With Disney’s ongoing streak of live action adaptations, Winnie the Pooh was put on their list for future development. Their beloved story book classic will be brought to live action, and has just named Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball) as the director. Brigham Taylor is producing the story which will be called Robin and centers around Pooh’s pal Christopher Robin; both of whom were originally creations of writer A.A. Milne. Indie filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Queen of Earth), in an about-face, penned the script. Taylor recently produced Disney’s blockbuster live-action reboot of The Jungle Book. The Hollywood Reporter broke this story.
This decision came out of left field considering Forster’s resume includes movies like World War Z, the James Bond hit Quantum of Solace and the gritty 2001 indie Monster’s Ball (which won leading actress Halle Berry an Academy Award). However, Forster does have children’s lit bonafides as he helmed the Oscar-winning 2004 film Finding Neverland, which starred Johnny Depp as Peter Pan writer J.M. Barre.
The plot of Robin follows a grown up Christopher Robin, a disillusioned business who is out of touch with the imagination he once had as a boy. At a tailspin, he is reunited with Pooh, who seeks his help to find his friends. The live-action reboot may use the magical realism aesthetic used so successfully in Disney’s spring reboot of The Jungle Book. As of now, no casting announcements have yet been made.
Could this film live up to the whimsy we all know and love from Pooh and friends, or will we all just say, “Oh bother? Watch this space.
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