Netflix Has Picked Up THE LITTLE PRINCE After Paramount Deserted It
The Little Prince, the film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s popular novella, opened in international theaters last year and was originally scheduled to be released today in the U.S. by Paramount Pictures. But not long ago, the studio quietly dropped the film from its release calendar, leaving many wondering if we'd ever have a chance to see it at all. Thankfully, Netflix has swooped in and picked up the rights to the film, and the streaming service plans to release it sometime later this year (though it remains unclear whether the streaming release will also play in some theaters, ala Beasts of No Nation).
I was completely spellbound by the trailer, and at the time I thought the film might even end up being one of the best of the year. It has a spectacular voice cast: Riley Osborne as the Prince, Marion Cotillard as The Rose, Rachel McAdams as The Mother, James Franco as The Fox, Jeff Bridges as The Aviator, Benicio del Toro as The Snake, Ricky Gervais as The Conceited Man, Paul Giamatti as The Teacher, Albert Brooks as Businessman, Bud Cort as The King, and Mackenzie Foy as The Little Girl.
At the heart of it all is The Little Girl, who’s being prepared by her mother for the very grown–up world in which they live — only to be interrupted by her eccentric, kind–hearted neighbor, The Aviator. The Aviator introduces his new friend to an extraordinary world where anything is possible. A world that he himself was initiated into long ago by The Little Prince. It’s here that The Little Girl’s magical and emotional journey into her own imagination — and into the universe of The Little Prince — begins. And it’s where The Little Girl rediscovers her childhood and learns that ultimately, it’s human connections that matter most, and that what’s truly essential can only be seen with the heart.