has grown in the past decade. Patrick Warburton stars as the titular narrator, Lemony Snicket, with newcomers Malina Weissman, starring as Violet, and Louis Hynes, co-starring as Klaus. Other notables include Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss, K. Todd Freeman as Mr. Poe, and Alfre Woodard as Aunt Josephine.

This isn’t the first time the books have been translated for visual media. The 2004 film based on the same property was also titled Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was widely praised and even won the Academy Award for best makeup. In that film, Count Olaf was played by Jim Carrey, and Lemony Snicket was played by Jude Law. Despite the film’s modest success, no sequel was ever made, opening up the doors for this adaptation.

The full trailer can be watched below:

Netflix’s Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 will be released in its entirety on January 13, 2017, Friday, so you have all weekend to binge-watch it with your children.

[Featured Image by Netflix]