Gather ’round folks because Disney has done it again – they’re gifting us another live-action musical adaptation and this time, it’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
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Per Deadline, Disney recruited Tony-award winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) to pen the script, based on the Victor Hugo novel.
The 1831 novel tells the tale of Quasimodo, the hunchback and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, who is ordered to kidnap Esmeralda by his guardian Archdeacon Claude Frollo. However, he is stopped by Captain Phoebus.
Alan Menken – Oscar-winner and legend behind so many Disney classics including ‘Under The Sea’, ‘Be Our Guest’, ‘Colours Of The Wind’, and ‘Part Of Your Word’ – will write the music with fellow Oscar-winner and legend Stephen Schwartz.
Schwartz actually wrote the lyrics to ‘The Bells of Notre Dame’, which was composed by Menken so this really is the dream team.
It’s very early days though so the only other cool bits that we know so far is the film’s title – Hunchback – and that Josh Gad is on the producing team.
Gad starred in the live-action Beauty and the Beast but it is still unknown if he’ll star in Hunchback.
This latest live-action flick shall join *inhales* Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. Then, there’s also the live-action Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King – set for release this year. And, in 2020? Mulan.
Interestingly, the almighty gods at Netflix are making their own Hunchback live-action film, a modern-retelling of Hugo’s novel.
Idris Elba will direct, produce, and star in the film as Quasimodo. And, he’ll also be producing the movie’s music because he is a man of far too many talents.
