Disney fast tracks live-action Cruella de Vil movie... and hires Fifty Shades Of Grey screenwriter to tackle the script
Fresh from its success with Cinderella and Maleficent, Disney is now fast tracking a live action Cruella de Vil movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
News of the film first started swirling two years ago, but the studio has now set the wheels in motion and hired screenwriter Kelly Marcel to tackle the script.
Marcel adapted best-selling novel Fifty Shades Of Grey into a movie, and previously wrote Disney film Saving Mr. Banks.
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If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will: Disney is fast tracking a live-action Cruella de Vil movie
The Hollywood Reporter claims that the British writer will be working alongside Togetherness co-creator Steve Zissis on the project.
This will mark the fourth time that Cruella de Vil has been portrayed in a live-action format.
Glenn Close took on the role of the fur-loving villain in the 1996 version of 101 Dalmatians, and its sequel 102 Dalmatians in 2000.
More recently, Victoria Smurfit played the role in ABC show Once Upon A Time.
Taking on the iconic villain: Glenn Close played the baddie in the 1996 live-action version of 101 Dalmatians, and its 2000 sequel
Maleficent saw Angelina Jolie humanise the character, offering a very different look at the tale of Sleeping Beauty than the one Disney’s classic 1959 film told.
It’s likely the live-action Cruella movie will attempt a similar feat for the menacing baddie who wants to skin Dalmatian puppies for their spotted coats.
At the time she played the character, Glenn told The Morning Call: ‘I was very aware of the audacity of trying to humanise what I think is a brilliant cartoon character because I know how much my daughter loves the story.
Making like Maleficent?: The Oscar winner said at the time that she was 'very aware of the audacity of trying to humanise the villain, which is what Disney did for last year's Maleficent movie starring Angelina Jolie
Another interpretation: More recently, Victoria Smurfit portrayed the character in ABC's Once Upon A Time
‘The cartoon character has a strong visual image — the bony shoulders, the white fur coat, the skeletal face. We took nearly four months to come up with her look. It took a lot of experimentation.’
The character first appeared in Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel The Hundred And One Dalmatians, which Disney adapted into a cartoon movie five years later.
News of Cruella being fast tracked comes as Disney has announced four release dates for live-action fairy tale movies, without naming what they will be.
The original: Disney adapted Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred And One Dalmatians into a cartoon in 1961
December 22, 2017, November 2, 2018, March 29, 2019 and November 8, 2019 will all see releases of popular reboots, according to Variety.
The next live-action Disney film will be The Jungle Book, which is due out on April 15, 2016.
That will be followed by Alice Through The Looking Glass on May 27, Pete’s Dragon on August 12, and Beauty And The Beast on March 17, 2017.
Other movies in the works include Tink, which will see Reese Witherspoon play Peter Pan’s fairy friend Tinkerbell, The Little Mermaid (which Sofia Coppola was originally set to direct but has since pulled out of), Mulan and Dumbo.
Taking the reins: Kelly Marcel has been hired to right the screenplay. She has previously helmed Fifty Shades Of Grey and Saving Mr. Banks, and is pictured here with pal Tom Hardy in February 2014
There will also be live-action versions of Winnie The Pooh, Pinocchio, The Sword In The Stone, an adaptation of Night on Bald Mountain (a section from Fantasia) and a Chip ‘n Dale movie.
Meanwhile, Disney is additionally developing an Aladdin prequel that will follow the Genie, and is believed to be the first step to an Aladdin reboot, and a Prince Charming spin-off which will focus on his ‘loser’ brother.
While the above movies have all been confirmed, it is also rumoured that a Mary Poppins film is in the planning stages, along with a sequel to Maleficent.
Coming soon: Disney's next live-action offering is The Jungle Book, which is due out on April 15, 2016
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