Disney has already made several live-action remakes based on some of their iconic animated classics. Now it looks like Disney is preparing yet another such remake following the release of The Little Mermaid.
As revealed via Deadline, Disney plans to release a live-action remake of Bambi. Furthermore, Sarah Polly, who won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Women Talking, is in talks to direct the project. They’ve also added “the project is a musical” and that it will “feature music from six-time Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves.”
As for the script, the most recent draft is said to have been written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Chris and Paul Weitz’s Depth of Field will produce the project. Of course, the first attempt to get a remake rolling happened in 2020, so it’s unknown when production could finally start. Especially now that there is still a writers strike going on.
Disney’s original adaptation of Bambi was just their fifth animated feature and released in 1942. It was based on the 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods, written by Felix Salten. The film has continued to make an impact on fans and viewers over the decades, with the death of Bambi’s mother having become one of the most memorable scenes in movie history. As such, it’ll be interesting to see how the material is tackled with from a live-action perspective. But it will no doubt be just as emotional.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Bambi or other Disney projects as we have them. The company has certainly found plenty of success with adapting their iconic animated stories as live-action films. As such, it makes sense that Bambi will be one of the titles they’re eager to tackle next. Especially following the success of The Little Mermaid.