Fate: The Winx Saga
Fate: The Winx Saga is a teen drama series based on the Nickelodeon animated series Winx Club,[3][4] which was created by Iginio Straffi. It is produced by Archery Pictures in association with Rainbow, a studio co-owned by Iginio Straffi and ViacomCBS.[2] Fate was developed by Brian Young, who also acts as the showrunner and executive producer.
Fate: The Winx Saga | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Brian Young |
Based on | Winx Club by Iginio Straffi |
Starring |
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Composer | Anne Nikitin |
Country of origin |
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Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Production location | Ireland |
Cinematography |
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Editors |
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Running time | 47–53 minutes |
Production companies |
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Distributor | Netflix |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Picture format | |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | 22 January 2021 – present |
External links | |
Official website |
Iginio Straffi first proposed a live-action version of Winx Club in 2011, after Viacom (owner of Nickelodeon) became a co-owner of his studio and started financing his projects.[5] Before approving production on the series, Straffi gained experience with live-action television shows, working as a producer for Nickelodeon's Club 57.[6] Principal photography for Fate eventually began in September 2019 in Ireland.
Early in production, Nickelodeon's American crew members from the cartoon (including Bloom's voice actress, Molly Quinn)[7] met with the Fate production team and reviewed the pilot script.[7] Rainbow's Joanne Lee also oversaw the show as an executive producer. Apart from them, the crew behind Fate is entirely new to the Winx franchise, and the writers were recruited from teen dramas like The Vampire Diaries.[8]
The series features an ensemble cast based on the characters of the animated show, with Abigail Cowen in the lead role of Bloom. The six-episode first season debuted on Netflix on 22 January 2021[9] to mixed reviews.
Plot
Bloom, a fairy with fire powers, enrolls at a magical boarding school in the Otherworld called Alfea College. There, she shares a suite with Stella (a light fairy), Aisha (a water fairy), Terra (an earth fairy), and Musa (a mind fairy). With the help of her four new friends, Bloom starts to learn more about her past. Meanwhile, ancient creatures called the Burned Ones return to the Otherworld and threaten everyone at Alfea.
Cast and characters
Main
- Abigail Cowen as Bloom, a 16-year-old fire fairy who was raised on Earth by human parents. She is a first-year student at Alfea and Aisha's roommate. She discovers that she is a changeling.
- Hannah van der Westhuysen as Stella, a fashionable light fairy and the princess of Solaria. Unlike her suitemates, she is a second-year student.
- Precious Mustapha as Aisha, an athletic water fairy. She is a first-year student and Bloom's roommate.
- Eliot Salt as Terra Harvey, an earth fairy and Sam's sister. She is Flora's cousin. She was raised at Alfea but has trouble connecting with her suitemates, especially her roommate Musa.
- Elisha Applebaum as Musa, a mind fairy who feels other people's emotions. She is a first-year student and Terra's roommate.
- Danny Griffin as Sky, Stella's ex-boyfriend and son of the late Andreas of Eraklyon. He was raised by Silva and is a second-year Specialist student.
- Sadie Soverall as Beatrix, an air fairy who can manipulate electricity. She is a first-year student, trying to discover more about Alfea's dark history.
- Freddie Thorp as Riven, a second-year Specialist student and Sky's best friend. He is romantically involved with Beatrix.
- Eva Birthistle[lower-alpha 1] as Vanessa Peters, Bloom's adoptive mother. Because of an incident where Bloom lost control over her powers, she is covered in healed burn wounds.
- Robert James-Collier as Saul Silva, the Fencing instructor at Alfea and Sky's guardian. He used to be friends with Sky's father.
- Eve Best as Farah Dowling, Headmistress of Alfea.
- Lesley Sharp[lower-alpha 2] as Rosalind, a previous headmistress of Alfea.
Recurring
- Theo Graham as Dane, a first-year Specialist student who befriends Terra, Riven and Beatrix. He has a crush on both Riven and Beatrix.
