Disney made it a point in recent years to create live-action films from their beloved collection of animated classics. From Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman, fantasy features are apparently the most lucrative endeavors. (Both films totaled close to 1.4 billion dollars.) But as wise men say, you can never have too much of good thing. According to Deadline Hollywood, Disney will be recreating Cinderella with a live cast with Kenneth Branagh directing.
Known his work for the Academy Award-nominated Hamlet and being one of the best actors of Shakespearean theater, Branagh may seem like an odd choice to take on a romantic fantasy. But with the critical and commercial success of his last directing effort, Thor, Branagh seems like the jack-of-all-trades that could add drama to this children’s fairytale. He is now on a mission to find the right actress that could fit into the legendary glass slipper. After Harry Potter’s Emma Watson turned down the role, a bevy young Hollywood starlets are vying for the part including Dark Shadows star Bella Heathcoate. And with the Cate Blanchett—the new face of Giorgio Armani Fragrances—working on the project, the film already smells like a success.