ClickTheCity

Tag: Where the Crawdads Sing

  • Daisy Edgar-Jones: A Star is Born in “Where the Crawdads Sing”

    Trailer Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    At the center of “Where the Crawdads Sing“ is Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) – “the marsh girl” – about whom little is known and much is assumed. When Chase Andrews, once the town’s star quarterback and now heir apparent to a successful auto shop, is found dead in the marsh, most of the townspeople are quick to blame Kya. As local defense attorney Tom Milton tries to save Kya’s life, Kya slowly reveals her mysteries – abandoned by her family and left to make a life for herself in the marsh… the two loves that shaped her past… and the lengths that creatures of nature will go to survive.

    “The main thing I love about Kya is how resilient she is,” says Daisy Edgar-Jones. “Her relationship with Chase ends on bad terms. When Chase is found dead in the marsh, Kya goes on trial for his murder. All eyes are on her during the trial, yet she continues to show incredible resilience and strength, and maintains her quiet curiosity and connection with the natural world.”

    DF 09602 r
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    “Kya says there’s no dark side to nature, just inventive ways to endure,” adds Edgar-Jones. “For Kya, having suffered so much abuse from her family and people leaving her, the one thing that always stuck was nature. It always there for her and I think it became her family.”

    “Daisy Edgar-Jones is a once-in-a-lifetime talent,” says producer Reese Witherspoon. “She can morph herself into so many different characters. You feel her vulnerability and her ferocity in this performance. Daisy and [director] Olivia Newman worked together to create a performance that sometimes is very, very small and internal, and other times is rage-filled and ferocious. There’s no artifice, there’s no lying, she just becomes the character. And I have to say, I’m pretty tough on Southern accents, and Daisy just fell into it so beautifully, with a real respect for the language and the way that Delia wrote.”

    cra 01
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    To prepare for the role, Edgar-Jones – a Londoner by birth – would have to remake herself into Kya Clark: her physical strength, her experience boating in the marsh, her talent for drawing and painting, and, of course, her Carolina accent.

    “I read the book over and over and over,” Edgar-Jones says. “When I got the script, I went through every scene I had, and I wrote out the key parts of the chapter next to the script page, which was really helpful. I learned a lot about boating and the marsh – the wildlife and the landscape.”

    DF 12384 r
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Edgar-Jones worked with dialect coach Francie Brown to hide her London accent and to speak like a mid-century American woman living on the North Carolina coast. “I love working in accents, because acting in my own voice makes me very self-conscious,” says Edgar-Jones. “Because I play Kya as she ages over several years, it was important to express the subtleties of Kya’s voice as she ages from a higher register at 15 to 20 to 23. That was a real access point for me because there’s a kind of special softness to Kya’s voice that’s different from mine, which was also a really good way to separate myself from the character.”

    In cinemas across the Philippines starting September 14, Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie

  • Reese Witherspoon Produces Inspiring Tale “Where the Crawdads Sing”

    Trailer Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

    “I read the novel in one day. I just couldn’t put it down,” says Witherspoon. “I fell in love with Kya as a main character, as a little girl who’s growing up in a very rural area, shunned by society and trying to find a way to just save herself, just survive. The experiences she has with the two men in her life are both so touching but also terrifying. Delia Owens wrote this book with such authenticity, you could just tell she really grew up in this place.”

    WTCS CastSocialPhoto
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    A literary phenomenon, the book skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller lists when Witherspoon picked it for Reese’s Book Club – and its record-breaking run has lasted over 191 weeks. With over 12 million copies sold in total, it was the top-selling book of 2019 and 2020 and set a new record for the most weeks at #1 on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestsellers list.

    “I remember when Reese first told me about this book,” says producer Lauren Neustadter, President, Film and Television at Hello Sunshine. “We loved Kya, we loved the world, we loved the story of her survival, against all odds. When we thought about it as a movie, there was so much that was so appealing. The backdrop is absolutely magnificent and the story is epic in scope. The marsh itself is incredibly cinematic. The lush greens and also the world that she lives in, the lagoon, the beach all of the settings are so incredibly beautiful and romantic. And then Kya herself is such an extraordinary character – an unconventional heroine and certainly the hero of her own story. To see this remarkable woman against such a beautiful backdrop felt inherently cinematic, and it felt perfect to bring to life on screen.”

    DF 13231 r
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    “I don’t know where my book would be without Reese Witherspoon,” says Owens. “First it was her Book Club, then the Best Seller list, and now the movie. She’s done a lot for this book and for many, many authors.”

    3000 Pictures presents in association with HarperCollins Publishers a Hello Sunshine production, Where the Crawdads Sing. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer, Jr., and David Strathairn. Directed by Olivia Newman. Produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Screenplay by Lucy Alibar. Based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The executive producers are Rhonda Fehr and Betsy Danbury. The director of photography is Polly Morgan, ASC. The production designer is Sue Chan. The editor is Alan Edward Bell, ACE. The costume designer is Mirren Gordon-Crozier. The music is by Mychael Danna.

    DaisyEdgarJones RWitherspoon TaylorJohnSmith
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    In cinemas across the Philippines starting September 14, Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie

  • Murder Mystery “Where the Crawdads Sing” Holds Sneak Previews Sept 5 & 6

    Trailer Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Fans may check with their favorite theaters for ticket prices and screening schedule.

