14 DAY TRIAL // Now that box office figures have confirmed beyond a doubt that audiences love fairytales again, even if they're not in their original form, Neal Moritz, the producer of “21 Jump Street,” is working on a new spin on “Sleeping Beauty.”
Just this year, we've had two “Snow White” films and the first tidings on the highly anticipated Disney “Maleficent” with Angelina Jolie.
To state the obvious, interest in fairytales is peaking.
It's just as good then that it's Moritz who's overseeing this original take on “Sleeping Beauty,” as The Hollywood Reporter also notes: earlier this year, he brought us one of the strongest and funniest comedies of the year, also inspired by an older project, a TV series this time, “21 Jump Street.”
Starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, this comedy ranked very high both with critics and audiences.
“Producer Neal Moritz is moving forward with a comedy take of on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that turns the slumbering sweetie into a pesky stalker,” THR says of the new project.
“The 21 Jump Street producer is developing a modern-day retelling that finds the male protagonist accidentaly awakening Sleeping Beauty and finding that he can't get rid of the lovestruck heroine,” adds the same media outlet.
The comedy doesn't have a studio yet, but chances are Sony will be picking it up in due time.
“Original's Amanda Lewis is shepherding the pic, which is being penned by Mike Gagerman and Andrew Waller. Corey May and Dooma Wenschuh of Sekretagent Prods. are also producing,” THR further says.
As noted above, this isn't the only “Sleeping Beauty” film we should be looking forward to: Disney too is working on a spinoff, if you will, centered on evil queen Maleficent.
Angelina Jolie is playing the horned beauty, with the film aiming to show the events leading up to those in the fairytale, thus explaining how Maleficent came to be evil in the first place.
“Maleficent” is now shooting in the UK for a March 2014 release date.