Somewhere, someone at Disney must be kicking themselves. The studio who has been reworking a number of their animated classics into live-action adaptations (ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE plus CINDERELLA and a SLEEPING BEAUTY film in development), somehow missed the boat on a live-action LITTLE MERMAID film. Instead Joe Wright (ATONEMENT) is attached to direct the film for Working Title.
The film, with a new script by Abi Morgan, is expected to follow the original Hans Christian Anderson fairytale instead of the modern classic Disney
animated film. Whether the film will take place in modern time or will be a period piece, remains to be seen. While the MERMAID story has been told numerous times (most recently in Miyazaki’s PONYO), this would be the first live-action, English language adaptation.
MERMAID would be Wright’s fourth film with Working Title after teaming with them on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, ATONEMENT and THE SOLOIST. He recently wrapped production on HANNA with Saoirse Ronan who, as it turns out, would make a great Ariel…
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