Whether or not the 2004 film of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events succeeded in adapting the books, few would argue that Jim Carrey’s take on the devious Count Olaf at least made an impression. Now, the Netflix series of the same name has an incredible get, tapping Neil Patrick Harris for the elaborate role, though perhaps at the cost of its showrunner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, former How I Met Your Mother star Harris is in talks for the iconic role in Netflix’s adaptation, weeks after casting notices for the story’s child protagonists. That said, showrunner Mark Hudis appears to have left the project (he also left True Blood rather hastily after joining), while Netflix has yet to name a replacement, or issue any comment.

So reads Netflix’s official synopsis for the series:

A Series of Unfortunate Events recounts the tale of the orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire at the hands of the villainous Count Olaf, as they face trials and tribulations, misfortunes, and an evil uncle in search of their fortune, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents’ death. The books have sold more than 65 million copies and have been translated into 43 languages. The epic series will be executive produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, who will also direct a number of episodes, and Daniel Handler, legal, literary and social representative for Lemony Snicket.

As developed by Paramount TV and novel series author Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket is a pen name), Netflix’s new live-action adaptation of the beloved series of books will follow orphans Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Apart from Jim Carrey’s unsuccessful, but appreciated 2004 take on the material the Series of Unfortunate Events novels have spawned a great deal of merchandise, from board games to albums.

Netflix will surely have more to say of A Series of Unfortunate Events this coming Sunday at TCA, but check out the fake teaser, and original trailer for good measure:

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