The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Live-Action)

[Sotiris]

It's happening!

Tony-winning M. Butterfly playwright David Henry Hwang has been set by Disney to write Hunchback, a live action musical adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz will write the music. Mandeville is producing along with Josh Gad. I had heard that Gad, a star of the Mandeville-produced blockbuster Beauty and the Beast, might play the lead character, but insiders at the studio said no casting is solid at this point.

Hwang’s other work includes the plays Chinglish, Yellow Face, Kung Fu, Golden Child, and The Dance and the Railroad, and Broadway musicals including the Elton John & Tim Rice collaboration Aida, the revival of Flower Drum Song and Disney’s animated Tarzan. M. Butterfly was revived on Broadway in 2017 in a Julie Taymor-directed production starring Clive Owen. His collaboration with composer Jeanine Tesori, Soft Power, opened last May in Los Angeles. He is America’s most produced living opera librettist as well.

The new film will pull from the ’96 animated film and the Hugo novel but not the stage production that Schwartz and Menken collaborated on for the stage in Europe. David Hoberman, who runs Mandeville with Todd Lieberman, has been fixated on a live action Hunchback for over 30 years going back to when he was Disney film president. An early attempt led to the animated film and another resulted in a limited TV series on ABC. Now it has come back around as a feature film, and while it is early and not on the Disney release calendar, Hunchback has some of the most storied players from the stage and musical realms.

Source: https://deadline.com/2019/01/hunchback- ... 202536031/

[Disney's Divinity]

Wow. This really surprises me (in a good way). I guess Lieberman is the one to thank.

I'm not as huge of a fan of Hunchback as most of this forum has been, but I am really happy this happening. I'm just surprised because I would've thought the stage show had been a testing ground for the possible film, but apparently not. Josh Gad would be great for Quasimodo.

[disneyprincess11]

[JeanGreyForever]

Finally! I always hoped for this but felt Disney would never actually go ahead with this project. Would love Josh Gad as Quasi. Can't wait to see who Disney casts for Esmeralda, Phoebus, and Frollo.

I'm fine with them not going with the stage adaptation, but I do hope they use the cut songs "In a Place of Miracles" and "Someday." The latter, at least, anyway.

[Sotiris]

There's no way they won't include "Someday". It's such an important song.

[Farerb]

I hope they cut A Guy Like You and tone down the gargoyles.

[JeanGreyForever]

There's no way they won't include "Someday". It's such an important song.

It's a really popular song too despite not even making it into the film. I guess the fact that it was the end-credits song played by so many different artists/bands internationally really helped. Most people hear it, without realizing it's a Disney song, and say that it sounds like a Disney Princess song. I really do believe that had it made it into the film, it could have been a stronger contender for winning Best Song at the Oscars and Golden Globes than Out There was.

I hope they cut A Guy Like You and tone down the gargoyles.

Same. I don't mind the gargoyles being included but I hope none of them are ever as obnoxious as Hugo was. And I hope Laverne is renamed Marie since Victor Hugo's middle name is Marie. That felt like a lost opportunity in the original imo.

[disneyprincess11]

Josh Gad confirms the movie
https://www.instagram.com/p/BstLd31BYm7/

Also, he retweeted a post about him possibly getting the role on Twitter, meaning he might be Quasi, which would be YES YES YES YES YES

https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1085656009404645377

Josh would be brilliant as him. If they keep Quasi deaf, I hope to gosh that they hire a deaf actor for him and have Josh do the voiceover. Best of both worlds.

Also, what's up with Disney abandoning their excellent Broadway songs for their movies? Esmerelda, the German version of Someday, Made of Stone and Top of the World are made for the screen. Please please have them

[JeanGreyForever]

I'm not sure why the news that the film won't have anything from the stage adaptation is surprising since this is just the latest in a long trend since Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid, all of which have been confirmed to do the same. I'm more curious about whether Menken chooses this or if the higher-ups decide and he is forced to comply.

[Sotiris]

I'm more curious about whether Menken chooses this or if the higher-ups decide and he is forced to comply.

The latter. He said multiple times in interviews that he was very little say when it comes to the live-action remakes. The fact that The Lion King won't be using any of the Broadway songs either is proof this mandate is not coming from him but from Disney.

[DisneyFan09]

Whoa! I'll say that I'm completely speechless and astonished that it's finally been confirmed. Due to my aforementioned rants about Hunchback's controversies, I was sure that Disney wouldn't even dare to adapt it as a live action production (for the staple that Pocahontas is now being stuck with, at least it had a more of chance to be adapted, due to it not being as controversially outrageous as Hunchback). But now it's going to happen and I'm of course happy about it. But I wonder if Disney is going to dare to transfer the adult themes and Frollo's sexual tension to the live action movie.

