Director hired for Christopher Robin, Disney’s live action Winnie the Pooh movie

You didn’t imagine Disney were anywhere near done remaking their animated classics in live action, did you…?

Yes, there’s a live action ‘Winnie the Pooh’ movie in the works at the House of Mouse, and they’ve found a director in Marc Forster – although from the sounds of things, it won’t be quite the same Pooh Bear we’re used to.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is entitled ‘Christopher Robin,’ and as that name might suggest it centres on the boy who visited the Hundred Acre Wood in AA Milne’s classic stories, later filmed by Disney.

THR tells us the film, scripted by Alex Ross Perry, follows an adult Christopher Robin who “has grown out of the joyful imagination he had as a young boy and is now a businessman who prioritizes work over his wife and daughter.

“With his home life on the brink, the last thing his life needs is the return of Pooh, who needs his help in finding his friends again. Robin has to find a way to help both sides or risk losing everything he holds dear.”

Sounds dangerously close to ‘Hook’ – and, while some readers may disagree with me here, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Nor is this the only Pooh-based live action film in the works at present, as Domnhall Gleeson is set to appear as AA Milne in unrelated film ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin.’ (It seems likely that one of these films may change its name before hitting cinemas.)

Whilst best known in recent years for taking the helm on the troubled Bond movie ‘Quantum of Solace’ and the even more troubled Brad Pitt zombie movie ‘World War Z,’ Forster also directed ‘Finding Neverland,’ biopic of ‘Peter Pan’ creator JM Barrie, so he does have some experience with children’s classics.

No release date or casting for ‘Christopher Robin’ has been announced at present - but it’s but one among a multitude of live-action takes on Disney animated hits in the works at the studio.

Others include ‘Mulan,’ Dumbo,’ ‘Pinocchio,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Aladdin,’ ‘The Sword in the Stone,��� ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Tinkerbell,’ ‘101 Dalmatians′ prequel ‘Cruella,’ ‘Snow White’ spin-off ‘Rose Red,’ and ‘Cinderella’ spin-off ‘Prince Charming.’

The next live-action Disney remake, ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ hits cinemas in March 2017.

Picture Credit: Disney, WENN