MOVIE NEWS – Anya Taylor-Joy wants to teach you how to kill your family…

Wasteland Princess is moving to Netflix. Yes, Furiosa herself, Golden Globe-winning Anya Taylor-Joy, has been cast in the upcoming Netflix series based on the bestseller How to Kill Your Family. The streaming service is adapting an eight-part series from Bella Mackie’s 2021 novel. According to the author, Taylor-Joy “is the most perfect fit to play Grace. I often think she understands her better than I do.” Taylor Joy clearly had to be involved in the adaptation, which brings the lead character, Grace Bernard, to the small screen. He said in an interview (after Tudum):

“As soon as I turned the last page, I knew I had to be a part of bringing this story to life. After some (light) stalking of the inimitable Bella Mackie, I could not be more thrilled to be collaborating with the team that is executive producers Sally Woodward Gentle, Lizzie Rusbridger, and Emma. I am looking forward to getting our hands even dirtier.”

Executive producer Emma Moran is steering the ship for the Netflix series and will also adapt Mackie’s writing for the streaming series. Like Taylor-Joy, Moran felt an “immediate kinship” with the book’s protagonist, Grace Bernard. This led to the creator of Extraordinary and Have I Got News for You taking on the dark and comedic story. Moran said via the same source (below):

“She’s [Grace] the kind of complicated, dark, but utterly hilarious antihero you dream of writing.”

“Striking that balance between camp fun and brutal violence that Bella hits so perfectly in the book is a challenge I’m so looking forward to. I’ve never had more fun on a project with such a high body count.”

Anya Taylor-Joy learns how to kill Grace’s family

Grace Bernard is obviously not an exact replica, but her dark and complicated character in How to Kill Your Family is similar to one of Anya Taylor-Joy’s best roles. The actress played alongside Olivia Cooke in the comedy thriller Thoroughbreds as one of a pair of young girls who conspire to kill Lily’s (Taylor-Joy) stepfather (Paul Sparks). Taylor-Joy is thus the perfect casting to portray the complicated and murderous “heroine” of the writer Bella Mackie.

The book’s author, which has sold 1.2 million copies, was previously a journalist before turning to the world of fiction as a bestselling copywriter. He has also worked for The Guardian and Vice News, and Mackie continues contributing stories to British Vogue. It is very encouraging that his dark and humorous novel has been brought to life. Mackie stated via the same source:

“It’s been thrilling to watch the characters I wrote take on new life under this magnificent creative team. Pairing up with Sid Gentle [Film Ltd.] has been joyful, and introducing me to Emma [Moran] has made me supremely confident the book is in safe hands.”

Will How to Kill Your Family Become a Netflix Must-See? We don’t know that yet, but the casting of Taylor-Joy indicates that the creative team is on the right track. At the time of writing, there is no release date for the small-screen adaptation of Mackie’s book. Apart from Taylor-Joy, none of the other actors have been selected yet.

Source: Netflix