A Series of Unfortunate Events (franchise)

## Print publications

### Magazine(s)

Nickelodeon Magazine (Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events Dec/Jan 2005)

## Films and television

### Film(s)

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

### Television series

A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)

## Games

### Video game(s)

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)

## Official website

### Website

Official website

***Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events*** is a Paramount media franchise based on the series of children's novels written by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The series follows the unfortunate lives of the three extremely unlucky Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, trying to get by in their difficult lives. the on-screen media franchise started with the film and ended in the tv series.

## Series overview

### Plot

The series follows the adventures of three orphaned siblings. Lemony Snicket documents their lives and explains to the readers that very few positive things happen to the children.

The series begins when the orphans are alone at a beach, where they receive news that their parents have been killed in a fire that also destroyed the family mansion. In *The Bad Beginning*, they are sent to live with a distant relative named Count Olaf after briefly living with Mr. Poe, a banker in charge of the orphans' affairs. The siblings discover that Count Olaf intends to get his hands on the enormous Baudelaire fortune, which Violet is to inherit when she reaches the age of eighteen. In the first book, Olaf attempts to marry Violet to steal the Baudelaire fortune, doing so by pretending that the marriage is the storyline for his latest play. The plan falls through when Violet uses her non-dominant hand to sign the marriage document, thus causing the marriage to be invalidated. After the crowd realizes, Olaf manages to escape with his henchmen.

In the following six books, Olaf disguises himself, finds the children, and, with help from his many accomplices, tries to steal their fortune, committing arson, murder, and other crimes. In books eight through twelve, the orphans adopt disguises while on the run from the police after Count Olaf frames them for a murder he has committed. The Baudelaires routinely try to get help from Mr. Poe, but he, like many of the adults in the series, is oblivious to the dangerous reality of the children's situation.

As the books continue, another running plot is revealed concerning a mysterious secret organization known as the Volunteer Fire Department (V.F.D.). From *The Austere Academy* onwards, the connections between the Baudelaires, the V.F.D., and their parents' deaths are slowly revealed, leading the siblings to question their previous lives and family history. The siblings become increasingly involved with the organization until they are forced to flee with Count Olaf to an island where Olaf accidentally causes the deaths of himself and possibly the idyllic colonists of the island, whose fates are left unknown. Having finally found a safe place to live, the children spend the next year raising the baby of one of their parents' friends from V.F.D. who died giving birth to the child. After a year, the siblings decide to try to return to the mainland to continue their lives.

### Setting

The books seem to be set in an alternate, "timeless" world with stylistic similarities to both the 19th century and the 1930s, though with contemporary, and seemingly anachronistic scientific knowledge. For instance, in *The Hostile Hospital*, the Baudelaire children send a message via Morse code on a telegraph, yet the general store they are in has fiber-optic cable for sale. An "advanced computer" appears in *The Austere Academy*.[*Citation needed*]

Danielle Russell, a professor at Glendon College, argues that the settings are reflective of familiar places, but are "bizarre" enough that young readers feel distanced from the world of the Baudelaires. The setting of the world has been compared to *Edward Scissorhands* in that it is "suburban gothic". While the film version sets the Baudelaire mansion in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, real places rarely appear in the books, though some are mentioned. For example, in *The Ersatz Elevator*, a book in Jerome and Esmé Squalor's library was titled *Trout, in France They're Out*. There are also references to the fictional nobility of North American regions, specifically the Duchess of Winnipeg and the King of Arizona.[*Citation needed*]

### Characters

Main: List of A Series of Unfortunate Events characters
Violet Baudelaire, the oldest child in the series, uses her inventive mind to create various helpful items, showcasing her talent and resourcefulness. Klaus Baudelaire, the middle child, is twelve when the series begins; he loves all types of books and is an extraordinary speed reader with a photographic memory. Sunny Baudelaire is a baby at the beginning of the series and enjoys biting things with her abnormally large and sharp teeth; she develops a love for cooking later in the series.

In most books, the children's skills are used to help them defeat Count Olaf's plots; for instance, Violet invents a lockpick in *The Reptile Room*. Occasionally, the children must switch roles, such as when Klaus must try inventing and Violet reading in *The Miserable Mill*. Other characters (usually other children) also have particular skills that they use to assist the Baudelaires, for example, Duncan Quagmire used his journaling skills to remember important information, Isadora wrote poems to pass notes, and Quigley Quagmire's cartography skills help Violet and Klaus in *The Slippery Slope*.

