The remake-fever has taken ahold of Disney studios and we are already counting down the days until we can see the live action versions of some of our favourite animated classics on the big screen. 'Aladdin', 'The Lion King' and 'Dumbo' are all set to be released this year, with other big titles such as 'Mulan' currently in the works. And now the time has come for another beloved classic to join the ranks, and to mark the hour the bells of Notre Dame are ringing out. That's right, Disney will be taking us to Paris in their planned remake of the 1996 classic, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.
According to reports from Deadline, the film will simply be titled 'Hunchback' and will be an adaptation of both the animated classic and Victor Hugo's legendary novel, but will not take into account the theatre adaptation. Writing the script is Tony-Award-winning Broadway writer, David Henry Hwang ('M. Butterfly' and 'Aida'), who also wrote the script for Disney's animated 'Tarzan'. Like the animated classic, the film is set to be a musical, with the soundtrack written by the composers from the original film, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
Mandeville Films will be producing the remake, alongside Josh Gad, who is rumoured to also be starring in the role of Quasimodo, the eponymous Hunchback of Notre Dame, although the studios say that casting has not yet begun. Mandeville was also in charge of producing the 2017 live action version of 'Beauty and the Beast', and the head of these production studios, David Hoberman, has spent more than thirty years working with Disney and fixating on a live action musical adaptation of Hugo's novel. His severance of the novel resulted in the creation of the the animation as well as a television series on ABC, but now his dream is becoming a reality.
The Dark Side of Disney
While most Disney musicals are the perfect, light-hearted, family-friendly treat, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' shows are far darker side to the House of Mouse (try re-watching the 'Hellfire' scene as an adult, a song which was nearly cut from the original for being so sinister). However, the ominous subject matter and heart-wrenching ending did not stop the film from making over $325 million worldwide and becoming the fifth best selling film of that year, as well as being Oscar-nominated for its soundtrack. Could the live action version live up to the standards set by its predecessor?
'Hunchback' does not yet have a release date set.