    Based on the best-selling novel by Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. “Delia created a classic, timeless story with this book,” says the film’s director, Olivia Newman. “A romance, an underdog story, a murder mystery, a criminal trial, with a distinctive setting that lends to the drama and scope. We wanted to honor that with a faithful adaptation.”

    Today’s announcement of the sneaks by Columbia Pictures coincides with the milestone that Where the Crawdads Sing has just achieved last week — the film has crossed the $100 million benchmark globally.  The gripping drama has now amassed $78.8M domestic (US) and $21.5M from the international box office (Australia, New Zealand and Europe).

    cra RT Audience Score
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    It has also been embraced by fans and critics alike with an Audience Score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.  “This is a movie about fighting back against male intransigence that has the courage of its outsider spirit,” says the review in Variety, while The Chicago Sun Times writes “Daisy Edgar-Jones’ performance and the gorgeous imagery redeem the book adaptation.”

    Underscoring the film’s rich literary origins, The Washington Post likens the film to “a Southern-fried `The Blue Lagoon’ meets `Murder, She Wrote’ — and topped off with a sprinkling of `To Kill a Mockingbird.’”

    cra 100 M
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Finally, Coming Soon attests that “a captivating lead performance and a powerful ending ultimately keep this movie watchable for any fans of Delia Owens’s fascinating novel,” while National Post concludes, “over its two-plus hours I sat spellbound and intrigued. If a film can be described as a page-turner, Where the Crawdads Sing is that.”

    3000 Pictures presents in association with HarperCollins Publishers a Hello Sunshine production, Where the Crawdads Sing. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer, Jr., and David Strathairn. Directed by Olivia Newman. Produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Screenplay by Lucy Alibar. Based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The executive producers are Rhonda Fehr and Betsy Danbury. The director of photography is Polly Morgan, ASC. The production designer is Sue Chan. The editor is Alan Edward Bell, ACE. The costume designer is Mirren Gordon-Crozier. The music is by Mychael Danna.

    Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie

  • Taylor Swift Composes Song “Carolina” for “Where the Crawdads Sing”

    Video Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    “About a year and half ago I wrote a song about an incredible story, the story of a girl who always lived on the outside, looking in. Figuratively and literally,” said Taylor Swift. “The juxtaposition of her loneliness and independence. Her longing and her stillness. Her curiosity and fear, all tangled up. Her persisting gentleness… and the world’s betrayal of it.”

    WTCDS Carolina TaylorSwift
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    “Taylor Swift writing a song for the film based on these characters was the greatest gift we that we could have received,” says the film’s producer, Reese Witherspoon. “We got a call from Taylor and her team to tell us she had written a song, ‘Carolina,’ that incorporates so many of the haunting elements of the movie. I’ve gotten to talk with her a couple of times about what inspired the song and how she wrote it. Obviously, she’s a beautiful songwriter who understands so much about folk and country music, and it’s her appreciation of those genres that made the song so perfect for this film. And who doesn’t love a gorgeous, haunting Taylor Swift song?”

    DF 12897 r
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Swift used instruments from the era of the film’s setting in creating the song. “Where The Crawdads Sing is a book I got absolutely lost in when I read it years ago,” says Swift. “As soon as I heard there was a film in the works starring the incredible Daisy Edgar-Jones and produced by the brilliant Reese Witherspoon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it from the musical side. I wrote the song ‘Carolina’ alone and asked my friend Aaron Dessner to produce it. I wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story.”

    About Where the Crawdads Sing

    From the best-selling novel comes a captivating mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

    DF 08485
    Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    3000 Pictures presents in association with HarperCollins Publishers a Hello Sunshine production, Where the Crawdads Sing. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer, Jr., and David Strathairn. Directed by Olivia Newman. Produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Screenplay by Lucy Alibar. Based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The executive producers are Rhonda Fehr and Betsy Danbury. The director of photography is Polly Morgan, ASC. The production designer is Sue Chan. The editor is Alan Edward Bell, ACE. The costume designer is Mirren Gordon-Crozier. The music is by Mychael Danna.

    In cinemas across the Philippines starting September 14, Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie

  • WATCH: Mystery Thriller ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ Reveals Trailer

    We can’t bury this secret forever… the worldwide phenomenon and best-selling book, Where The Crawdads Sing, is making its way to the big screen featuring an original song from Taylor Swift. Check out the trailer now and watch the film exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines this 2022.

    From the best-selling novel comes a captivating mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

    Where the Crawdads Sing Reveals Trailer
    Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) in Columbia Pictures’ WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.

    Where the Crawdads Sing stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as “Kya Clark,” Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects) as “Tate Walker,” Harris Dickinson (The King’s Man) as “Chase Andrews,” Michael Hyatt (Snowfall) as “Mabel,” Sterling Macer, Jr. (Double Down) as “Jumpin’,” and David Strathairn (Nomadland) as “Tom Milton.”

    Where the Crawdads Sing Reveals Trailer
    Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) in Columbia Pictures’ WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.

    Olivia Newman (First Match) directs the screenplay by Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The 3000 Pictures film is being produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.

    Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie