Disney yearns for adventure with knight-errant, Don Quixote.

Recently the studio announced that they are currently developing an adaptation of the classic Spanish novel about a unique man who believes he is a knight. On this adventure, Gordon Gray and Billy Ray are producing. Ray, whose credits include The Hunger Games and Captain Phillips, is also penning the script. This is not the first time the story of Don Quixote has hit the silver screen. In 1972, the musical version Man of La Mancha made its debut starring Peter O’Toole and Sofia Loren. This adaptation followed the highly acclaimed Broadway production, which brought a Tony award for best actor to Richard Kiley for his portrayal of the worldly Don Quixote.

Written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and originally published in 1605, the story follows a lower-class Hildago named Alanso Quixano. After reading too many stories of chivalry he slowly loses his sanity and decides to take it upon himself to revive it by righting the wrongs done to others and bringing justice to the world. Under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha he enlists help from his neighbor, Sancho Panza, and takes him on as his squire. Instead of seeing the world for what it truly is, Don Quixote believes he is living a Knightly tale, for in his eyes regular Innkeepers are Lords and Windmills are fierce dragons. The situations the two find themselves in are often comical, but also disastrous and violent.

Sources say Disney aims to adapt the work in the same tone as their fantasy filled billion-dollar franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. Gray has a long history with Disney, making his name as a producer on sports dramas such as 2002’s The Rookie, 2006’s Invincible, and the more recent McFarland USA and Million Dollar Arm. 

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