Disney is known for bringing joy to the world through fairytales, but there’s no denying that the studio has featured some dark elements in their animated classics too.
Take “Fantasia” for example – The animated classic comprised of 8 different segments that were set to pieces of classical music. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is set to develop a live-action version of “Night on Bald Mountain”, the darkest and most iconic segment from “Fantasia”.
“Night on Bald Mountain” is based on a piece first created by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1867. Leopold Stokowski arranged the piece for the film, introducing the then-unknown music to a much wider audience. The sequence featured Chernobog, a dark-winged demon who summon evil spirits and restless souls from their graves to enjoy a night of mayhem around Bald Mountain. They fade away at dawn as they are driven back by the sound of the Angelus bell.
Sources told THR that the dark sequence, which is considered the most memorable sequence from the film, will be developed into a live-action version similar to 2014’s “Maleficent“, a live-action remake that starred Angelina Jolie as the iconic evil witch from “Sleeping Beauty”.
The project is still in early development at the studio, but screenwriting duo Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have been hired to produce and pen the script based on the sequence.
Sazama and Sharpless have had experience in developing dark fantasy films as they wrote the script for 2014’s “Dracula Untold“, which starred Luke Evans as Vlad III. Along with Cory Goodman, they wrote the screenplay for “The Last Witch Hunter”, Summit’s upcoming action-adventure fantasy that stars Vin Diesel.
They also penned the script for “Gods of Egypt”, an upcoming Summit film that stars Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Egyptian gods Set and Horus. Slated for release on 8th April 2016, the movie will centre on their battle for control of the Nile River Valley.
Following the success of “Maleficent” and this year’s “Cinderella“, Disney has been focusing on developing live-action remakes of its animated classics
The animated classics that will be made into live-action versions include:
- The Jungle Book
- Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass
- Beauty and the Beast
- Dumbo
- Winnie the Pooh
- Mulan
- Tinkerbell
The film does not have a release date yet, but what do you think of this? Which sequence would you like to see from the original film instead?
Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
(Source: THR)
