Jon Favreau in Talks with Disney to Direct MAGIC KINGDOM
Jon Favreau is currently in talks with Disney to direct their Magic Kingdom movie. This film was first revealed back in September, and it was described as Disney's own kind of Justice League and Avengers film, but with Disney characters. In the film, the attractions at the classic theme park will come to life.
Two years ago Battlestar Galactica TV series creator and writer Ronald Moore wrote a script based on his own idea for the project, and the initial plot for the film took place inside Disneyland. At this point a new screenwriter will jump on board to work under the direction of Favreau.
I think it's great that the studio is actually moving forward with the project. It could end up being really fun. It was previously reported that Disney wasn't going to make this a high priority; it was something they were just playing around with. Well, I guess play time is over because getting Favreau on board to direct the movie is serious business.
I can see Favreau having a lot of fun developing a project like this. With him at the helm it's sure to be an entertaining movie. It will be interesting to see exactly what Disney has in mind for this film.
What do you think about Favreau possibly taking on this Magic Kingdom film project?
Previously:
Disney is known for making movies based on the rides at their theme parks like The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. But now it looks like they are going to develop a film based on the whole entire theme park itself called Magic Kingdom. Disney will use one of their theme parks as the setting for a family adventure, much like the Night at the Museum movies.
They see this film as a way to showcase several of their high-profile Disney characters. like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and everything else Disney owns. Apparently people at the studio are referring to Magic Kingdom as Disney's own Justice League and The Avengers. Like what Marvel is doing with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America, Disney could start rolling out single character based movies of their own characters, building up to a big epic team Disney character film like The Avengers, but in this case it's Magic Kingdom.
As of right now, Disney is focusing on launching Tron: Legacy in December, a reboot that will be prominently integrated into Anaheim's California Adventure park starting next week. A fourth Pirates of the Caribbean is shooting in Hawaii, while Guillermo del Toro is readying an adaptation of The Haunted Mansion. Then, of course, David Fincher is going to develop the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea adventure film, whose original version was the basis of Disneyland's original submarine ride. Also in development are scripts based on the Jungle Cruise ride and Tomorrowland, an outer space adventure that loosely ties in with the themed area of Disneyland. Tim Burton is also working on a film based on the Sleeping Beauty villain Maleficent with Angelina Jolie. A new live-action retelling of Cinderella is also in the works, while the upcoming Tangled is an animated take on Rapunzel.