“The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James Will Get Another Movie Adaptation with “The Turning”

As a classic short story that many people got to read in high school, “The Turn of the Screw” was one of a handful of books and stories (along with Frankenstein, Tell-Tale Heart, etc.) that introduced millions of children to the literary horror genre.

The story of the Governess, Miles, and Flora is once again destined for the big screen.

This will be the 8th time that a film based on the story will be created. Out of the previous seven movies, a couple of them were critically acclaimed (The Nightcomers and The Innocents) while the others received far less attention. Along with seven movies, the story has been adapted to plays, operas, and has shown up in a TV series numerous times.

Henry James’ most popular work has not had big screen success since The Nightcomers, but this time could be different. Having thrown out a wide net to find the right person to direct it, the film’s producers finally landed Floria Sigismondi to sit in the director’s chair.

Some of Sigismondi’s previous work is heavily in the music video industry, having directed several major visual accompaniments to songs with stars such as Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.

“The Turning” is likely to be Sigismondi’s biggest project yet as Spielber’s Amblin Entertainment is producing the movie, with a budget that will probably reach into the high eight figures, if not more.

Hopefully for fans of the James masterpiece, “The Turning” will satisfy those who have long been hoping for a modern retelling of the story while retaining the entertainment value that made the novella so enthralling in the first place. It’s a tall order for anyone to fill, especially a fairly green director, but this could turn out to be the most successful Turn of the Screw adaptation yet to be seen.

Stay tuned for “The Turning”