While that's being said, it's a pity that they won't adapt the songs from the stage production, since I think some of them could really work within the movie. However, I don't doubt that Someday will be integrated within the movie, due to it pretty much being the musical anthem of the movie, regardless of it being deleted or not. However, I don't have anything against Gad as an actor, but I find him to be too comical to portray a tragic, angstridden hero like Quasimodo. But as long as he manages to create the endearing qualities of Quasi, I'll be content. Let's just hope that they'll nail the rest of the cast (it will be interesting to see who's going to play Frollo, since Tony Jay pretty much nailed it with his voice).

[Disney Duster]

Wow! This is amazing news! I have said for a while now if Disney did this, and made it a lot like their stage versions, it would win Best Picture. At least I think it would be nominated. I love the film and music, and the Papermill Playhouse version. I really hope they wil make the film somewhat like the stage versions, like, I would think they would use some deleted songs like the stage version did, and make the gargoyles only be in Quasimodo's mind (and did the German version cut "A Guy Like You"?). I, too, think Josh Gad is too comical to play Quasimodo, DisneyFan09, but maybe he'll surprise me. Disneyprincess11, do you mean you wan them to cast a deaf actor, but have Josh Gad dub his singing voice? I suppose that could work, but Josh Gad does not have a beautiful singing voice. He sings well, but it is not pretty or what I would call emotional. I would hope they pick another voice, but casting a deaf guy and then dubbing over him may also be a little insulting, so I would prefer they just cast a really good, beautiful singer who acts deaf.

[DisneyEra]

Will Quasi's Girlfriend Madellaine make an appearance

[DisneyJedi]

Apparently, this adaptation is going to pull from both the animated movie and the original novel, but not the stage version. I’m all for original songs and all, but come the hell on! I loved “Top of the World”, “Someday” and “Made of Stone!”

[disneyprincess11]

Disneyprincess11, do you mean you wan them to cast a deaf actor, but have Josh Gad dub his singing voice? I suppose that could work, but Josh Gad does not have a beautiful singing voice. He sings well, but it is not pretty or what I would call emotional. I would hope they pick another voice, but casting a deaf guy and then dubbing over him may also be a little insulting, so I would prefer they just cast a really good, beautiful singer who acts deaf.

1) I can see what you mean, but I think Josh can totally nail the sweetest, kindness and innocence of Quasi. Sure he's not the best singer. But at least he was classically trained. If not Gad, then def. Michael Arden for the V/O!

2) The latter would be much worse than the former. As a disabled actress, I struggle yearly in finding jobs and even losing a part that was written for my disability to a total abled-body actress for a TV show. There are plenty of deaf actors out there, including my friend who was on Broadway and TV, who can easily be Quasimodo. Their emotions and physically can tell a story just like any abled actor can.

[D82]

I'm not as huge of a fan of Hunchback as most of this forum has been, but I am really happy this happening. I'm just surprised because I would've thought the stage show had been a testing ground for the possible film, but apparently not. Josh Gad would be great for Quasimodo.

I'm surprised they're remaking this film, too. I guess all the classics will eventually be made into live-action. I'm not a huge fan of Hunchback either, but for that same reason I don't mind a remake so much. When one of my favorite classics is remade, I'm more afraid they're going to ruin it. Plus, this is one of the most adult DAC films, so I think it's more suited to live-action than others.

I also thought Josh Gad was a great choice, but then I remembered Quasimodo is a gypsy, so I'd prefer they'd cast a gypsy actor for the role. I guess there aren't many actors of that ethnicity who are famous, but Romani people need representation and more positive roles like this one. I wonder if there will be some backlash if Gad is finally confirmed as Quasimodo. Or if they will cast Romani actors for other roles in the film, like Esmeralda or Clopin.

[thedisneyspirit]

Cool, also cast somebody who's got both a hunched back and does mad parkour. Otherwise it won't be authentic and I'm gonna be mad.

[Vlad]

So awesome! If they borrow elements from the original novel, I still hope they keep the happy ending.

[Sotiris]

Cool, also cast somebody who's got both a hunched back and does mad parkour. Otherwise it won't be authentic and I'm gonna be mad.

I think we are a bit demanding when it comes to Quasi's casting. A hearing-impaired actor of Romani descent who can not only sing but able to pull off Broadway tunes is hard to come by. I'm not in favor of having someone else dub the singing voice. That's something that can work on stage (and I know some productions of Hunchback did that) but not on screen. There are a lot of logistical problems with that and I fear the end result will look artificial and unconvincing. Disney's going to have trouble casting Esmeralda too. A dark-skinned Romani actress who can sing well is not easy to find either. I think Disney will do what they did for the Playhouse production and hire a multi-racial actress who's racially ambiguous (or just hire Ciara Renée again).

[Atlantica]

Nice this is getting the live action treatment !

I don't understand though; why do they always ignore the stage shows when adapting any of their films ? Has it ever been said why they do ignore it ?