Disney's Live-Action 'Bambi' Remake Recruits Oscar Winner
Oscar-winner Sarah Polley is in talks to direct Disney's live-action Bambi remake. More than three years after the film was first announced in 2020, multiple sources told Deadline that the writer-director, who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at this year's awards for her ensemble drama Women Talking, "is in talks" to helm the movie. Disney has not confirmed the report at this time.
Following in the footsteps of The Jungle Book and The Lion King, the upcoming movie will give the hand-drawn animation a 21st Century revamp as it retells the beloved 1942 tearjerker. The film follows a young fawn learning to live in the forest and is often cited as one of Disney's most tragic and heart-wrenching tales, as it depicts the loss of Bambi's parents.
The live-action remake is reportedly taking the shape of a musical that will feature music from six-time Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves. Captain Marvel screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser writer Lindsey Beer were originally reported to be working on the script, but sources told Deadline that Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster wrote the most recent draft of the script. Chris and Paul Weitz's Depth of Field are attached to the project as producers.
Bambi will mark just the latest Disney classic to get the live-action treatment, the most recent of them being Disney's May-released The Little Mermaid remake. Starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, the film has surpassed the $400 million mark globally. It was reported earlier this month that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Disney are developing a live-action remake of Moana. The project will be directed by Thomas Kail. A Lilo & Stitch (2002) remake is also in early development. Meanwhile, David Lowery's Peter Pan & Wendy marked the first live-action remake released in 2023. Disney is also set to debut Snow White on March 22, 2024 and the photorealistic Mufasa: The Lion King on July 5, 2024. Remakes of Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, and The Aristocats are in various stages of development.
Disney's Bambi live-action remake is just one of several takes on the classic, with Bambi: The Reckoning also set to drop this year. From the director of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the film is a horror version of the children's tale that sees Bambi become "a vicious killing machine."