Disney has found tremendous success at the box office leveraging its catalog of animated classics with new live-action adaptations, and it will soon take that approach on the small screen for the company’s forthcoming Disney+ streaming service. It was recently revealed that one of the new movies heading to Disney+ will center around the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, and we now have a better idea what’s going on with Godmothered.
According to The DisInsider, writers Kari Granland and Melissa Stack have boarded the project that is tentatively titled Godmothered. Kari Granland was one of the writers on the live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp, headed exclusively to Disney+, so Disney must have been happy with her work there to bring her back for Godmothered. Melissa Stack previously wrote the romantic comedy The Other Woman.
Justin Springer, who previously produced Tron: Legacy and this year’s theatrical live-action remake Dumbo for Disney, will produce Godmothered. In the director’s chair for Godmothered is Sharon Maguire, whose previously directed Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridget Jones’ Baby. In addition to the creative talent behind Godmothered, there is also now a bit about more information about what we can expect from the film itself and when it could begin shooting.
The DisInsider reports that Godmothered is set in a “gothic, mystical, magical world of fairy godmothers in a parallel universe.” The film will find a young fairy godmother trying to help a single working mother find happiness. The Disney+ exclusive film is expected to shoot sometime from October to March in Boston.
As of yet, it’s unclear if Helena Bonham Carter will reprise her role as the Fairy Godmother from Disney’s 2015 live-action remake of Cinderella (which is arguably Disney’s best live-action remake to date), but it seems unlikely based on the premise. The description that the film will center on a young fairy godmother seems to indicate that the protagonist will be an entirely new character, but perhaps Helena Bonham Carter’s character could still show up.
To me, it doesn’t really seem like this will be connected to Cinderella at all, and will instead be its own separate thing that merely takes the concept of a Fairy Godmother and applies it to an entirely new story. Based on the premise of the Fairy Godmother helping a single working mother, it sounds like this may not take place around the 19th century like the Cinderella story, and will instead be a more modern tale.
If that turns out to be the case, it could be fun to see those fantasy elements mixing in with a modern, real-world story. The question would be whether the brand appeal would be there if the story was too divorced from Cinderella. We don’t know exactly what this will be yet, but it’s at least nice to see Disney trying some different things (other than stories about puppy murderers) with its properties instead of just straight remakes.
We’ll keep you updated on Godmothered as we hear more. Disney+ launches on November 12. Check out our guide to see all of Disney’s upcoming live-action remakes.
