Might Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of THE SWORD IN THE STONE feature a darker vision than the 1963 animated classic? Obviously that's a safe bet, and Disney's choice of director also hints at the direction the re-imagining could take. THR reports that Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, best known for directing 28 WEEKS LATER, is currently in negotiations to direct SWORD IN THE STONE.
The animated film was a very lighthearted and musical take on the King Arthur legend, but it seems that Disney may be after something different for the Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) scripted flick. SWORD IN THE STONE isn't the only Arthurian project which Disney is currently in the midst of developing, as they've also reached out to Ridley Scott (ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD) to direct THE MERLIN SAGA. Based upon the novels by T.A. Barron's, THE MERLIN SAGA follows the "adventures and training of young Merlin on the mist-shrouded isle of Fincayra, an enchanted land between earth and sky that is being destroyed by blight. With this land's inhabitants to guide him, the boy will learn that Fincayra's fate and his own quest are strangely interwined." With Guy Ritchie's recent KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD failing to impress critics, as well as being a box-office disappointment, the stage is certainly set for a well-made Arthurian movie to blow us all away. Disney, you've got two chances here. Don't blow them!