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‘Mr. Pip,’ a Dickens-inspired movie, by way of Princess Fiona

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The director of ‘Shrek’ and a Dickens-flavored novel wouldn’t be the most likely combination in the world. But the two will be paired up for a new film announced Wednesday.

Andrew Adamson, who directed the first two movies in the ‘Shrek’ and ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ franchises, will tackle the independently financed ‘Mr. Pip,’ an adaptation of an acclaimed 2006 novel by Lloyd Jones. Jones’ ‘Mister Pip,’ short-listed for the Booker Prize, tells of a man who seeks to reopen a school on the war-torn island of Bougainville in the early 1990s, prompting children and teacher to bond over characters from his favorite book, ‘Great Expectations.’

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The New Zealand production (both Jones and Adamson hail from the country) will feature ‘House’ star Hugh Laurie as the teacher. Laurie is poised to make a jump to big-screen leading man via ‘The Oranges,’ a romantic drama co-starring Leighton Meester that recently finished shooting.

Booker-approved novels featuring children and whimsy will also appear on the big screen when Ang Lee brings his ‘Life of Pi’ to theaters next year.

-- Steven Zeitchik
Twitter.com / ZeitchikLAT

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