Perhaps only one live action, children’s fantasy adventure is enough for Joe Wright. With the director busy ramping up “Pan,” his new take on the stories of J.M. Barrie, he’s exiting a long developing project that he’s been linked to for a while.
Sofia Coppola is stepping in to direct “The Little Mermaid,” which certainly marks an entirely different kind of project for the usually indie minded director. Abi Morgan (“Shame“) was the first one to deliver a draft, with Kelly Marcel (“Fifty Shades Of Grey“) hired last summer to put pen to paper, and now Caroline Thompson (“Edward Scissorhands,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas“) is tackling it. Plot details have been scarce as well, though Morgan once said the intention to was veer closer to the tragic ending of the Hans Christian Anderson fable, and away from Disney’s take.
“We’re going the much more traditional route,” she said in 2011. “It’s so beautiful and exquisite and painful, so we absolutely have to have the original ending.”
But that was three years ago, and we’ll see if the producers wanna stick with a finale that might not have the widest appeal. So we’ll see how this develops, and we’re certainly curious to see what Coppola will bring to a larger canvas. [Deadline]