Melissa McCarthy to star in Netflix’s adaptation of the classic children’s book Miss Nelson Is Missing

Oh, my childhood! Netflix made my day by announcing an adaptation of Miss Nelson Is Missing, an unforgettable children’s book classic about the most horrifying substitute teacher, Viola Swamp! Slipping into Swamp’s cauldron-black pumps is Melissa McCarthy (The Little Mermaid, Bridesmaids). The live-action adaptation of the book by Harry Allard and James Marshall is in early development.

In Miss Nelson is Missing, the sweet Miss Nelson “disappears” to teach her unruly students a lesson in appreciation after she’s been replaced by an absurdly strict, witch-like substitute known as Miss Viola Swamp. Since Miss Nelson is Viola Swamp in disguise, McCarthy plays both parts.

Brad Copeland (Spies in Disguise, Ferdinand) will adapt the screenplay from the 1977 book Miss Nelson Is Missing, written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall. If Miss Nelson Is Missing succeeds, two more books are ready for adaptation: Miss Nelson Is Back and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.

Reese Witherspoon is a producer for Miss Nelson Is Missing, through her Hello Sunshine banner alongside Lauren Neustadter. Other producers include Melissa McCarthy, her husband, Ben Falcone, via On the Day Productions, Grey Matter’s Lawrence Grey, and HarperCollins Productions’ Caroline Fraser.

As a child of the 1980s, Miss Nelson Is Missing was mandatory reading. I definitely owned a copy, and Scholastic sold it at every book fair I could recall. Allard and Marshall’s Miss Nelson books paired nicely with books like Romona, The Berenstain Bears, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Snowy Day, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and many more.

Are you old enough to remember reading Miss Nelson Is Missing? What do you think about Melissa McCarthy playing Miss Nelson and Viola Swamp? How extreme do you think Swamp’s makeup and prosthetic nose will be? Is there another children’s book you’d like to see get a live-action adaptation? I would love a Little Critter television series or a Cordouroy movie. Let’s see your suggestions in the comments section below.

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