8 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

Links to our threads on Once Upon a Time (2011-), Mirror, Mirror (2012) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).

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'Toy Story 3' Writer to Take on Disney's Snow White Project (Exclusive)
While Universal and Relativity duke it out to see who will be the first out of the gate with a Snow White movie, Disney is taking the stealthy road to its more elevated project, Snow and the Seven.
Michael Arndt, who just last week received an Oscar nomination for his work on Toy Story 3, is in negotiations to work on the script. Production designer John Myhre, an Oscar winner for his work on Memoirs of a Geisha and Chicago who’s working on Disney’s new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, has been brought on board to begin creating the worlds of the fairy tale, which is set in 19th century China.
Yes, China.
The unique project, which Disney has been developing since 2002, centers on a 19th century Englishwoman who returns to her Hong Kong home for her father's funeral, only to discover that her stepmother is plotting against her. She escapes to mainland China, finding solace among a rogue band of seven international warriors. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, February 1

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 11 November 2011 - 02:44 AM.

[NBooth]

So it's like The Hidden Fortress meets The Seven Samurai by way of the last scene of Alice in Wonderland?

[Tyler]

NBooth, on 03 February 2011 - 02:10 PM, said:

So it's like The Hidden Fortress meets The Seven Samurai by way of the last scene of Alice in Wonderland?

Don't forget Little Miss Sunshine. Arndt wrote that, too.

[NBooth]

Tyler, on 03 February 2011 - 02:17 PM, said:

NBooth, on 03 February 2011 - 02:10 PM, said:

So it's like The Hidden Fortress meets The Seven Samurai by way of the last scene of Alice in Wonderland?

Don't forget Little Miss Sunshine. Arndt wrote that, too.

Only if one of the warriors turns out to be China's greatest living Proust scholar.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Disney's 'Order of the Seven' Lands Director (Exclusive)
While Universal and Relativity jockey over their rival Snow White movies, Disney is quietly making moves on its own revisionist Snow White feature, a live-action project now called The Order of the Seven.
Commercials director and visual effects wizard Michael Gracey has been chosen as the man to helm what is being envisioned as China-set epic. Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants, I Am Legend), who was attached to the project for several years, has moved on. . . .
The unique project, which Disney has been developing since 2002, focuses a bit more on Snow’s seven companions, who aren't as cute and jolly as in the 1937 classic Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In fact, the project, which was initially known as Snow and the Seven and had scripts by writers ranging from Michael Chabon to Jayson Rothwell, is evolving into more of an original action film, with the Snow White elements being minimized.
In this iteration, the seven are a 19th century-set disparate band of international warriors belonging to a centuries-old order who have lost their way. Their meeting with an Englishwoman being chased by an ancient evil is the catalyst for their redemption.
While the project is set in China, the warriors will be from locales near (the U.S.) and far (Russia), and each warrior will have a unique fighting style. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, August 3

[Peter T Chattaway]

Saoirse Ronan to star in Disney's 'Seven'
Saoirse Ronan is in final talks to star in Disney's "Order of Seven," a project that was originally developed as a Kung Fu retelling of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
The pic has since been reworked as a standalone action adventure that's cut all ties to the classic tale. The Mouse House first began developing the project a decade ago.
Ronan would play Olivia Sinclair, a British expat in 19th century Hong Kong, who seeks the protection of a centuries old group of warriors, now a jaded group of outlaws. After the reemergence of an ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the warriors reclaim their destiny and noble roots.
Disney hopes to boost the international appeal of the pic by casting the roles of the warriors with well-known stars in China, Russia and Japan, creating a global team of heroes. Studio execs have been making trips to those territories to begin talks with local talent. . . .
Move away from "Snow White" should be smart for the Mouse House given that Relativity's "Mirror Mirror" and Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman" are bowing this year. . . .
Variety, February 10

[Tyler]

It's a remake of Seven Samurai, then?

[John Drew]

Tyler, on 13 February 2012 - 04:58 PM, said:

It's a remake of Seven Samurai, then?

That's shooting awfully high. I'd be more inclined to think Battle Beyond the Stars.

[J.A.A. Purves]

This project looks like it's dead.

Just a little bit of reason (and market demand) overcoming Hollywood's utter incapability of coming up with any ideas of their own.