THE RATS OF NIMH Film Project Is Finally Moving Forward With a Director
A new big screen adaption of the classic Robert C. O’Brien children’s book Mrs. Frisby & The Rats of Nimh has been in development at various studios since 2009. In 2015 the rights landed at MGM studios, and they've been developing it as a live-action and CG-animated hybrid film. They now have a director on board to take the film into production.
The studio hired James Madigan to the direct the film from a script written by Michael Berg. This will be Madigan's first time directing a film. So what did he do before he landed this big directing gig? He was a VFX supervisor and a second unit director. He's worked on films such as Iron Man 2, The Da Vinci Code, HBO's Rome, and most recently Jason Statham's Meg. I'm not sure how this guy landed a major directing gig like this, but we'll soon see if he's got a talent for it.
This will be the second time Mrs. Frisby & The Rats of Nimh will have been adapted as a feature film. The first adaptation was the 1982 animated film The Secret of NIMH, which was directed by Don Bluth. I grew up that movie and loved it! I hope that this new adaptation does the story justice. If you're not familiar with the story, here's the description:
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.
Via: Variety