Raise your hand if you've been personally traumatised by Watership Down.
The beautiful-but-disturbing 1978 animated classic saw a group of rabbits fleeing their warren in Watership Down to a promised land, led by Fiver and Hazel. That film itself was adapted from Richard Adams' novel, which also spawned a television series in the late '90s.
It's now been confirmed that Brown Bag Films will be working on the animation for this latest adaptation, which also boasts a huge cast of voices. James McAvoy, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton, Olivia Colman and Sir Ben Kingsley all confirmed for roles.
James McAvoy will voice Hazel, originally voiced by John Hurt in the 1978 version, whilst Nicholas Hoult will voice Fiver. Sir Ben Kingsley, meanwhile, will voice the villainous General Wormwound whilst Gemma Arterton will voice Strawberry.
Speaking to producer Roy Aitkin, he told us that the four-part series won't "shy away from the darkness", but stresses that this Watership Down is an adaptation of Richard Adams' novel, not a remake of the 1978 film. Like the original, the film will use well-known actors and voices from their generation.
Cathal Gaffney of Brown Bag Films said that "we are thrilled to be partnering with 42 on a CG adaptation of Richard Adams’ beloved novel. It is a privilege to be involved in such an iconic property and incredibly exciting for all of us in the studio to have the opportunity to bring this modern classic to a new generation."
The film will be directed by 300: Rise Of An Empire's Noam Murro, who will lead up an animation team made up of Brown Bag Films and a team led by animation veterans Hugo Sands and Pete Dodd. The four-part series will debut on BBC and Netflix, with an expected release date for 2017.
