The next Beauty and the Beast?
Following on from the gargantuan success of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast update – worldwide box office total of $1.264 billion – comes the news that Disney is set to go live action with another much-loved animated property.
The studio will now take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
The 1996 version boasted the vocal talents of Demi Moore and Kevin Kline and there was even a sequel in 2002, but nobody really talks about that one.
The new live action undertaking has a familiar face to Beauty and the Beast fans on board; actor Josh Gad who will take up a producer credit on the project.
Perhaps the most interesting names signed up are those of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who earned Oscar nominations for their musical contribution to the 1996 movie.
Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang will pen the script, and while there’s no casting details just yet, it seems clear that Disney are banking on a major success here.
No release date has been confirmed either, but Hunchback can now be added to a busy slate that includes upcoming live action reboots of The Lion King, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Aladdin and Mulan.
Everything old is new again…
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