- Josh Cowdery as Mike Peters, Bloom's adoptive father. Like Vanessa, he does not know that Bloom is a fairy and not his real daughter.
- Alex Macqueen as Professor Harvey, Terra and Sam's father, the botany teacher at Alfea.
- Harry Michell as Callum, Dowling's assistant.
- Jacob Dudman as Sam Harvey, an earth fairy and Terra's brother, who has the ability to phase through walls and objects. He starts dating Musa.
- Kate Fleetwood as Queen Luna, Stella's mother and Solaria's queen.
Guest
- Ken Duken as Andreas, celebrated war hero, Sky's father and Beatrix's adoptive father.
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [10] |
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1 | "To the Waters and the Wild" | Lisa James Larsson | Teleplay by : Brian Young | 22 January 2021 |
2 | "No Strangers Here" | Lisa James Larsson | Speed Weed | 22 January 2021 |
3 | "Heavy Mortal Hopes" | Hannah Quinn | Victoria Bata | 22 January 2021 |
4 | "Some Wrecked Angel" | Hannah Quinn | Niceole R. Levy | 22 January 2021 |
5 | "Wither Into the Truth" | Stephen Woolfenden | Teleplay by : Victoria Bata Story by : Sarah Hooper | 22 January 2021 |
6 | "A Fanatic Heart" | Stephen Woolfenden | Brian Young | 22 January 2021 |
Production
Development
The idea for a live-action adaptation of Winx Club dates back to 2011. Winx Club creator Iginio Straffi first proposed a live version in May 2011, several months after Viacom (owner of Nickelodeon) became a co-owner of his studio (Rainbow) and started financing his projects.[5][11] At the Ischia Global Fest in 2013, Straffi stated that he was still planning a production "with the Winx in flesh and blood, played by real actors. Sooner or later it will be done."[12] At the time, Straffi had only worked on animated productions, so he transitioned his focus to live action over the next few years as a producer for Nickelodeon's live-action show Club 57.[6]
In February 2016, Straffi mentioned that a live-action movie concept was being considered in partnership with Hollywood Gang Productions. Straffi described the project as "a dream of mine since the very beginning." The project never moved on.[13] In March 2018, the idea was revisited as a television series when Straffi and Netflix announced that a young adult live-action series had been ordered for the streaming service.[14]
After a pilot episode was scripted, Nickelodeon's American crew members from the cartoon (including Bloom's voice actress, Molly Quinn)[7] met with the Fate production team and reviewed the script.[7] Rainbow's Joanne Lee also oversaw the show as an executive producer. Apart from them, the crew behind Fate is entirely new to the Winx franchise, and the writers were recruited from teen dramas like The Vampire Diaries.[8] Brian Young, who worked on seven seasons of The Vampire Diaries,[15] is the creator and showrunner of Fate: The Winx Saga.[16] According to an interview with The Guardian, Young chose to "ditch the look" of the cartoon Winx fairies, who have big eyes and sparkling outfits. He said, "Look, again, I'm a massive manga anime fan... but nobody looks like that."[8] Some episodes of the first season were directed by Lisa James Larsson and Hannah Quinn.[17][3][16]
Filming
The show's filming began in County Wicklow, Ireland in September 2019[16] and ended on December 13.[20] The first season's primary filming locations included Killruddery House[21] and Ardmore Studios in Bray.[22][23]
Reception
Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 38% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 5.33/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Flat, flimsy, and forgettable, Fate: The Winx Saga is a fantastical flop that fails to capture the magic of its source material."[24]
Controversy
The series received backlash over the casting of Applebaum as Musa, who was coded as East Asian and whose character design was based on Lucy Liu, as well as the apparent replacement of Flora, who was coded as Latina and whose character design was based on Jennifer Lopez, with a new white character named Terra.[25][26]
Merchandising
On February 2, 2021, Rainbow S.p.A. named themselves as the exclusive global consumer products licensor for the show.[27]
On the same day; a novelization of the first season, titled The Fairies' Path, was released. It features bonus scenes and character backstories not seen on the show. It was written by Ava Corrigan.[28]
Notes
- Birthistle was only credited as "Starring" in the episodes she appears in.
