Disney Looking To Hire Sarah Polley To Direct BAMBI Remake
Disney is looking to move forward with its unnecessary remake of its classic 1942 animated film Bambi. The studio is in talks with Sarah Polley to direct the movie. Polley recently won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Women Talking. She’s a talented filmmaker, and taking on a project like Bambi for Disney would be a big step for her. I just don’t see the point in remaking Bambi.
Bambi tells the coming-of-age story of a young deer as he navigates the challenges of life in the forest. Born as the prince of the forest, Bambi explores his surroundings with the guidance of his friends Thumper, a lively rabbit, and Flower, a bashful skunk. Along the way, Bambi encounters both the wonders and perils of nature, experiencing joy, friendship, and love, as well as facing the tragic loss of a loved one.
The original film is based on Felix Salten’s 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods. Polley’s take on the story will be the latest in a long line of live-action remakes that Disney has produced. The most recent being the Rob Marshall-helmed The Little Mermaid.
The studio previously hired Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel, Tomb Raider) and Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, Chaos Walking) to write the screenplay. It was reported that “the studio views Bambi as a type of companion piece to its remakes The Jungle Book and The Lion King, which were not live-action per se but certainly made to look that way.” Those films became big box office hits. There’s no word on if the writers are still involved.
It was also explained that the studio “is cognizant that Bambi is less epic in scope and story and is not aiming to shoehorn a larger narrative onto the classic tale.” So, they won’t turn it into a big Bambi action movie. They’ll keep it simple with the story.
I’m sure Polley will do a fine job with the movie, it’s just another one of those films that doesn’t need to be remade.
Source: Deadline