Medusa’s last major on-screen appearance, in 2010’s ‘Clash of the Titans’

Sony Pictures Animation has hired Lauren Faust to direct an animated film, Medusa. The movie will be a comedic take on the horrifying snake-haired woman, who (according to Greek Mythology) was cursed by Athena to turn people to stone upon meeting her gaze.

Medusa is the first feature Faust will direct. She worked on (writing, directing, story boarding) some episodes of The Powderpuff Girls (1998-2005), a show created by her husband, Craig McCracken. Faust is known for creating the television show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010).

Ms. Faust has some experience working with monsters.

One factor that pulled her to direct Medusa was the fact that it stars a female protagonist. “In recent years, with movies like Tangled and Frozen, and not to toot my own horn, the polarity of My Little Pony, people are more open to [female protagonists],” Faust described to The Wrap.

Antz (1998) scribes, Todd Alcott and Holly Golden are set to write Medusa, which will follows the monster as she learns to honor what makes her different. The image of snake hair brings to mind a number of comedic possibilities. Faust is enthusiastic about Alcott and Golden’s creative script.

“I was excited by the idea of showing the comedy behind an otherwise horrific monster, and I was really drawn to the writer’s unique re-imagining of Greek mythology.”

Medusa is in good hands, with Sony Animation attached. The studio has developed many other successful films, including Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009). Genndy Tartakovsky’s Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) and Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon’s Sausage Party (2016) are all upcoming films on Sony’s slate. Additionally, the fact that Medusa is inspired from a myth, starring a horrifying female mythological creature could work in its favor. Fairytales about evil female characters have recently proven successful, from the release of Robert Stromber’s Maleficent, which earned $69 million at the box office, for opening weekend.

We look forward to hearing more about Lauren Faust’s Medusa, as it continues to slither towards development. Hopefully the snake-haired monster won’t leave audiences stone-faced.