Disney CEO Bob Iger recently revealed that he’s been secretly killing off film projects that have been in development at the studio. It sounds like maybe one of those projects was the live-action adaptation of The Sword in the Stone.
The movie was being developed for Disney+ by the director of 28 Weeks Later and Damsel, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and in a recent interview with the filmmaker, he suggests that the movie has been scrapped. He told Screen Rant in an interview:
“That was a project that I was attached to years ago, but it was put on hold. From this day, to be honest with you, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I think it’s a great project and a great story that needs to be told, but I don’t know what is gonna happen. Let’s see; fingers crossed.
“As you can imagine, with all these movies, you never know when it’s going to happen. I really hope that Disney greenlights the movie, but right now, I don’t know anything about it. Also, the experience that I have now after [Damsel] would be would be fantastic to apply to The Sword in the Stone, for sure.”
The script for the film was being written by Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman. This is a movie that I was actually excited about. I love the original 1963 animated movie, and bringing that film to life in live-action form interested me.
The story is a reimagined account of the young King Arthur’s upbringing, focusing on his tutelage under the eccentric wizard Merlin. The film offered a mix of humor, adventure, and magic, and as Arthur, also known as Wart, stumbles upon Merlin, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learning, culminating in the iconic moment when he pulls the enchanted sword from the stone, proving his rightful claim to the throne of England.
