What happens when you rewrite a classic piece of literature? In the case ofTo Kill a Mockingbird, you might get sued. AuthorHarper Leesigned a contract authorizing a play adaptation of her classic novel in June 2015, just before she died, and producerScott Rudinenlisted talented wordsmithAaron Sorkinto write the adaptation. But given thatTo Kill a Mockingbirddeals with racial tensions and was published in 1960, Sorkin sought to update the story and its characters to comment on the world we live in today.
PerThe New York Times,the Lee Estate argues that’s in direct breach of contract, which stipulates that the characters and plot must remain faithful to the spirit of the book. The chief complaint is that Sorkin’s version of Atticus Finch portrays him as a man who begins the drama as “a naïve apologist for the racial status quo.” Rudin and Ms. Lee’s lawyerTonja B. Cartermet in February to discuss concerns about the script, but the “heated” conversation ended without a resolution.
Speaking with the New York Times, Rudin defended Sorkin’s changes saying:
“I can’t and won’t present a play that feels like it was written in the year the book was written in terms of its racial politics: It wouldn’t be of interest.The world has changed since then.”
Sorkin teased his new adaptation in an interview withVulturelast September, revealing his alterations to the story:
“As far as Atticus and his virtue goes, this is a different take onMockingbirdthan Harper Lee’s or Horton Foote’s. He becomes Atticus Finch by the end of the play, and while he’s going along, he has a kind of running argument with Calpurnia, the housekeeper, which is a much bigger role in the play I just wrote. He is in denial about his neighbors and his friends and the world around him, that it is as racist as it is, that a Maycomb County jury could possibly put Tom Robinson in jail when it’s so obvious what happened here. He becomes an apologist for these people.”
That certainly draws direct corollaries to recent events.Jeff Danielsis set to play Atticus in the Broadway play, which is scheduled to begin previews on November 1st and open on December 13th. But those dates are now in doubt due to this lawsuit, and if Lee’s estate gets its way, Sorkin’s version ofTo Kill a Mockingbirdwon’t see the light of day.
While I understand wanting to protect the sanctity of this literary classic, I also think Sorkin’s adaptation marks an interesting exercise, and I’d be curious to see how it turns out. Moreover, Lee’s estate went ahead and published Lee’s unfinished follow-upGo Set a Watchmen, which was basically an incomplete manuscript, so arguing that this new adaptation ofTo Kill a Mockingbirdisn’t what Lee would have wanted is a bit strange.
