Hold on to your 3D glasses–Disney’s at it again.
With Oz: The Great and Powerful opening with nearly $80 million domestically and becoming the #1 movie at the Global Box Office this week, Disney has added yet another live-action-CGI hybrid to its slate.
This time around, it’s- wait for it- Beauty and the Beast. Sigh.
That’s right- apparently Disney is in talks with UK-based writer Joe Ahearne (who wrote the Danny Boyle-directed Trance) to create a new adaptation of their own 1991 animated classic. The current title of the film is simply, The Beast. And as you can probably guess from the title, it’s a take on the Tale As Old As Time- from the Beast’s perspective.
The film will be produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman and Disney’s LouAnne Brickhouse will most likely direct.
Rant time. Enough already, please? Disney is rumored to also be planning an adaptation of Cinderella. They’re releasing Maleficent– a spin on Sleeping Beauty next year. In the past three years, we’ve seen new live-action, CGI-heavy adaptations of popular tales like Alice in Wonderland (which grossed $1 billion worldwide), Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Beastly (another adaptation of Beauty and the Beast), Jack The Giant Slayer, Snow White and the Huntsman and Oz: The Great and Powerful.
While Oz can be excused for not being a twist on a well known tale, but more of a prequel, let’s face it- the reviews say it all. Most of the above mentioned movies have not been hits with critics. Even box office returns are dwindling now that the 3D craze is fading. I suspect the reason Disney and all the other studios are making these movies is quick cash. Clearly quality is being compromised in exchange for box office receipts.
The strange thing is that Disney is probably going ahead with their adaptation of Beauty and the Beast despite the recent movie Beastly and Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation starring Emma Watson.
Which brings me back to the ol’ question: are these adaptations really necessary? I really don’t hear people clamoring for twisted adaptations of fairy tales. And also, why, Disney? Leave your classics alone, and focus your energies on original fare. We’ll thank you for that. /End Rant/
In other news, I’m holding my breath for an adaptation of The Little Mermaid called Flounder.
Thanks to Deadline for the news!