According to Variety, Disney is in what could be promising talks with Sam Mendes to helm an upcoming live-action JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Writer Nick Hornby is also reportedly in talks to be involved in the project.
The original story is based on the classic Roald Dahl book marking yet another foray for Disney not only into the peachy project but also into the works of Dahl. This year Disney marked the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth with the release of THE BFG.
Although the original film is perhaps best remembered for its Burton-produced stop-motion puppetry, the film it self did have a live-action beginning and ending; it was only the magical voyage in the peach that was animated.
Still, you could technically call this another live-action reboot of another Disney animated feature. Details are sparse at this point as to whether or not the film would introduce an animated element like the 1996 cult hit. This year, three additional re-imaginings opened in theaters including THE JUNGLE BOOK, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS and PETE’S DRAGON. Plus, early next year Disney debuts its live action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on March 17, 2017.
Disney is in the middle of a seemingly lucrative era of taking classic animated films and re-imagining them as live-action reboots. Other already-announced adaptations include CRUELLA, TINKER BELL, and DUMBO projects as well as sequels to existing including MALEFICENT 2 and THE JUNGLE BOOK 2. Learn more about upcoming animation reboots here.
Are you excited for a new JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH? Let us know in the comments below!
No way ! The 1996 version was top notch perfect ! The stop motion had a Pixar-like quality and the centipede was the star of the show ! Not to mention the tone was more comical than I expected