No wizards for Ridley Scott, thank you very much
Disney
Scott could be referring to one of two Disney “wizard films” here. The first is “The Merlin Saga,” a film based on T.A. Barron’s book series that explores the life of the legendary wizard Merlin as a young man long before he mentored King Arthur. Scott was said to be in talks to direct the film in January 2018, with Philippa Boyens (the screenwriter behind “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) penning the screenplay. The project has been in the works at Disney since 2014, back when John Zinman and Patrick Masset (“Friday Night Lights”) were working on the script.
The other suspect is “The Sword in the Stone,” a live-action remake of Disney’s animated 1963 movie (based on T. H. White’s 1938 novel) that also features Merlin as a key character. Horror maestro Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“28 Weeks Later,” “Intruders”) came aboard to direct the film shortly after Scott met with Disney executives to discuss the project in early 2018, with Bryan Cogman (“Game of Thrones”) writing the script. Four and a half years later, neither “The Merlin Saga” nor “The Sword in the Stone” have yet to make any further progress. In the meantime, Scott has gone off and finished two more films (“The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci”), with “Napoleon” well on the way to being done in the foreseeable future. One imagines Disney would have preferred he knocked out one or, knowing the speed at which Scott works, both of its “wizard films” instead, but you can’t begrudge him for sticking to the things he’s passionate about.
Working With Disney Wasn’t Something Ridley Scott Was Willing To Do
HBO
By Sandy Schaefer/July 5, 2022 7:18 pm EST
Scott’s output from the past decade includes films about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (“All the Money in the World”), a sequel to his “Alien” prequel “Prometheus” (“Alien: Covenant”), and a re-telling of the Biblical story of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt (“Exodus: Gods and Kings”). Up next for him is “Napoleon,” a movie that looks at French military and political leader Napoleon Bonaparte through the lens of his relationship with his wife, Empress Joséphine. After that? A follow-up to “Gladiator,” Scott’s swords-and-sandals epic which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2000.
No wizards for Ridley Scott, thank you very much
Disney
Scott could be referring to one of two Disney “wizard films” here. The first is “The Merlin Saga,” a film based on T.A. Barron’s book series that explores the life of the legendary wizard Merlin as a young man long before he mentored King Arthur. Scott was said to be in talks to direct the film in January 2018, with Philippa Boyens (the screenwriter behind “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) penning the screenplay. The project has been in the works at Disney since 2014, back when John Zinman and Patrick Masset (“Friday Night Lights”) were working on the script.
The other suspect is “The Sword in the Stone,” a live-action remake of Disney’s animated 1963 movie (based on T. H. White’s 1938 novel) that also features Merlin as a key character. Horror maestro Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“28 Weeks Later,” “Intruders”) came aboard to direct the film shortly after Scott met with Disney executives to discuss the project in early 2018, with Bryan Cogman (“Game of Thrones”) writing the script. Four and a half years later, neither “The Merlin Saga” nor “The Sword in the Stone” have yet to make any further progress. In the meantime, Scott has gone off and finished two more films (“The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci”), with “Napoleon” well on the way to being done in the foreseeable future. One imagines Disney would have preferred he knocked out one or, knowing the speed at which Scott works, both of its “wizard films” instead, but you can’t begrudge him for sticking to the things he’s passionate about.
The other suspect is “The Sword in the Stone,” a live-action remake of Disney’s animated 1963 movie (based on T. H. White’s 1938 novel) that also features Merlin as a key character. Horror maestro Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“28 Weeks Later,” “Intruders”) came aboard to direct the film shortly after Scott met with Disney executives to discuss the project in early 2018, with Bryan Cogman (“Game of Thrones”) writing the script.
Four and a half years later, neither “The Merlin Saga” nor “The Sword in the Stone” have yet to make any further progress. In the meantime, Scott has gone off and finished two more films (“The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci”), with “Napoleon” well on the way to being done in the foreseeable future. One imagines Disney would have preferred he knocked out one or, knowing the speed at which Scott works, both of its “wizard films” instead, but you can’t begrudge him for sticking to the things he’s passionate about.
