Netflix is reportedly developing a live-action adaptation of the classic children’s picture book Miss Nelson Is Missing, with Melissa McCarthy tapped for the lead role. The original 1977 book, written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall, depicts a kindly teacher who can’t rein in her badly behaved classroom; she is then seemingly replaced by a cruel substitute counterpart.
Miss Nelson Is Missing was followed by two additional books, Miss Nelson Is Back and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day. The books achieved various awards, while the final installment was adapted into a short film. There is also a Miss Nelson Is Missing! stage musical, based on the plot of the first book.
Deadline broke the news that Brad Copeland would be adapting Miss Nelson Is Missing into a live-action feature, with McCarthy in the dual role of Miss Nelson and (spoilers) Miss Viola Swamp. McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, are producing under their company On the Day Productions, alongside Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter under Hello Sunshine.
Additional producers include Lawrence Grey for Grey Matter, Caroline Fraser for HarperCollins. No additional cast members have been confirmed at this time, but the only other major characters in the books are the students that make up Miss Nelson’s class, and the production will likely soon be looking for a number of child actors.
What This Means For Miss Nelson Is Missing
Miss Nelson Is Missing is a tricky source material to meaningfully adapt, largely serving as a cautionary tale, telling children to appreciate adults who are being as kind as they can while doing their jobs of educating them. Copeland is a strategically chosen filmmaker, as he previously directed the decently reviewed movie adaptation of the children’s book The Story of Ferdinand (2017’s Ferdinand).
The dual role of Miss Nelson and Miss Viola Swamp is rich in the space of comedic, campy, and exaggerated performance, and McCarthy is the perfect person to take it on. However, when the story is essentially a reversed Matilda in how it examines classroom dynamics, the team needs to know exactly what point they want to make in order to have a strong script.
Our Take On Melissa McCarthy’s Miss Nelson Is Missing
However, Miss Nelson Is Missing has the makings of a streaming hit. Assuming that Netflix debuts it on streaming, it will be readily available, have a broad target audience (presumably being a family-friendly feature), winning over adults as well as childing with McCarthy’s performance and the fond memories it provokes of reading this book while growing up.