Disney is going to tell the tale of Robin Hood again, as the studio is in development on a live-action remake of the 1973 animated film, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
According to the trade, the film is being set up for Disney+ with Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blinspotting) directing. Kari Granlund, who wrote the live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp for Disney+, is currently writing the script. Disney producer Justin Springer (Dumbo, Tron: Legacy) is also onboard the project.
The film will use a hybrid of live-action and CGI, as the characters will be anthropomorphic like the animated film before it. The film will also be a musical, which is different from the original.
This isn’t Disney’s first attempt at live-action Robin Hood, back in 2014, the studio acquired the rights to a more realistic version of the tale called Nottingham & Hood, which was expected to have the same feel and tone as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and was expected to launch its own franchise. Unfortunately, the film never saw the light and was put on hold indefinitely by the studio.
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Walt Disney Animation’s twenty-first animated feature was the first film put into production following Walt Disney’s sudden passing. The film followed an amiable rooster called Alan-a-Dale (Roger Miller), who tells stories and sings songs of the heroic Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) and his trusty sidekick, Little John (Phil Harris), in this animated animal-themed adaptation of the legendary story. When evil Prince John (Peter Ustinov) deputizes the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram) to collect unreasonable taxes from the animals of Sherwood Forest, Robin, Little John, and the other merry men wage a lighthearted battle against their evil foes.
While the film was a box-office success and is widely popular with audiences, the film was met with a mixed critical response and lack of flexibility in the commercial market. The heavy use of recycled animation was also criticized.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
