Chris Hemsworth may take the lead in Disney’s Prince Charming

After bringing the origin story of Willy Wonka to life with last year’s Wonka, Paul King has been tapped by Disney to direct a live-action film about Prince Charming. While many Disney movies feature a Prince Charming-type character, the actual Prince Charming appeared in Cinderella as a love interest to the title character. However, according to insiders, this Prince Charming movie “will not specifically be linked to Cinderella.” Simon Barnaby and Jon Croker are set to co-write the script alongside King.

Deadline now reports that King may have found his Prince (no pun intended). It’s now being said that Chris Hemsworth is now in talks to play the titular character. Disney has not made a comment yet. The plot details are yet to be known, but the “Prince Charming” trope is a tradition among classic Walt Disney animated films that feature a princess like the aforementioned Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. King’s humor will likely celebrate as well as poke fun at the character. King originally directed the Paddington films to great acclaim, but he would not return for the upcoming third film, Paddington in Peru.

“It was really difficult, because I’d spent eight years with the bear and I felt such incredible love for him,” King said. “He’s an animated character, and the design and the love that went into every single follicle was labor intensive and done with such heart. So it’s kind of like sending your kid off to school and going, ‘I hope you’ll be okay!’ But I also know it was the right thing to do.“ Paul King added, “because there’s so much Paddington source material, you could make 50 Paddington movies. I’d be a hundred years old and still doing Paddington.”

Meanwhile, Hemsworth has also been attached to star in an upcoming sci-fi film, The Corsair Code, which will be adapted by Jonathan Topper from his own short story. Topper had brought the project to Hemsworth and his producing partner Ben Grayson. Both Hemsworth and Grayson will be producing the film through their company, Wild State, while Apple is the studio that backs it. The plot is currently being kept under wraps. However, it is being described as “a high-octane, sci-fi mystery adventure.”