Writer-director Lisa Cholodenko has left Disney’s adaptation of the children’s book ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY and her replacement will be Miguel Arteta, the man behind THE GOOD GIRL, CEDAR RAPIDS and YOUTH IN REVOLT. The project still has star Steve Carell attached but no word on whether Chodolenko’s script will be used or a new one will be commissioned.
The story is one of my favorites from my childhood, mostly because I always thought it was cool that I shared the name with the protagonist. The tale follows Alexander as he navigates a really shitty day in which every conceivable thing could go wrong at school and at home. The story of course has a happy ending and produced sequels. But, the story is primarily a picture book with a little bit of writing. Much like WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, ALEXANDER would need to be fleshed out into something grander. In a way, the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID books seems like the more fleshed out version of the story, but knowing Disney, this could go for a much lighter approach.
Arteta’s directing career has focused on mainly adult-oriented stories. Recently he has worked in television directing shows like ENLIGHTENED and AMERICAN HORROR STORY. I am puzzled by his selection, but I guess it would also depend on the path the screenplay is taking the story. I do like Carell as the dad which would mean the script differs greatly from the book as the dad barely appears at all.