A new adaptation of a beloved classic is coming at the end of the year: Writer-director Greta Gerwig has crafted a “Little Women” that draws on both the novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life.
In Gerwig’s take, the story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her own terms — is both timeless and timely.
The first photos for the new costume drama reveal a sumptuous production of Louisa May Alcott’s classic. And now we have the trailer and the first clips (at end of article) for the coming-of-age story set in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
The March sisters picnicking on the beach. From left to right: Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, and Eliza Scanlen as Beth.
Saoirse Ronan as Jo March, and Timothée Chalamet as Laurie. “Jo is a girl with a boy’s name, Laurie is a boy with a girl’s name,” writer-director Greta Gerwig said. “In some ways they are each other’s twins.”
Timothée Chalamet as Laurie, and Florence Pugh the youngest of the four March sisters, Amy.
Saoirse Ronan as Jo March.
Emma Watson as the eldest March sister Meg, who works as a governess to help out with the family’s finances.
Eliza Scanlen as Beth, the third-oldest sister.
Laura Dern as Marmee, the matriarch of the March family. Marmee is raising the four girls on her own while her husband (Bob Odenkirk) is away fighting in the Civil War.
From left to right: Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, and Eliza Scanlen as Beth.
When Does Little Women (2019) premiere?
“Little Women” premieres in theaters everywhere in the US December 25, 2019. Watch the trailer, and clips, below.
You’ll want to head over to Vanity Fair to read the article by Sonia Saraiya about the new period drama. It discusses how “Little Women” was shot on location in Massachusetts, how Greta Gerwig and costume designer Jacqueline Durran used paintings to inform their work, and how the production aimed to include as much of the real Alcott family as possible.
If you enjoyed this post, you’ll want to wander over to The Period Films List. You’ll especially like the Best Period Dramas: Victorian Era List. Also see Miss Alcott’s Email. 
