Disney is getting ready to take onA Christmas Carol(again). The studio has partnered with director Bill Condon to reimagine the Charles Dickens holiday tale for a new generation. This iteration will be titledMarleyand will offer a new perspective on the source material, as opposed to the familiar Ebeneezer Scrooge being visited by several ghosts in the night, transforming his worldview.
According to a new report,Bill Condonhas already penned the script forMarleyand is set to direct. The story will center on Jacob Marley, Ebeneezer Scrooge’s departed business partner. In the original story,Marley’s ghost, who is decked out in heavy chains and suffers endless torment, pays a visit to Scrooge and warns him of the ghosts that will be visiting him that night. Stephen Schwartz, a three-time Oscar-winner, has penned new songs for the movie. Schwartz is known for his work onWicked,PocohontasandThe Hunchback of Notre Dame. Dan Jinks and Greg Yolen are on board to produce the movie for Disney.
Bill Condon has had a very successful career, having helmed hits such asDreamgirls,The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, parts 1 and 2, as well as the Oscar-winningGods and Monsters. Condon also wrote the screenplay forChicago, which went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Most importantly, as it relates toDisney, Condon directed the live-action reimagining ofBeauty and the Beast, which went on to earn more than $1.2 billion at the global box office. Condon also has the thrillerThe Good Liarset to arrive later this year and he’s attached to direct aBride of Frankensteinremake for Universal, which was originally supposed to be made as part of the defunct Dark Universe.
Initially published in 1843, Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carolremains a popular and seminal work. The tale has been brought to the screen numerous times over the years, in various forms. Disney previously released a version directed by Robert Zemeckis in 2009 that starred Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. The motion-capture flick did decent business at the box office but was hampered by its massive budget. Other notable adaptations include 1938’s Edwin L. Marin-directedA Christmas Carol, the comedicScroogedstarring Bill Murray and 1992’sA Muppet Christmas Carol.
With that in mind,Marleywill have to try and set itself apart. This isn’t even the only adaptation of the story in the works at the moment, as Apple has ordered a version starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds as well. A release date for Disney’s new take on the story hasn’t been revealed just yet, nor is it clear who is being eyed to star. Things seem to be relatively far along though, so we could be hearing news on that front sooner rather than later. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further information on the project is made available. This news comes to us viaThe Hollywood Reporter.
