Rob Marshall knows a thing or two about musicals: he helmed the Best Picture winner Chicago, based on the popular Broadway musical. Although not as a acclaimed, his film Nine attracted a knock-out A-list cast. Now he's at it again, with Disney looking to bring some magic to Broadway's biggest fairy tale.
Marshall has signed a deal with the Mouse House to helm an adaptation of composer Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway hit Into the Woods. He must have been happy with his experience directing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with the studio, as he and John DeLuca, his producing partner, have attached their production company LUCAMAR to Disney with a first-look deal that will last for two years.
Into the Woods revolves
around a baker’s quest to have a family with his wife but also incorporates
well-known fairy tale characters like Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty,
and Snow White into the plot. No actors are attached to the adaptation of the
Tony Award-winning hit just yet, and it’s not the first time that it has neared a
big-screen treatment either: in 1994, Cher, Goldie Hawn, and Robin Williams read
for the film under Penny Marshall, and later Susan Sarandon and When Harry Met Sally costars Billy
Crystal and Meg Ryan discussed starring in an adaptation for Rob Minkoff.
The Hollywood Reporter says Marshall expects Sondheim to write some new tunes for the film, while James Lapine, who penned the stage musical with Sondheim, is currently writing adapting it for the screen. A timetable for the film is uncertain, as Marshall is also attached to Warner Bros.’ reboot of the classic The Thin Man. There's still no word as to which one the director will tackle first.