Deadline is reporting that Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) and Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, The Prince of Egypt) are set to write the music for a new live action adaptation of the 1996 Disney animated classic and Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Tarzan) is writing the screenplay. David Hoberman & Todd Lieberman (The Fighter, The Muppets, Wonder) are producing the Mandeville production alongside Josh Gad who is in consideration to star as the lead character. Menken & Schwartz have collaborated on the 1996 animated version (for which they received an Academy Award nomination) and also wrote the music for a stage adaptation of the material. They have also been developing an original movie musical that is set to star Gad. No release date has been announced yet for the project.
Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz to Write Music for ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Live Action Movie
Posted: January 16, 2019 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring AssignmentsTags: Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
At first I got surprised to read this and find it all attached to the name Mandeville production rather than Disney. Turns out this is the same studio that was behind the live-action adaption of Beauty and the Beast and, much like the screenwriting and producing individuals named above, has had quite an extensive partnership with Disney.
So, a Hunchback remake, huh? I thought the stage adaption took this concept as far as Menken could reasonably take. I don’t mind him working further on it but I’d much rather see him flesh out his amazing score for the 1996 film further instead of exploring new venues for songs in this story.