EXCLUSIVE: True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld is attached to Sleeping Beauty, a spec package that is going out to buyers as we speak. Screenwriter Lindsay Devlin has written a revisionist take on the fairy tale that will give Steinfeld a lot more to do than nap while waiting for a charming prince’s peck to awaken her from a witch’s curse. The new version is told from her point of view as she enters the dream world and has to find her way out.
Hollywood has been absolutely smitten with fairy tales since the billion dollar grosser Alice in Wonderland. There is already a version of Sleeping Beauty at Disney called Maleficent, which is being scripted by Linda Woolverton, with Tim Burton attached and rumors that Angelina Jolie coveted for the title role of the witch. There is also Snow White and the Hunstman at Universal with Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron, and The Brothers Grimm: Snow White at Relativity with Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer; Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters at Paramount with Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton; a revisionist take on Peter Pan with Channing Tatum at Sony Pictures; and Disney’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, the Sam Raimi-directed film that will star James Franco.
The 14-year old Steinfeld was such a revelation in her Oscar-nominated True Grit turn that I’d be surprised if the Sleeping Beauty spec slumbers long. Her reps at ICM and the writers reps at APA are handling the sale.





What is up with all these Disney fairytale remakes?
Yes, because Disney invented fairytales!
I don’t think it’s fair to call them remakes — it’s not like the Disney cartoons were original. They were just sanitized versions of fairytales watered down for kids entertainment.
Having said that, I suspect there are far too many of these in comparison to how many audiences are willing to see. I think studios are discounting how much the Johnny Depp factor accounted for Alice in Wonderland’s success.
I heard that there is another Hansel and Gretel too being made, that is doing justice to the original tale. I believe the creature designer of Avatar is attached to design some legendary beings of Germanic mythology for the first time. Cool stuff!!
A friend of mine read Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, was very bloody he said and weird. The other one “Hansel and Gretel in 3D” (By the Institute, M. Bay’s company and Kalliope films) is going to be more authenitic plus has a great 3D crew. Saw on IMDB that the casting director of Harry Potter is casting now. Interesting,.
None of these will be successes. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton managed to make a quirky take on Alice in Wonderland sell, but it doesn’t mean that every other classic fairytale needs a modern adaptation.
And who on earth is responsible for putting Channing Tatum in a Peter Pan story? That takes miscasting to a new level.
Right on, Abby!
As they are all chasing Alice’s BILLION dollar payday…but, without Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton…’especially Johnny as the Mad Hatter’.
Some may work…most will fail from little story and character development, but probably have lots of explosions, battles, ninjas and other video game effects.
I disagree- I do think that a lot of these remakes will be successes, although I also thought the new red riding hood would be a huge success, and that didn’t really work out too well…
however, I TOTALLY have to agree about the Channing Tatum/Peter Pan matchup. Um…is he Rufio, or Captain Hook or something? I can’t picture him as ANY character in that film.
Channing Tatum just wants to stay a boy forever.
Have to agree. I guess they’re betting on that one in the bunch that might turn a decent profit, but I don’t see the market for these. Kids can’t watch them and adults may be turned off by them. Maybe it’s a foreign market thing I don’t get. I can only wonder what the next onslaught will be.
She is great but when is enough gonna be enough with the fairytales and zombie’s already?
@ george:
You forgot to mention vampires.
Fairytales are the new Superhero films
can’t decide which one I dislike the most
I think of it more like fairy tales are the new vampires. I wouldn’t mind if they do a great fairy tale movie (Tangled) but they can keep their Beastlys and Red Riding Hoods.
So they’re turning Sleeping Beauty into Inception? Along with the news that there’s going to be a Candy Land movie, now I’ve heard everything.
I think this sounds freaking cool.
No creative ideas from the studios and writers is the reason why they are making these fairy tales. Studio executives already know that these stories already have a fan base and the creative side is already there to play with. But the executives need to understand that it never turns out the way they think (“Red Riding Hood”). They need to start gambling with scripts like “Inception”.
Yawn….more boring movies. Red Riding isn’t doing well, and these won’t either. At least she’s got something going now after True Grit. Maybe she can sleep her way through this one and just continue to play it straight and safe.
Hallie’s a great actress, Lindsey’s a great writer as well as a great person. So regardless of whether you think that this is pandering to market, I can take solace in the fact that good people are involved. It’s not like Joe Roth is behind it.
Just for that Joe Roth is going to buy this and produce it.
A great writer? Really? Since when…? She can’t make up her mind what she wants to be (producer, manager, now writer).
Yes, there’s NEVER been a producer who also wrote. It’s called a hybrid, look it up. And if she chooses to be a writer full time, and sells this then I’m certain her reps will gladly take the commission, whatever she wants to label herself.
Hey, thanks for the development lingo, coffee-getter. I was feeling mighty uneducated. Firstly, do your homework. She was a development exec-turned-half-ass-producer with a modicum of taste. And, yes, she was unofficially overseeing the management of her then (current?) boyfriend’s writing career. Secondly, the turn to writing is news to a lot of people I suspect.