Snicket translates for the youngest Baudelaire orphan, Sunny, who in the early books almost solely uses words or phrases that make sense only to her siblings. As the series progresses, her speech often contains disguised meanings. Some words are spelled phonetically: 'Suruchi' in *The Slippery Slope* and 'Kikuchi?' in *The End*; some are spelled backwards: 'Template:Not a typo' in *The Carnivorous Carnival*, and 'Template:Not a typo' in *The Miserable Mill*. Others contain references to culture or people: for instance, when Sunny says "Busheney" (combining the last names of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, presumably), it is followed by the definition of "you are a vile man who has no regard for anyone else". Some words Sunny uses are foreign, such as "Shalom", "Sayonara", or "Arrête". Some are more complex, such as when she says "Akrofil, meaning, 'they were not afraid of heights'", which phonetically translates to acrophilia, meaning one who loves heights. She begins to use standard English words towards the end of the books, one of her longer sentences being "I'm not a baby" in *The Slippery Slope*.

When asked in a *Moment Magazine* interview about the Baudelaire children and Snicket's own Jewish heritage he replied, "Oh yeah! Yes. The Baudelaires are Jewish! I guess we would not know for sure, but we would strongly suspect it, not only from their manner but from the occasional mention of a rabbi or bar mitzvah or synagogue. The careful reader will find quite a few rabbis."

## Media

### Television

*Main article: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)*
Netflix, in association with Paramount Television, announced in November 2014 its plans to adapt the books into an original TV series with 25 total episodes spanning 3 seasons, with 2 episodes dedicated to each book, with the exception of the 13th book, The End. Author Daniel Handler serves as a writer and executive producer.

On September 4, 2015, it was announced that filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld and *True Blood* showrunner Mark Hudis had agreed to helm the series. Hudis would serve as showrunner, Sonnenfeld as director, and both as executive producers with Daniel Handler penning the scripts. On December 3, 2015, an open casting call was announced for the roles of Violet and Klaus Baudelaire, with the casting call confirming that the series would begin production in March 2016.

In January 2016, Netflix announced that Hudis had left the project. However, it was announced that Sonnenfeld and Handler were both still on board, and that Neil Patrick Harris had been cast as Count Olaf and Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes as Violet and Klaus.

In March 2016, K. Todd Freeman and Patrick Warburton were cast as Mr. Poe and Lemony Snicket respectively. The first season, consisting of eight episodes that cover the first four books, was released worldwide on Netflix on January 13, 2017. *A Series of Unfortunate Events* was renewed for a second season, which was released on March 30, 2018, and consisted of ten episodes that adapt books five through nine of the novel series. The television series was also renewed for a third and final season, which was released on January 1, 2019, consisting of seven episodes that adapted the final four books. The last book, *The End*, was adapted into one episode instead of the standard two episodes.

### Film

*Main article: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events*
*Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events* is a film adaptation of the first three titles in the series, mixing the various events and characters into one story. It was released in United States on December 17, 2004 by Paramount Pictures and Internationally by DreamWorks Pictures. Directed by Brad Seiberling, it stars Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, Billy Connolly as Uncle Monty, Emily Browning as Violet, Liam Aiken as Klaus, Timothy Spall as Mr. Poe, and Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. The film was financially successful, and received generally positive reviews but received criticism over its comical tone.

Considering the success of the movie, the director and some of the lead actors hinted that they were keen on making a sequel, but no script was written.[*Citation needed*]

Browning has said that further films would have to be produced quickly, as the children do not age much throughout the book series.

In 2008, Daniel Handler stated in a Bookslut Interview that another film was in the works, but had been delayed by corporate shake-ups at Paramount Pictures. In June 2009, Silberling confirmed he still talked about the project with Handler, and suggested the sequel be a stop motion film because the lead actors have grown too old. "In an odd way, the best thing you could do is actually have Lemony Snicket say to the audience, 'Okay, we pawned the first film off as a mere dramatization with actors. Now I'm afraid I'm going to have to show you the real thing.'"

