According to a casting call from backstage.com, a Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time film is in the works. However, apart from the mention that the film is looking for an actor of any ethnicity, any gender and aged between 14-17, we know precisely diddly squat about the upcoming Curious Incident film – except that it is to be produced by Warner Bros; the studio behind My Dog Skip, I am Legend and Max (wow, they REALLY like killing dogs).
So, in the absence of cold hard facts, today I wanted to step in front of the speculation and, instead, suggest 6 elements The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time film should cut/keep from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time book.
[Beware spoilers aplenty for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time book, play and (likely) film.]
1. Make it Accessible
Due to brief chapters, unique visuals and, for the most part, the complete absence of metaphors, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is easily one of the most accessible books you’ll find on the shelf.
This is part of the story’s grand appeal, as it means that both parents and children have something to enjoy in it’s pages – which is why opting to overstuff the film with complexities would only limit its appeal.
Yes, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a mystery, but it’s the figures which make up Christopher’s world that making the book exhilarating, not the tension of finding the dog’s killer. As such, film makers would do well to avoid the serious tones of a whodunnit like Zodiac and, instead, they could target something with a wider appeal and the character driven candidness of a Veronica Mars.
2. Tone down Christopher
I can almost see it now, somewhere in Hollywood there’s a group of studio executives standing around a whiteboard, writing different traits which will define The Curious Incident’s lead character. They’ve all read the book (well skimmed a few chapters at least), and now they are proceeding to throw every known trait of autism at this board.
Somewhere in the back, a lowly intern raises their hand and says, ‘Maybe we should focus on the depth of only a handful of individual traits instead of a surface level depiction of everything?’, before the room falls silent and then breaks up for lunch.
When they return, the intern’s seat is now empty and their disappearance is glossed over during the recap, except for the fact that on the studio’s noticeboard there now sits a note that says, ‘Hiring new interns’ and that ‘Individual thinkers need not apply’.
The reason I can write this with such confidence is because I am certain this exact situation has happened many a time before – as what else could explain why so many potentially groundbreaking autism films give us the same old autistic depiction time and again? But, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time film has a chance to break this cycle by not making Christopher a depiction of every autistic stereotype and, instead, following that intern’s advice.
(Photo Credit: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
3. An Autism Consultant is a MUST
That being said, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time film is already off to a bad start as, to put it bluntly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is not a very good representation of autism. This is because, by all admission of it’s author Mark Haddon, there was ‘no research for Curious Incident’ and, as such, the book’s lead: Christopher, reacts to situations in ways that any autistic person would (and should) have pointed out as ‘wrong’ before the book even left its first draft.
This could be redeemed in a Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time film however, by hiring someone who:
- Can right the ship of misrepresentation
- Provide pointers from real life experiences
- Can exorcise the silly out of anyone who tries to include the section where Christopher starts barking at random strangers on the subway
Times have changed since the book’s release in 2003 and, while in the past, a representation could scrape by on a passing knowledge of autism, when a film is going to depict 1% of the entire population to a mass audience, it has to be done right.
4. Don’t be Afraid to Modernize
While reports of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time film seem to suspect that the story will be reimagined in an American setting, this doesn’t immediately spell disaster as previous adaptions of the book (that’s right, this isn’t the first Curious Incident movie) have seen Christopher’s journey retold to great applause in India and with a cat instead of a dog in the film Kia and Cosmos.
The moral of the story here isn’t that the film can be completely gutted and altered for any audience though, instead, it shows that, by taking the skeleton of what makes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time so great, it’s then that the filmakers can explore new ways to update the narrative whilst still capturing the book’s mojo. For example:
- In 2019, do people still react with hostility to autistic people or is it more likely they would be patronizing and unaware of what Chris can accomplish?
- With knife crime on the rise, could Chris’ reliance on a swiss army knife be explored in new ways?
- Could the conflict between Chris’ parent’s be caused by their parenting not living up to the online idea framed by social media
(Photo Credit: AVA)
5. Lean into the Book’s Moral Ambiguity
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time isn’t a story of heroes and villains, good doesn’t triumph over evil, Chris doesn’t use his savant mathematics to defuse a bomb at the last second and no one gets their comeuppance. It’s a relatable tale where people are challenged by the everyday and to avoid exploring the blurred line that the book walks would be the film’s undoing.
Unfortunately, I can definitely see a film adaptation of this classic book going the obvious Hollywood route when everything is done to the soundtrack of a million screeching violins. However, I would much prefer an exploration of a character who speaks the truth in a world where not everything is black and white.
Sometimes less is more and Warner Bros would do well remembering this.
6. Hire A Diverse Cast
When it comes to finding the right cast, I believe that talent comes first (so, no, autistic characters should not be played exclusively by autistic actors). HOWEVER, whether Warner Bros like it or not, this film has the potential to set a new level of autism understanding for the years to come. So, until the inevitable Rosie Project film is announced (hopefully starring Joseph Gordan Levitt and Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The strengths/weakness of the film will be attached to our community for a considerable time.
This means that, regardless of ethnicity or even gender (yes ‘Chris’ could easily be a girl), every effort must be made to show a rounded depiction of autism so that Christopher doesn’t become a rainman-esque stereotype.
This can easily be done through the Atypical model of getting on board autistic actors to play Christopher’s class (so long as they have diverse personalities) or by showing how Christopher has developed/regressed through flashbacks. The Curious Incident in the Dog in the Night-Time has certainly had a mixed reception from our community over the years so wouldn’t it be ideal if this timeless mystery righted the riddle of where Hollywood’s autism films have been going wrong all along?
(Photo Credit: Netflix)
Carry on the Conversation:
What would you like to see from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time film? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you would like to throw some possible casting suggestion for a potential The Rosie Project film, I would love to hear these also.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
