Released back in 2007, director Kevin Lima's Disney-fairytale-come-to-life Enchanted was an absolutely massive smash hit. Made for $85 million, it dominated at the U.S. box office with an eventual total of $127 million, and its global gross after being released internationally was brought to a stellar $340 million. It was only a matter of time before Disney began working on a sequel, and while there was a false start back in 2010, this time looks like it could be the real deal.
According to Deadline, Enchanted 2 is finally moving forward and has brought aboard two new writers to get it closer to the finish line. Sources have told the site that J. David Stem and David N. Weiss have been tasked by Disney to craft a new story following up with the characters from the original. The two writers began their big screen careers writing the script for The Rugrats Movie back in 1998, and they continued their affiliation with Nickelodeon by also writing both Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Jonathan Frakes' 2002 sci-fi adventure Clockstoppers was their first time writing for a live-action feature, and they have since followed those titles up with both Are We There Yet? and Daddy Day Camp. Their credits also include both of the Smurfs movies and Shrek 2. It's not exactly the greatest track record established in Hollywood over the last 20 years, but hopefully the folks at Disney know what they're doing.
The original Enchanted, scripted by Bill Kelly (Blast From The Past), follows a young princess named Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is transported from her fairy tale world into the real world by the evil queen (Susan Sarandon). Once here, she finds herself as a fish out of water, but winds up falling for a handsome lawyer (Patrick Dempsey). The impressive cast also includes James Marsden as Prince Edward, Timothy Spall, and Idina Menzel. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards - all for Best Original Song.
Strange as it may seem given that she first became attached to the project so long ago, Anne Fletcher is still signed on to direct Enchanted 2. A former dancer and choreographer (perfect for big musical numbers), Fletcher's previous credits include the original Step Up, Katherine Heigl's 27 Dresses, The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, and 2012's The Guilt Trip starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand.
Given how well Enchanted did at the box office, you'd think that it would be a big priority for Disney to get Enchanted 2 made - but, then again, I would have said the exact same thing seven years ago. The timetable for the project is unclear at this point, but having both writers and a director attached is a big step in the right direction.
