Disney’s Snow Queen Defrosted
Retitled Frozen and due in late 2013
It’s been on ice at Disney for years, but it now seems that a thaw is approaching Uncle Walt‘s version of The Snow Queen, which has just scored a November 2013 release date, under the new moniker Frozen. That whole clever “thaw” line doesn’t really work when paired with that title, but give us a break, eh? It’s Christmas.
The story, of course, is Hans Christian Andersen‘s and involves Kay, whose mind is twisted when his heart and eyes are pierced by shards of an evil troll mirror. He’s then willingly abducted by the Snow Queen, who travels the world with the winter weather. Kay’s playmate, neighbour and sweetheart Gerda however, still believes in him and sets out on an epic quest to retrieve him from the Snow Queen‘s palace.
Animator Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin) was working on the project as early as a decade ago, but abandoned it in favour of Rapunzel, which emerged this year as Tangled. Adjective-based names are apparently all the rage for Disney‘s current crop of fairytale animations.
At one time it was intended as a hand-drawn affair like The Princess And The Frog, but there’s no indication at the moment of whether that’s still the case, or indeed, of the current team behind the film.
Jane Levy Will Battle The Evil Dead
We have a new Mia
With the departure of Lily Collins, the producers of the new Evil Dead reboot have been hunting around for a replacement female lead. Now they have one, in the shape of Jane Levy.
She’s signing on as Mia, the Ash-but-not-Ash of this new take on Sam Raimi’s cult hit. Mia is a girl struggling with the aftermath of a drug overdose, and decides that some time away with friends in a remote cabin might just be what she needs to feel better.
Unfortunately, the gang of five (including recent hire Shiloh Fernandez) stumble on the Book Of The Dead and Mia starts to be bedevilled by nasty demonic types. And most of the others don’t realise that she’s telling the truth until it’s much too late…
Director Fede Alvarez has written this new version along with Rodo Sayagues, and Diablo Cody gave it a polish. With the cast finally starting to come together, the film may well start shooting next month, especially since it has to hit an April 12, 2013 release date in the US.
Levy is currently best known for her role on US sitcom Suburgatory (which is actually rather good). She previously had a short run on the American version of Shameless and will appear in Josh Schwartz’ Halloween comedy Fun Size and in Nobody Walks alongside John Krasinski.
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Jane Levy Will Battle The Evil Dead
Heigl Considering The Happytime Murders
She may join the puppet pic
We’ve been following the slow, painful slog endured by puppet noir satire The Happytime Murders for ages now. And today it has popped back up on the cinematic radar, with word that Katherine Heigl is circling the female lead.
For anyone who doesn’t know about it, Happytime was cooked up back in 2008 by Brian (son of Jim) Henson as a strictly-for-adults take on puppet life. It’s set in a world where humans and their felt friends live side by side, but the puppets are treated as second-class citizens. Murder strikes the place as the former stars of once-popular kids’ show The Happytime Gang start to be killed one by one, and the only man (or Muppet) who can investigate is a washed-up private eye puppet, who ropes in his former partner at the LAPD.
Henson is directing from a script by Todd Berger, and the project has been sitting unloved in a box over at Lionsgate for a few years. Now, though, IM Global is spearheading selling it to foreign buyers to help raise the production funds, and attaching a name like Heigl’s (even if she hasn’t made some of the best movies) should help this thing get moving again.
We’re not sure what role Heigl will play, bit given that Cameron Diaz flirted with the idea of taking on the film a couple of years, there must be a choice human role in there somewhere.
This is the second film in a few days that Heigl has been linked to. She’s also attached to Face Blind, which will see her as a psychologist struck with a condition that means she can’t distinguish people by their faces. Which is inconvenient when a patient starts stalking her and her husband thinks she’s going nuts…
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