- Sharp was only credited as "Starring" in the episodes that she appears in.
References
- Weiss, Josh (10 December 2020). "Nickelodeon's 'Winx Club' enters live-action with teaser for 'Fate: The Winx Saga' coming to Netflix". Syfy.
- Lloyd, Brian (17 September 2019). "Netflix's latest TV series, 'Fate: The Winx Saga', is now filming in Ireland". Entertainment.ie.
- Cook, Laurence (14 October 2019). "Fate: The Winx Saga". Backstage.
- Alissa Evans. "Fate: The Winx Saga Trailer - Netflix Gets Their Harry Potter". Screen Rant.
- Goodridge, Mike (13 May 2011). "Paramount strikes deal for Rainbow's Not Born To Be Gladiators". Screen International.
Viacom owns 30% of Rainbow [...] Straffi says he has a dream to make Winx Club into a live action movie.
- "TV Kids: Iginio Straffi". Worldscreen. 22 May 2019.
- Molly Quinn [@MollyQuinn93] (8 January 2021). "I did get to meet with the great production team and read the pilot! It'll be a fun show and I think the casting is wonderful" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Jones, Ellen (10 December 2020). "'Boys can be fairies – it's the 21st century': How Fate: The Winx Saga finds the reality in fantasy". The Guardian.
- Swift, Andy (10 December 2020). "Fate: The Winx Saga, Based on Animated Series, Gets 2021 Premiere Date on Netflix — Watch Teaser". TVLine. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- "Fate: The Winx Saga – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- "Il Mercato e l'Industria del Cinema in Italia 2010 (pages 70-71)" (PDF). Fondazione ente dello spettacolo. 2010. p. 70-71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2013.
- "Il papà delle Winx". Il Giornale di Vicenza (in Italian). 22 July 2013.
- Busch, Anita (10 February 2016). "'Winx Club' To Get Big Screen & Live-Action Treatment Via Hollywood Gang". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Petski, Denise (14 March 2018). ""Winx Club": Netflix Adapting Italian Animated Franchise As YA Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- Kacala, Alexander (10 December 2020). "Netflix releases trailer for 'Winx Club' remake: 'Fate: The Winx Saga'". Today.
- "Netflix young adult series Fate: The Winx Saga begins filming in Ireland". RTÉ. 17 September 2019.
- "Live-Action 'Winx Club' Series In Pre-Production At Netflix, Brian Young Set As Showrunner (EXCLUSIVE)". 31 July 2019.
- Kinsella, Rudi (15 August 2019). "There's an open casting call for young adults and teenagers to appear in a new Netflix series". Joe.
- Doyle, Liam (14 August 2019). "Open casting call for new fantasy Netflix series". Wicklow News.
- Jackson, Steph (13 October 2020). "Fate: The Winx Saga release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know". Cosmopolitan.
- "Sheena McGinley's streaming pick of the week - Fate: The Winx Saga". Irish Independent. 22 January 2021.
- Moran, Fionnuala (22 January 2021). "Did you spot these Irish stars in Netflix's new drama Fate: The Winx Saga". Evoke.ie. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- "On-demand giant commissions new version of TV saga made in Ashford Studios". Irish Times. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- "FATE: THE WINX SAGA: SEASON 1 (2020 - 2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- Nugent, Annabel (11 December 2020). "Netflix criticised for whitewashing two characters in Winx Club adaptation". The Independent. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- Schroeder, Audra (10 December 2020). "Fans aren't happy about 'whitewashing' of Netflix's 'Winx Club' adaptation". Daily Dot. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- https://www.licenseglobal.com/streaming-and-tv/rainbow-rep-fate-winx-saga
- "The Fairies' Path (Fate: The Winx Saga Tie-in Novel)". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 27 January 2021.