“The Haunted Mansion” – bomb.
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| © Steven Liebman Disney has ordered a pilot for a drama series based on the Big Thunder Mountain Railrioad attraction. |
Sure, Disney doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to turning its attractions into on-screen entertainment. But it's certainly not going to stop trying.
Last week it was reported that Brad Bird’s new project has been retitled “Tomorrowland.” Bird, the director of “The Incredibles” and “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” is directing the live-action movie starring George Clooney, written by Damon Lindelof (“Lost”). The plot of the movie, which was originally titled “1952,” is still under wraps, but the movie is due in theaters Dec. 19, 2014.
If you’re looking for hints, Disneyland – and the original Tomorrowland – opened in 1955.
But that’s not all.
Now, Variety is reporting that Disney has ordered a pilot for “Big Thunder,” a potential drama series based on the beloved Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster.
Here’s how Variety describes the story: “Plotline involves a 19th century New York doctor and his family who are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful but mysterious tycoon. Soon, they quickly realize that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems.”
Of course, a pilot is just that – a single episode we may never get to see.
Also in development – at least as of last year – is a movie version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. That’s an interesting choice, given that the ride of the same name at Disney World closed in 1998. It remains a staple at Disneyland, where it was one of the park’s original rides.
But perhaps the ultimate theme park-inspired movie is Jon Favreau’s in-development “Magic Kingdom,” which is unambiguously tied to Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom theme park.
Here’s how Favreau (“Iron Man”) described the plot to Crave Online: “It’s going to be a family in the park. It’s an alternate reality version of the park that they get launched into. So much of it is just how it weaves together as a tapestry and what the visuals look like in creating this rich world. It’s informed by everything that I remember and know about the park from going there since I was a small child.”
That one doesn’t have a release date, but Crave reported last summer that “there’s no rush.”
What do you think of the prospects for these projects? Which ones do you think will see the light of day? Which will be the next “Pirates” and the next “Country Bears”?
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