“coffe-getter”? You’re good, Krass. I never denied she had a hand in being an indie producer. And in terms of her “unofficially” managing her boyfriend . . . let me get this straight, you admit she never actually tried to “manage” anyone’s career but her boyfriend’s? OK, so all the writer friends I’ve helped in the business, given notes to, sent their material to execs . . . I unofficially managed them? Shit! I guess I should have asked for 10% instead of wishing them well on their career. Just because you help someone out, doesn’t mean that you want anything more than to just be a friend. Oh, and Lindsey went out with a spec wide last year called NOCTURNE that she’s been redeveloping with Appian Way. So Krass, perhaps you need to pay attention to the market a bit more.
I don’t believe she was ever a manager, just an indie producer. And as we know, they don’t make any money, so what’s the big deal?
I read her last spec about a year ago which was really good, a supernatural thriller. It’s not like she woke up yesterday and decided to become a writer. Most people (including you, I’m guessing) have a desire to do something else, especially as the biz changes. At least she had the balls to do it.
This actually sounds like a really cool take. It’s not a boring remake, it sounds like a totally fresh take on the classic. excited for this one!
Maybe Disney should cast her as Miss Marple!
If by Devlin you actually mean her boyfriend/client who is a screenwriter and probably wrote the script.
Right, because women can’t write scripts on their own, only men do that…until 5 other male writers come on and ruin it further with rewrites that don’t fix the bad dialogue and plot holes, resulting in an expensive but festering pile of a movie and lots of ranting on Deadline.com when it bombs at the box office. Maybe she read what her boyfriend wrote, snickered, and thought she could do better.
If you mean Cole Haddon, he’s repped at Anonymous Content, she’s never repped him. Get your facts straight. And real nice that you think she can’t write something…what the hell’s your problem?
Jesus Christ, some of you people are horrid assholes. Not sure if anyone is still checking this thread as its a week old, but I certainly hope so.
To A) think that Lindsey couldn’t write a script on her own is to be foolish. B) The logic to assume that her boyfriend wrote it is so fucking flawed its unreal. C) The level of direct and personal attacks on this board continues to astound me.
Mind you, I may have made some direct attacks on people in the past myself, but at least when I do it, it’s solely directed as high-level individuals in the industry who open themselves up to harsh criticism by making choices that adversely affect the industry both creatively and monetarily. I’m not trying to trash a young woman or her significant other who are simply trying to make it in this industry as writers.
At the end of the day, I honestly don’t think you can ever blame a writer for a failure in this industry. At least not directly, and I’ll tell you why: because someone else decided to hire them.
So if Lindsey’s script sells, great for her. If you don’t like the script, don’t like Cole’s scripts, then don’t blame them, blame anyone who pays them for their services. All they’re trying to do is live a dream and make a living while doing it and I sure as hell think that’s a damn noble thing.
you guys are retarded. nobody can please any of you. all yall do is bitch and complain about whats getting made and stuff ain’t nobody going to make you watch any of those films. and i doubt ANY of you can write something original then have it made into a film and then have it become successful all yall do is sit behind a computer bitching and moaning. get over it already. it’s just movies. nobody makes you watch anything you don’t want.
Jadakiss, you just summarized it all so beautifully. Well played.
It is too early to call Hailee Steinfeld a great actress. She hasn’t proven herself yet. Please, stop this exaggeration. Give this lady some time show the world what she is made of.
It would just be nice to see a movie with a good hook go into dev rather than the 18th take on a fairy tale. It’s lame and lazy and that’s why people rag on it. Sell a really good idea or spec and people will respect it. Sell a gimmick and not so much.
i’m eagerly awaiting Tyler Perry’s Fantasia…Barrino.
Fairy tales, fantasies , dreams are all good:) reality is so horrible, with the world is today, who needs more of reality when they’re looking for entertainment or escapism….the best things in life come from dreams and fantasies! Who wants reality, reality is horrible and ugly! The only thing is this girl is only 14 years old, too young to be waiting for a husband ( prince charming )…they need someone else more age appropraite. We don’t want to send out the wrong message here….
You must suffer from reading comprehension. It says she is NOT waiting around for a Prince. She enters a dream world to help herself get out of the spell. Sounds age-appropriate to me.
so we have 3 different snow whites, and 2 different sleeping beauties. when is cinderella getting her moment to on the big screen?
Heard of the movie “Ever After” with Drew Berrymore? That was Cinderalla live-action.
Ok so I can’t resist. Oz, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are not fairy tales like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty or Hansel & Gretel. Fairy tales are folklore, stories originating hundreds of years ago with no clear authors. Oz is from 1900, Alice from 1865, and Peter Pan from 1902. They’re just fantasy fiction. (And yes I do have better things to do, but again, couldn’t resist.)
I don’t think they’ll all be bad, but I definitely don’t think they will all be good. Hailee Steinfeld is a great actress and I think she could make this really good. But muscley Channing Tatum as a boy who flies? Not so much.