‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ Updates: New Clips Released with Closer Look at Samuel L. Jackson’s Villain; Producer Talks Having Tim Burton Direct

‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ released two new clips with one offering a closer look at Samuel L. Jackson’s villain. Producer Jenno Topping also talked about having Tim Burton direct the upcoming film adaptation.

According to Comingsoon.net, 20th Century Fox recently debuted two new clips of Burton’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ debut novel of the same name.

One of the clips showed Ella Purnell’s Emma Bloom fighting off Samuel L. Jackson’s villainous Wights leader Mr. Barron with her incredible super breath. Mr. Barron continued to mock and threaten her as she fought to keep him away from her and Asa Butterfield’s Jake Portman.

The other clip showed Eva Green’s Miss Peregrine explaining her powers to Jake. She said that although she could transform into a bird, her most useful power is to manipulate time. Another child from the orphanage is also seen using her powers to grow a gigantic carrot for dinner.

The new film follows a young boy who discovers a mysterious orphanage that serves as a refuge for children with strange abilities. Jake then fights alongside headmistress Miss Peregrine as they fend off magical monsters threatening the children’s lives.

Jackson’s Mr. Barron is the evil leader of the Wights, undead creatures that hunt down and kill peculiars. Mr. Barron takes on different disguises as he stalks his prey. He disguises himself as Dr. Golan, Jake’s psychiatrist portrayed by Allison Janey. He also takes on the persona of an ornithologist, portrayed by Rupert Everett.

Burton is directing the film on a screenplay prepared by Jane Goldman. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping serve as producers. Topping revealed that they didn’t consider anyone else but Burton to direct the adaptation.

According to Yahoo! Movies, Topping said, “We instinctively thought Tim was the perfect director for it… Part of why Tim is the perfect filmmaker for this material is his ability to treat darker subject matter with his signature blend of wonder, whimsy and humor. We feel that older children and the general audience are used to seeing dark themes in movies like the later ‘Harry Potter’ films, and the heart at the center of ‘Miss Peregrines’ is what counts the most.”

A long time admirer of Burton’s work, Riggs gushed, “I grew up loving Tim’s movies. ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and ‘Beetlejuice’ and’ Ed Wood’ and ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ — all these beautiful, quirky films about outsiders searching for their place in the world appealed to me, a kid who lived in sunny, suburban Florida but loved nothing more than horror novels and gothic fantasy, Stephen King and C.S. Lewis and any story I could find about people finding doors to other worlds hidden within our own.”

He added, “I felt at times like one of Tim’s outsiders, and I was always searching for my hidden door, my magical wardrobe.”

‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ is an upcoming adventure-fantasy film scheduled to premiere in theaters on September 30, 2016. It is produced by Chernin Entertainment, Scope Pictures, St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission, and Tim Burton Productions. It is distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in the United States.