Disney has had incredible success recently adapting fairy tales into live-action films, and it looks as though they are ready to keep the trend on going. We know this because they have just picked up a spec script titled Prince Charming.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on this new development, saying that the script has been written by Matt Fogel, whose only produced writing credit is the sequel Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. Rather than center on the Prince Charming - specifically the male lead in the story of Cinderella - the new movie is said to be a more revisionist take on fairy tales and more look at the idea of "Prince Charming" as a concept.
Disney has been developing a number of new live-action films based on their historic library of classic animated fairy tale movies - like Pinocchio, Beauty And The Beast and Mulan, but Prince Charming seems to fit in another category of upcoming films from the studio: fairy tale spin-offs. Maleficent wound up being such a successful hit that Maleficent 2 is now in development, and Disney is also making their own Peter Pan spin-off that will center on the character Tinkerbell (who will be played by Reese Witherspoon).
As the trade report notes, there are many different directions that this project could potentially go in, as there have been many "Prince Charmings" featured in films over the years - from Cinderella, to Snow White, to Sleeping Beauty. In fact, one has to wonder if this project will focus on one Prince Charming or several. One could see this movie potentially being about one guy dating every famous princess out there, but the project could just as easily be more of an ensemble piece that features multiple princes and linking storylines.
As the writer of the script, Matt Fogel is a bit of a question mark due to his lack of experience, but he does know some interesting people in the industry. Specifically, he worked as an assistant to Phil Lord and Chris Miller while they were making Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs in 2009, and also worked on the most recent draft of Bob The Musical (a project that may wind up featuring Tom Cruise in the lead and have a director in The Artist's Michel Hazanavicius). It's entirely possible that Fogel's abilities will wind up being moot, however, as Disney could wind up bringing on a new scribe to rewrite the script now that they own it.
Given Disney's high on fairy tales, it's likely that Prince Charming could find itself moving quickly though development, and we will be following it as it moves through its various stages. Hopefully it remains as interesting as it sounds at this point.
