“Ella Enchanted” Series In Development For Disney+
Disney loves going back to established franchises for new films and shows, with “Ella Enchanted” set to be the next franchise revived for a Disney+ series.
According to Deadline, a brand new series is in early development and will tell the story of 16-year-old Ella of Frell, who was cursed at birth to obey every command and is sent to boarding school after her mother’s untimely death, she begins to uncover the truth about her curse, builds an unlikely found family, and deals with an extremely inconvenient crush on the prince of her kingdom.
This new series is going to be based on the original film, but also the original book by Gail Carson Levine, so it will allow for some expansion due to the different format.
The original film starred Anne Hathaway in the title role, who will return as an executive producer on the project. She has recently worked with Disney on revivals of “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Princess Diaries”.
The potential new Disney+ show has been written by Ilana Wolpert (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), with Beth Schwartz (Dead Boy Detectives) working as the showrunner. Both Wolpert and Schwartz will be executive producers alongside Johnathan Rice and Adam Shulman via Somewhere Pictures as well as iGen Studios.
Miramax Television and Paramount Television Studios will be creating the show for Disney+. Miramax released the film in 2004 and has the domestic distribution rights for it. Back in 2004, Disney owned Miramax, but now it’s co-owned by Paramount, and Disney continues to have international distribution rights for “Ella Enchanted.
Roger’s Take: The idea of a revival for “Ella Enchanted” doesn’t seem like a big surprise, as Anna Hathaway seems to be on her own nostalgia tour at the moment, revisiting some of her previous roles. Disney+ is in desperate need of some “magic” type shows for a new generation, while a reboot will also bring in adults/parents to see if it’s any good. As with any project in development, it might not necessarily come to anything and could be years away from hitting Disney+, but hopefully, this is another potential show to boost Disney+ for years to come.
What do you think of the idea of a reboot of “Ella Enchanted”? Let me know on social media!
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