According to Deadline Hollywood, Disney is attempting to double-down on its classics. The studio is looking to create a new version of Beauty and the Beast with writer Joe Ahearne (Trance, director of several Doctor Who episodes).
The goal is to make it live-action and in 3D ala Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful.
Those names are notable not just because they represent the model for what Disney is doing here, but also because Disney is maybe the only studio who has figured out how to make fairy tales work on such a massive scale. Still, the question remains as to whether The Beast is a good idea because it steps on its own toes. Of course, maybe their re-release of the animated version was just a litmus test for going forward with this project, but while Disney’s previous successes told new stories in familiar universes, it’s unclear whether or how they’ll set something in the talking teapot-filled world while delivering a different tale (regardless as to whether it’s old as time).