Disney's live action remakes are taking a turn to th darkside with Hunchback of Notre Dame reportedly in the works. This came from Deadline Hollywood via Variety. The film has Tony Award winnig playwright David Henry Hwang attached to write the script with well known Alan Menkin & Stephen Schwartz tackling the music. Mandeville Films is set to produce, along with Josh Gad who is also heavily rumored for the main role. I'm very excited about this one. Throughout the years Hunchback of Notre Dame has become one of my favorite animated films. One that, much like The Black Cauldron , I think it's popularity suffers from it's rather dark material more than anything. I however absolutely loved the pull no punches storytelling it displayed. It's reported this isn't a major priority for Disney right now as they're gearing up for Aladdin, Lion King, & Dumbo . It's definitely one for me though. I'll be waiting impatiently for any more in this as it develops. What do y'all think though? Are y'all excited about live action Quasimodo? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
RIP David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers was lost to us to cancer over the weekend at the age of 75. He will be remembered to most for his role on M*A*S*H , but to me he'll always be for his voice roles in many Disney animated classics. Many of my favorite characters including, Cogsworth in Beauty & The Beast, the Arch-deacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas, & Dr. Jumba in Lilo & Stitch . Those iconic roles are just a small piece of this man huge career that even saw him come back for the sequels. I always hate when we lose people, but try to take small comforts in knowing that they will always be immortalized in the characters they played. My condolences go out to all his friends & family.
D23 Announces One-Man Show "A Whole New World of Alan Menken"
Do you know who Alan Menken is? If you don't, he's the reason for all the music that was stuck in your head when you left Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted, or Tangled just to name his Disney contributions. He has written and will be performing a one-man show called A Whole New World of Alan Menken for D23 this year on Sunday, July 16th. There will be two performances in Hall D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.. This guy's amazing he's won eight Oscars with 19 nominations, more Academy Awards than any other living individual. Then on top of that, 11 Grammy Awards, 7 Golden Globes, and a friggin Tony Award. He's also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. To be directed by Richard Kraft, all I'm hoping right now isif I can't make it to D23, they're at least going to stream it like they streamed Star Wars Celebration. This man's definitely has a track record where I can vouch for this definitely being an unforgettable experience and I don't want to miss it.
