There is a storm brewing in Hollywood and suffice it to say, it’s about to rain fairy tale remakes. With Kirsten Stewart ready to ruin Snow White, and Joe Wright rumored to take on The Little Mermaid, Disney has had to act quick to try and keep its grip on the princess game. That is why the folks over Disney have decided to attempt to commission Mark Romanek to direct their own retelling of the classic Cinderella Story based on a pitch from Devil Wears Prada screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna.
This whole move has made me rather uneasy. The public has already seen Disney ruin one live action remake with their 2010 version of Alice In Wonderland, so we already know what kind of damage can be done when they set their little mousy little eyes on a good story. However the choice to try employ the talents of Mark Romanek must be noted. Romanek has already made a name for himself through his iconic videos for the likes of David Bowie, Michael Jackson, NIN, and countless others. His track record in film is also quite notable. Both One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go received their fair share of awards, including a few Saturn wins and nominations, and since he’s only made two films, you could technically argue that he hasn’t ever made a bad one.
We already know a Cinderella film is viable, as Andy Tennant’s 1998 update Ever After, has shown us. However, with Disney on board this film could easily just turn into simple fodder for the sake of merchandising dollars instead of something of quality. If Romanek does get on board, that at least bodes well for the film. However I guess we won’t truly be sure of what lays in store for the film until casting news is released.
Big up to Mike over at Deadline for breaking the news!
