First Winnie the Pooh, then Peter Pan. Now? Cinderella’s time to shine in the blood-soaked spotlight has come. Following the recent trend of taking familiar fairytales and giving them a horror makeover, Bloody Disgusting reveals that ChampDog Films and ITN Studios are gearing up to film Cinderella’s Curse next month. And, by the sound of it, this well-recognized princess immortalized by Disney will get rather gory.
Louisa Warren directs the adaptation, with Harry Boxley (Mary Had A Little Lamb) penning the screenplay. Kelly Rian Sanson, Chrissie Wunna and Danielle Scott are set to star, with filming taking place in the U.K. Very likely because it’s a low-budget filming taking place largely outside the Hollywood studio system, the ongoing writer’s strike that has otherwise ground the business to a halt has not impacted this particular project. While plot details are currently being kept under wraps, Warren had this to say about it:it:
“This is an incredibly unique spin on the Cinderella we all love and know. There are going to be some truly horrific deaths by her hands. I think the gore hounds are in for a treat in my dark retelling.”
This will be picking up where Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey left off earlier this year. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield made use of the character after he entered the public domain, and, despite taking a lashing from critics, the slasher generated immense online buzz en route to unlikely box office success. A sequel is being fast-tracked, and as a result, other movies like Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare, as well as a bloody Bambi movie, are on the way. For better or worse, this trend is likely here to stay for a while.
Disney brought Cinderella to life in animated form in 1950 with a timeless adaptation of the classic fairytale. The studio also did a live-action remake in 2015, which was hugely successful, taking in $542 million at the global box office. Unfortunately for Disney, they don’t own the character outright. As such, we’ve had many other interpretations of the tale over the years. So, while Warren has to be careful about not treading on Disney’s specific films, the fairytale itself is fair game. It can be a bit of a tightrope to walk, and nobody wants to get on the bad side of Disney’s legal team. But as long as they walk that tightrope, there isn’t much Disney can do about it. So break that slipper and spill some blood with the broken glass.
Look for Cinderella’s Curse sometime this October.
