We’ve seenThe Jungle Book,Beauty and the Beast,The Lion King, andAladdinin theatres. We’ve seenThe Lady and the Trampon Disney+. And we’ve gotMulan,The Little Mermaid, and as of today,Pinocchioforthcoming. Yep, when it comes to the Disney creative slate, the modus operandi seems to be: Remake all the stuff that worked before in live-action/photorealistic CGI! Adding to this trend?Bambi, which according toThe Hollywood Reporter, is the next Disney vault classic to get the live-action remake treatment.
Disney has already hired its writers to pen the new version’s screenplay:Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who co-wroteCaptain Marvelfor the studio, andLindsey Beer, who wroteSierra Burgess Is a Loserfor Netflix. Robertson-Dworet and Beer, alongsideNicole Perlman(Guardians of the Galaxy) also run Known Universe, a production banner focused on female-helmed genre stories. While it’s unsure how far from the original film the new version’s narrative will stray, Disney is reportedly aware thatBambitells a smaller story than the mythical scale ofThe Lion King, and aims to keep the live-action version’s scope similarly modest. The project also comes from Depth of Field, a production company run by brothersChrisandPaul Weitz(American Pie) andAndrew Miano(Columbus). In 2019, they had critical success withLulu Wang’sThe Farewell, and they are also, surprise surprise, behind the aforementionedRobertZemeckis-directedPinocchioremake.
Visually, it sounds as though Disney is interested in having newBambifeel similarly toThe Jungle BookorThe Lion Kingremakes, using similar “photorealistic CGI” tactics to present an almost “live-action” feeling naturescape. While no director has been announced yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney asks their boyJon Favreaufirst. He directed bothThe Jungle BookandThe Lion Kingto staggering box office numbers (if not staggering critical acclaim), and is currently spearheading Disney+‘sThe Mandalorianto huge cultural influence.
For more news in the world of Disney, here’s a trailer for the upcoming Little Bo Peep-centeredLamp Life. Plus: What the heck’s going on with thatObi-Wanseries anyway?
