Disney is dusting off another classic and preparing to give it the big screen treatment again. Director Bill Condon has been brought on board to direct a live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast,” according to Variety. There will probably be some unexpected twists and reinvention to the classic in this new movie adaptation.
Photo: FLLewis/Media City G — Disney Studios in Burbank
Lately, Disney has been very successful in putting a new spin on an old story. Disney’s “Maleficent” debuted at the top of the domestic box office last weekend with $69.4 million. Movie fans may have had some trouble pronouncing the title. However, they still packed theaters to see the story behind the “Sleeping Beauty” villainess Maleficent.
Disney’s “Oz the Great and Powerful” (2013) has grossed $493 million worldwide and its “Alice in Wonderland” (2010) has taken in more than $1 billion globally. Also, Disney’s animated “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and nearly $425 million at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
Recently, Condon reportedly completely a rewrite on the P.T. Barnum musical script, “The Greatest Showman on Earth.” Condon directed the hit film musical “Dreamgirls,” which won Jennifer Hudson an Oscar for best supporting actress. So Condon’s version of “Beauty and the Beast” just might have a musical element.
Also, in the Disney movie pipeline, live action adaptations of “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.”
