For years, Disney has attempted to establish new franchises by producing films based on its well-known theme parks.
Disney has had some success with this technique, from Pirates of the Caribbean to Jungle Cruise, and now multiple attempts at The Haunted Mansion, but the concept is being expanded with the creation of a new Disney+ movie that will chronicle the story of the construction of Disneyland itself.
While one would not expect the construction of the Happiest Place on Earth to be anything approaching a horror flick, Halloween Kills director David Gordon Green has been hired to supervise the project.
The film does not yet have an official title, but Variety says that David Gordon Green will direct it from a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos. It will chronicle Walt Disney and his effort to build Disneyland.
While David Gordon Green is most known for directing the most recent films in the Halloween franchise, he has also directed a wide range of projects, including inspiring real tale films like 2017’s Stronger, which is likely to be the type of film this new Disneyland project will be.
Walt Disney had the notion to create an amusement park near the original location of the Disney Bros. Studio after dominating the realms of animation and feature filmmaking. That concept would eventually grow into Disneyland.
And, while Disneyland was a success from the start, no one, with the possible exception of Walt Disney, was ever certain of it. When Walt first presented the idea of Disneyland, the company’s Board of Directors were skeptical.
Walt ended up founding the Walt Disney Imagineering firm totally on his own. It would not become a part of the Disney corporation until just before Walt’s death in the mid-1960s. It’s simple to see how this subject might make for a fascinating film.
This will not be the first time that Disney the corporation produces a film in which Disney the man appears as a character. Saving Mr. Banks, a film about the creation of Mary Poppins, was released by the studio in 2013. Walt Disney was played by Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks’ name is spreading among fans once more, as his performance in that picture was undeniably one of the highlights. Simultaneously, the events of this film will take place roughly a decade before the events of Saving Mr. Banks, and by the time this film is expected to begin production, Hanks will have represented Walt for roughly a decade.
So someone fresh will very certainly need to play one of the most famous guys in entertainment while also following in the footsteps of another legendary man in entertainment. There is no pressure there.
