With live action movies like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book in the works, it looks like Disney is trying to turn some of its most cherished animated films into flesh-and-blood remakes. And one of the biggest projects on the studio’s to-do list is a new version of Beauty and the Beast, which was one of Disney’s biggest hits in its animated form. According to a tweet from Film Divider, it looks like the studio even has a director hired for the project in Bill Condon, who helmed the final two Twilight movies:
Expect Breaking Dawn and Gods and Monsters' Bill Condon to direct Disney's live action take on Beauty and the Beast. pic.twitter.com/5Ia03vRU6a
This report hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it does make sense considering Disney’s track record. The studio usually doesn’t go out of its way to get big-time directors for projects like this; instead, these movies usually go to serviceable directors who are tasked with not screwing anything up. The audience is already sold on the Beauty and the Beast story, so there isn’t a need to add a daring artistic vision to get people’s attention.
Condon has handled rabid fanbases and insane expectations before with the Twilight franchise, and while those movies weren’t necessarily beloved by critics, they were hits with the target audience. That’s exactly what Disney is looking to do here.
If you want a really daring version of Beauty and the Beast to hit theaters, keep your hopes up that Guillermo del Toro’s planned adaptation ever sees the light of day. Although that’s not looking likely.
[Film Divider via Cinema Blend]
