‘Hanna’ A Portrait Of Teen Absolved Of Convention And Good At Quick Kill – TCA

UPDATED with video: Season 1 of Amazon’s Hanna will hit Amazon Prime Video on March 29.

It’s is based on the 2011 assassin pic directed by Joe Wright, but goes in ” different tonal direction,”  EP David Farr told TV critics at TCA, shortly after Amazon released the trailer.

“TV, in my head, is more a writers’ medium” said Farr, who also co-wrote the feature, . Farr said sought Wright’s blessing on the project, who urged Farr “just don’t copy it.”

About 75% of the narrative is “completely new and creates a world we hope has a big future,” Farr said.

Esme Creed-MIles, who plays Hanna, describes the 15-year-old as someone who, having spent her whole life in complete isolation in the Polish wilderness  is absolved of convention.”

The movie starred Saoirse Ronan as the daughter of an ex-government operative who turns her into a killing machine. In the film, she uses all her skills to try to reunite with her father.

Sarah Adina-Smith, who directed the first two episodes of the Amazon series, said she wanted to look at “how girls can be strong in girl’s bodies.” Lacking the size of men, it means “being ruthless,” she enthused.

“Kicking in the nuts and biting ears off,” Creed-Miles chimed in.

“We wanted it to be quick and to the point,” Adina-Smith added of the action sequences, explaining Hanna’s father would have taught her “make her kill quickly.”

Being a small girl, Creed-Miles added helpfully, she has “to gouge eyes out.”

One TV critic noted they had seen more female directors on stage at this TCA than in the past several years put together, wondering if there is a difference between male and female directors. Adina-Smith said she thinks it’s about it being time women got these jobs, adding that it’s “hard to say because we’re just starting to explore it.

Audience, she insisted are “hungry for storytellers of all different kinds of backgrounds.”

Added Farr: “We went for the director we thought would best tell the story. Sarah has this energy and drive to tell it her way. It’s as important that she was a painter.”