Neil Patrick Harris Takes On Jim Carrey’s Role in Lemony Snicket Netflix Series

There’s a new small screen adaptation of ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ in the works - and the casting of central antagonist Count Olaf has been announced.

The Hollywood Reporter announce that Neil Patrick Harris, veteran of TV’s ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and one-time Oscars host, will take the role of the villain previously portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 2004 movie from director Brad Silberling.

This Netflix adaptation will be entitled simply ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events,’ and will go back to the 13-book series by Daniel Handler (writing under the pen name Lemony Snicket).

The first three books in the series had been the basis for the movie, which co-starred Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall and a young Emily Browning, with Jude Law providing narration in the role of Snicket himself.

The story is perhaps unusually heavy on black humour for a family-oriented property, centring on the misadventures of three young orphans who must fend off Olaf, their villanous uncle, in his efforts to seize their inheritance.

Despite a largely positive critical reception, the movie did not capture the popular imagination the way studios Paramount and Dreamworks had hoped, and plans for an ongoing film series à la ‘Harry Potter’ were cancelled.

Netflix have ordered a 13 episode series, but no air dates have been announced yet - and the series is currently on the lookout for a new showrunner, as the initially hired Mark Hudis has reportedly parted ways with the project.

Picture Credit: WENN, Paramount

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