Disney's box office reign continued this past weekend with Black Panther, which broke records on its way to a $242 million holiday opening. But if you thought the Ryan Coogler-directed superhero epic would be the Mouse House's only triumph this year, you're sorely mistaken (also- have you been living under a rock?). Possible acquisitions from the Fox deal notwithstanding, Disney has Avengers: Infinity War, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Incredibles 2, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, just in the next five months alone. Oh, and did I mention that they love remaking their old animated classics in the form of live-action extravaganzas? After the runaway success of Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book, Disney realized that revisiting everyone's favorite childhood stories was basically an excuse to print money. Suddenly, Disney probably felt like Daniel Plainview finding an ocean of oil in the desert of California. As a result, they've commissioned a remake of The Lion King from Jon Favreau, a sequel to Mary Poppins from Rob Marshall, a Tim Burton version of Dumbo, a Guy Ritchie rendition of Aladdin, and many, many more films.
Plenty of those projects sound utterly horrid on paper. Beauty and the Beast was fine enough, but am I literally going to have to see a remake of every animated film Disney has ever made? And to top it all off, many of those directorial choices feel brutally uninspired. Tim Burton and Guy Ritchie- really, Disney? They may have made good movies in the past, but those days are seemingly gone.
But just as I was prepared to denounce Disney's entire live-action remake endeavor, they go out and sign a director that actually makes me want to sit through one of these things again. After the one-two punch of Paddington and its remarkable sequel, I have complete faith in director Paul King. I will watch anything that man makes. A Willy Wonka spin-off/reboot/remake/whatever that movie ends up being? Sure, why not! Hell, if I learned tomorrow that King was going to remake Casablanca, I'd probably be down. The Paddington movies have earned him that much goodwill with me.
In a somewhat surprising bit of news (especially considering the Wonka project), it was was widely reported today by both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that King is in talks to direct a live-action take on Pinocchio at Disney. THR elaborated further, noting that Disney is hoping to kick-start production in the fall. Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano are producing, with Jack Thorne currently re-writing the script for the film. Back in May, Skyfall's Sam Mendes was rumored to be in negotiations with Disney, but per today's reports, that is no longer the case. King is Disney's man, and they'll be moving forward with him. It's a perfect directorial choice, but I have to assume that it leaves the Wonka reboot on the backburner for now. No word on the state of that project in the reports. Maybe Warner Bros. is busy fixing the DC Universe?
Pinocchio currently does not have a release date, but don't worry, there will be plenty of Disney live-action remakes for us to watch over the next few years.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Plenty of those projects sound utterly horrid on paper. Beauty and the Beast was fine enough, but am I literally going to have to see a remake of every animated film Disney has ever made? And to top it all off, many of those directorial choices feel brutally uninspired. Tim Burton and Guy Ritchie- really, Disney? They may have made good movies in the past, but those days are seemingly gone.
But just as I was prepared to denounce Disney's entire live-action remake endeavor, they go out and sign a director that actually makes me want to sit through one of these things again. After the one-two punch of Paddington and its remarkable sequel, I have complete faith in director Paul King. I will watch anything that man makes. A Willy Wonka spin-off/reboot/remake/whatever that movie ends up being? Sure, why not! Hell, if I learned tomorrow that King was going to remake Casablanca, I'd probably be down. The Paddington movies have earned him that much goodwill with me.
In a somewhat surprising bit of news (especially considering the Wonka project), it was was widely reported today by both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that King is in talks to direct a live-action take on Pinocchio at Disney. THR elaborated further, noting that Disney is hoping to kick-start production in the fall. Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano are producing, with Jack Thorne currently re-writing the script for the film. Back in May, Skyfall's Sam Mendes was rumored to be in negotiations with Disney, but per today's reports, that is no longer the case. King is Disney's man, and they'll be moving forward with him. It's a perfect directorial choice, but I have to assume that it leaves the Wonka reboot on the backburner for now. No word on the state of that project in the reports. Maybe Warner Bros. is busy fixing the DC Universe?
Pinocchio currently does not have a release date, but don't worry, there will be plenty of Disney live-action remakes for us to watch over the next few years.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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