A mere few months ago, I wrote that the only version of Little Women that needed to exist already did; that any alternate adaptations would be facsimiles so poor as to be offensive. (And so far, they have been.) I would hereby like to retract that Very Bad Opinion. I was young, I was dumb, I had probably eaten an entire box of Cheez-Its and my brain had salt poisoning. I am sorry.
It turns out, I am extremely confident that Greta Gerwig and her forthcoming remake will not only rival the 1994 version, but quite possibly capture the title of definitive Little Women adaptation. This hypothesis is only boosted by these images of Emma Watson dressed as Meg. She’s got a carpet bag! It’s perfect.
Watson will star alongside Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep, a cast that rivals the original powerhouse team of Christian Bale, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, Winona Ryder and Claire Danes, among others.
Variety says the role was originally intended for Emma Stone, but I personally think the British Emma is a better choice—she exudes a certain “eldest sister” sobriety that the character requires. If all continues according to plan (mine), Ronan will play Jo, Chalamet will play Laurie, and there will finally be some karmic justice for that disastrous sexual encounter in Lady Bird.
If Laura Dern does sign on, I might actually expire. Please play this at my funeral.