A live-action/CG hybrid is on the roster for Disney, teaming up with The End of Tour director James Ponsoldt. The Hollywood Reporter says Ponsoldt will write, direct, and produce Wild City, an original concept of his. The story will follow the adventures of Los Angeles’ wild animals.
Ponsoldt has done all the legwork required to get him where he is today. He’s a well-known director in the indie world, especially at Sundance. His 2012 drama Smashed, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul, went on to win the U.S. Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing. The Spectacular Now, starring Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, won a Special Jury Prize Award for Acting. Another film Ponsoldt has directed that you that may have missed last year is The End of Tour, in which Jason Segel starred as famed author David Foster Wallace.
Ponsoldt’s most recent work in the director chair is the adaptation of Dave Eggers’ novel, The Circle. The film stars, Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, and John Boyega. That film has wrapped filming, but still awaits a 2016 release date.