Frank Miller's Netflix Series 'Cursed' Adds '13 Reasons Why' Star Katherine Langford
Katherine Langford is boarding another Netflix series. After becoming the breakout star of 13 Reasons Why — in which she was so good that the teen drama kept finding excuses to bring her dead character back in season 2 — Langford has been cast in the Frank Miller Netflix series, Cursed.
Langford is the first to join the Cursed cast, taking on the lead role of a "teenage heroine with a mysterious gift" in the YA twist on the King Arthur legend.
Langford has been cast as a teenage Nimue, a supernaturally gifted heroine "who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake," in the adaptation of the YA novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Cursed is a YA spin on the classic Arthurian legend of the Lady of the Lake written by Wheeler and illustrated by Miller. But curiously, the book has not yet been published despite the series adaptation receiving the green light from Netflix — likely due to Miller's huge profile in the comics world and Netflix's eagerness to craft its own cache of comic book content. Cursed, which is due to be published in fall 2019, is described by Netflix as:
"[A] coming-of-age story whose themes are familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious terror, senseless war, and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible."
Zetna Fuentes (How to Get Away with Murder, Shameless, The Chi) has been tapped as the director of the first two episodes. She'll also serve as an executive producer with Miller and Wheeler, while Silenn Thomas is set to co-executive produce the series.
But Cursed is kind of a left-field project from Miller, who is best known for establishing the grim-dark tone that the DC films are so well known for now with classic graphic novels like The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and 300. YA is not a genre I would expect for Miller to dabble in, though the comic book writer has made some recent efforts to distance himself from his former nihilistic and brutal style.
"I have always been entranced by the mythological Arthur story — and by Nimue, in particular," Miller told Entertainment Weekly when the project was announced. He added:
"It can be interpreted in any number of ways — from a delightful children's story, as in The Sword in the Stone, to a terrifying interpretation like Excalibur. This tale represents an incredible opportunity and an exciting challenge for me as an illustrator, and I'm excited to collaborate on the story with Thomas Wheeler. I inherited a collection of antique children's books from my mother, and I've always wanted to have a crack at it myself. This project is a dream come true."
With Langford leading the Cursed cast, Miller's attempt to get back in touch with a more childish side to himself will likely pay off with the teen crowd. Langford has proven to be a rising young star, stealing scenes in the Netflix teen suicide drama 13 Reasons Why and the gay teen coming-of-age film Love, Simon. And now with her role in Cursed, she could finally tap into the goth witch look that she always rocks at red carpets.