### Video game

*Main article: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)*
*Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events* is a video game based on the film that was released in 2004 by Adenium Games and Activision for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and PC. The player plays as all three orphans at points in the game, and encounters characters such as Mr. Poe, Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine, along with villains such as Count Olaf, the Hook-Handed Man, the White-Faced Women, and the Bald Man. The game, like the movie, follows only the first three books in the series.

A separate casual game titled *A Series of Unfortunate Events* was published by Oberon Media the same year as a different tie-in to the books. Set in Count Olaf's house, the game involves his six associates and many objects they use in Olaf's efforts to capture the children. Gameplay includes three difficulty levels and two game modes: Deduction Junction and Swap Monster.

## References

1. ↑ Snicket, Lemony (1999). *The Bad Beginning*, A Series of Unfortunate Events. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-440766-7.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Butt, Bruce (December 2003). "'He's behind you!': Reflections on Repetition and Predictability in Lemony Snicket's *A Series of Unfortunate Events*". *Children's Literature in Education* **34** (4): 277–286. Springer. doi:10.1023/B:CLID.0000004895.65809.71.
3. ↑ Snicket, Lemony (2003). *The Hostile Hospital*, A Series of Unfortunate Events. HarperCollins, page 18. ISBN 1-4052-0612-8.
4. ↑ Russell, Danielle (2010). "Familiarity Breeds a Following: Transcending the Formulaic in the Snicket Series", *Telling Children's Stories: Narrative Theory and Children's Literature*. University of Nebraska Press, page 22–43. ISBN 9780803215689. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1dfnsch.6.
5. ↑ Snicket, Lemony (2001). *The Ersatz Elevator*, A Series of Unfortunate Events. HarperCollins, page 42. ISBN 1-4052-0872-4.
6. ↑ Snicket, Lemony (2003). *The Slippery Slope*, A Series of Unfortunate Events. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-441013-7.
7. ↑ Nadine Epstein. "The Jewish Secrets of Lemony Snicket", *Moment Magazine*, February 2007.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Neil Patrick Harris to Star in Netflix's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' as Showrunner Exits". *The Hollywood Reporter* (January 15, 2016).
9. ↑ "Netflix Adapting Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' Into TV Show", *The Hollywood Reporter*.
10. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (September 4, 2015). "Netflix's Lemony Snicket Series Taps 'True Blood's' Mark Hudis, Barry Sonnenfeld (EXCLUSIVE)". *Variety*.
11. ↑ "Q&A: Lemony Snicket representative discusses latest book, past misfortunes – the Daily Texan".
12. ↑ "A Series Of Unfortunate Events Online Search". *lemonysnicketcasting.com*.
13. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (January 26, 2016). "Netflix's Series Of Unfortunate Events casts its Violet and Klaus". *Entertainment Weekly*.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
14. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 14, 2016). "Neil Patrick Harris Set To Star In Netflix's 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' Series". *Deadline*.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
15. ↑ Petski, Denise (March 8, 2016). "K. Todd Freeman Joins Netflix's 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events'; Anna Torv in 'Mindhunter'". *Deadline*.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
16. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (March 14, 2016). "Patrick Warburton to Star as Lemony Snicket in Netflix Drama".
17. ↑ "The Teaser for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Coming to Netflix". ComingSoon.net (October 4, 2016).
18. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse. "New trailer and release date revealed for A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2", *The Independent*, January 1, 2018.
19. ↑ Snetiker, Marc (January 11, 2017). "Lemony Snicket speaks out about Netflix's Series of Unfortunate Events". *Entertainment Weekly*. Retrieved January 12, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
20. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (April 4, 2017). "A Series of Unfortunate Events Renewal Extended Through Season 3 at Netflix". *TVLine*.
21. ↑ "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)". *IMDb*.
22. ↑ "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events". unfortunateeventsmovie.com.
23. ↑ "The Bothersome Books – The Bad Beginning: Movie Tie-in Edition". “I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely boring. If you are looking for a good time, you would have a better time watching a motion picture starring a handsome count. – *Count Olaf*”
24. ↑ "Interview Emily Browning — Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events". darkhorizons.com (December 13, 2004).
25. ↑ Scott, Ronnie (October 2008). "AN INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL HANDLER".
26. ↑ Ditzian, Eric. "*Lemony Snicket* Director Brad Silberling Plans To Do Each Film In Different Medium", *MTV News*, June 3, 2009.
27. ↑ "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Game News", kidzworld.com.