During an earnings call with investors on Tuesday, Disney chiefRobert Igerannounced that the studio is developing reboots/re-imaginings of family-friendly hits such asHome Alone,Night at the Museum,Diary of a Wimpy KidandCheaper by the Dozenfor its forthcoming streaming service Disney+.
Elsewhere, Iger said that Disney plans to continue Fox’s acclaimedPlanet of the Apesfranchise, and that Fox Searchlight will be making movies for Disney+, though Disney will pare back the total number of releases from Fox’s film divisions. Of course, Fox hasBrad Pitt’s space epicAd AstraandJames Mangold’s racing dramaFord v Ferrarion the immediately horizon, while its 2020 releases include theAmy AdamsthrillerThe Woman in the WindowandSteven Spielberg’s musicalWest Side Story– not to mentionJames Cameron’sAvatarsequels.
As far as these development projects go, the only one I’ve heard rumblings about is the reimagining ofHome Alone, which could turn the tables and follow a husband and wife who go to war with a young boy who has stolen something from them, rather than the original premise of a young boy who goes to war with a pair of inept thieves looking to rob his house.
Word on the street is thatBoratscribeDan Mazeris the top choice to direct, andMelissa McCarthyis being eyed to star, but it also sounds like everything is still up in the air, and the studio hasn’t settled on a direction just yet. Besides, it’ll all come down to who is cast as the boy at the center of the story, and the truth is that there just aren’t a ton ofMacaulay Culkin-level talents running around Hollywood these days, though I was certainly impressed byJulia Butters' breakout turn asLeonardo DiCaprio’s precocious young co-star inOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
The firstHome Aloneis one of my all-time favorite movies, but it’s certainly not untouchable, and a modern-day reboot could actually work, in that it presents all kinds of new opportunities given the technology that is available to kids these days – though all the fancy gadgets in the world might have a tough time topping the Talkboy in terms of coolness factor.
The other properties on the docket make sense for Disney+ as the streaming service sets out to make a name for itself. TheNight at the Museumfranchise grossed nearly 1.5 billion worldwide, while theWimpy Kidmovies took in nearly $300 million worldwide, so each child-friendly property has a strong fanbase that, in theory, would follow those titles to Disney’s new streaming service. Even the twoCheaper by the Dozenmovies grossed over $300 million, and I could see Disney assembling a young, fun, diverse cast for that film, depending on how the studio chooses to ‘reimagine’ that title.
Is there anyone you’d like to see take over theSteve Martinrole inCheaper by the Dozen? What aboutBen Stiller’s part in theNight at the Museumreboot? Is there a child actor out there who you think could fill Culkin’s big (size 6, or thereabouts) shoes? Let me know on Twitter, because I’m very curious what you folks make of Disney+’s ‘raid the library’ strategy.
