Netflix’s latest adaptation of the world-renowned novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is about to make its debut in a couple of months now. The novel was written in 1967 by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and in these 57 years the book has sold more than 50 million copies in 40 different languages. The book is thus one of the biggest successes of the last century. Which of course becomes a load for Netflix if they are able to capture the essence of what makes the book so loved.
About 5 months ago, Netflix dropped the first teaser of the series. While the trailer looked promising, the series will surely be put on the same scale as every book adaptation ever. “The book is better.” To say the least, there are nuances of shifting the medium of the story. There are certain liberties that must be taken in order to make the project work.
The book follows the central couple, Jose and Ursula, and the problems they face as they leave their village to find a new home. The story has hints of this longing for acceptance, which Marquez plays with throughout the novel. The journey ends with them finding a town that sees multiple generations of their family and their stories unfold over the “hundred years of solitude.”
The showrunners have already described the challenges that followed in making this 16-episode story. The writing has been taken care of by Alex Garcia Lopez and Laura Mora. The series stays true to the source material, with Colombian actors and directors, which gives the hope that the responsibility of working out this marvelous piece of literature has been taken seriously.
The first part of the series will drop on December 11 on Netflix.