Ever since Disney grossed a billion dollars on Alice in Wonderland back in 2010 (something I’ll never understand), the House of Mouse has been eager to create live-action adaptations of all their animated classics. From The Jungle Book to Cinderella, the studio is digging deep into their catalogue in hopes of bringing back some of their most beloved films.
We’ve known for quite some time that Disney was looking to put together a live-action take on Beauty and the Beast, but until today, we hadn’t heard anything other than that they had hired a writer. Now, thanks to Film Divider, we’re learning that Bill Condon is rumored to be in talks with the studio to direct. This news should be taken with a grain of salt, as it hasn’t been confirmed by any type of official source. However, if you give it some thought, it actually makes some sense.
Condon wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Dreamgirls and also penned Chicago, so he definitely has the chops to take on the musical aspect of Beauty and the Beast (if, in fact, the studio decides to go that route with this version). Furthermore, the director already has a working relationship with Disney as they distributed his last film, The Fifth Estate. Taking both of those things into consideration, it’s easy to see why the studio would want to bring him on board for this project.
Again, no official confirmation yet on this rumor but honestly, I could see it happening and I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to it. Condon is a strong director, despite having been behind the camera for two entries in the Twilight saga, and I think that he would be a good fit for something like this.
As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more. For now though, tell us, do you want to see Bill Condon tackle a live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast?
